The Accidental Soldier
Dispatches from Quite Near the Front Line
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The Accidental Soldier
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Narrated by:
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Owain Mulligan
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By:
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Owain Mulligan
About this listen
I loved it . . . relentlessly funny and really well written - John Oliver
Authentic and compulsive - Richard E. Grant
A fascinating insight into the often farcical chaos and catastrophe of war. Reads like a non-fiction Catch-22. Compelling, enlightening and bleakly funny. A jaw-dropping read. - Matt Haig
An instant classic - a deeply funny and mordant book about war. - Richard Curtis
Owain Mulligan was never what you'd call a career soldier. Nor even a particularly good one. At weekends he trained with the Territorial Army and dreamt of swapping the mayhem of teaching in a tough school for the adventure of service in Iraq. At least they'd let him wear a helmet in Iraq.
But when the job in headquarters he's been expecting doesn't materialise, he finds himself on the streets of Basra during one of the most violent periods of the conflict. Between homicidal militias, a chain of command who seem determined to get him killed, and equipment which might well do it for them, he and his men have their work cut out. It certainly puts double geography with 9E into perspective.
The Accidental Soldier is a searingly honest and darkly funny account of what it was really like being in the British Army in Iraq (including all the bits they probably hoped you'd never find out). We share all the hardships, fears, and occasional lunacy of military life as Owain and his men try to navigate a war gone badly wrong. One thing's for sure; you'll never look at the phrase 'military precision' in quite the same way again...©2025 Owain Mulligan (P)2025 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
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What listeners say about The Accidental Soldier
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr C. J. T. Roberts
- 21-04-25
Simply Outstanding
This is easily one of the best audiobooks I have listened to.
Brilliantly written and narrated by the author himself, the book is amazingly funny, thought provoking and poignant.
There are so many laugh out loud moments which had me in tears whilst at other times I was close to tears for very different reasons altogether.
Bravo to the author for this utterly fantastic book and thank you to him and the brave men he led and served next to in Iraq.
Hopefully we get sequels about his time in Afghanistan.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Toby
- 13-04-25
could of been me
I started this today and I've almost finished it..I was in the TA at the same time. I didn't deploy but if I did this could of been me. really well written and very engaging
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- C
- 16-04-25
humour and pathos
A powerful book. The surface of laugh out loud squaddie humour covers a dark and depressing reality. The insanity of it all is laid bare. How the troop could face it and keep going is hard to fathom. Well narrated and with the emotions and frustrations honestly expressed it's a very worthwhile and thought provoking listen.
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- Quentin
- 17-04-25
Sobering and funny.
It’s hard to see what’s funny about the Iraq war but this book is it. A combination of raw recruits, myopic top brass and woeful equipment makes for a heady mix of humour, pathos and sometimes the sheer tedium of army life.
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- Sueatonk
- 16-04-25
Thought provoking, moving, funny and sad.
I got this book after a recommendation from Marina Hyde. While making me smile and sometimes laugh it has really made me think about many things to do with combat, racism, trauma, camaraderie and humanity. Well worth a few hours of anyone’s time.
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- MR James Lillis
- 16-04-25
An honest, frank and tremendously funny account
Breathtakingly funny, poignant and entertaining. I couldn’t stop listening at times. A deeply modest account of soldiering, mistakes and bravery.
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- Ed Salter
- 14-04-25
Unmissable
Stunningly good. Perfect cadence of humour and powerfully emotional insights. Unmissable. Download and you won’t regret it.
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- Mr. R. J. Wardell
- 22-04-25
Fresh and Different
What a fresh war memoir! The different approach to this book made me laugh in numerous parts but also quietly think and take in what's being said in the serious parts. I really feel this is one of the better memoirs I have listened too as the Author is a very funny chap and it shows through the book.
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- Kirsty Caffrey
- 15-04-25
laugh out loud funny
fir such a serious tale this truly was laugh out loud funny. Superbly written and so well read.
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- alexander
- 11-04-25
Brilliant
Just brilliant. Eye opening, touching in parts and overall hilarious. I listened to the whole book in 24 hours.
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