Legionnaire: Five Years in the French Foreign Legion

By Simon Murray

Book Overview

"A pleasure to read and nearly impossible to put down." -Army Times "Embodies an experience that many have enjoyed in fantasy-few in reality." -The Washington Post The French Foreign Legion-mysterious, romantic, deadly-is filled with men of dubious character, and hardly the place for a proper Englishman just nineteen years of age. Yet in 1960, Simon Murray traveled alone to Paris, Marseilles, and ultimately Algeria to fulfill the toughest contract of his life: a five-year stint in the Legion. Along the way, he kept a diary. Legionnaire is a compelling, firsthand account of Murray's experience with this legendary band of soldiers. This gripping journal offers stark evidence that the Legion's reputation for pushing men to their breaking points and beyond is well deserved. In the fierce, sun-baked North African desert, strong men cracked under brutal officers, merciless training methods, and barbarous punishments. Yet Murray survived, even thrived. For he shared one trait with these hard men from all nations and backgrounds: a determination never to surrender. "The drama, excitement, and color of a good guts-and-glory thriller." -Dr. Henry Kissinger

• Format: Unknown Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891418873
• ISBN13: 9780891418870
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

A true ripping yarn

I read this years ago and am now purchasing the book for my father. It should appeal to casual readers or those well versed in history. Easy to read, hard to put down, intelligently written, a real humdinger of a story. Unique to say the least.

Great book!

I couldn't put the book down. Makes you realize how soft most of our lives really are and helps you appreciate your life. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those who like to whine and complain.

A classic Legion story

I greatly enjoyed Legionnaire, though it does bog down in places, it is a great telling of life in the Legion. The author is a very intelligent and educated man and it shows in his writing. The entire book is a collection from his extensive diaries during his time in the Legion. The story is a classic Foreign Legion story of a young educated British boy seeking adventure and excitement. What he finds is that the Legion is not what he expected from reading Beau Geste and he is thrust into one of the most brutal and psychologically exhausting experience of his life. But you can see the transformation from the boy who entered the Legion to the hardened and weathered man who left it five years later. Though the story might seem somewhat cliche the art is in the telling and the author does a magnificent job, a great read and well worth the time spent.

Autobiography that reads like a novel

This is the compelling account of a young man who enlisted in the Foreign Legion. His trials and adventures take place in Algeria in the early 60s when France was reluctantly and painfully loosening its grip on this hot spot. The book is actually a diary which the author faithfully maintained over his five grueling years in the Legion. His account is captivating--a first rate novelist would be hard pressed to produce a story with as much force, sensitivity and depth of characterization. I don't know if the author has written other works. If he hasn't, I hope he takes up the pen again when he retires from his successful career in business.

DIARY OF AN INTELLIGENT MAN OF ACTION

This is one of the best books I have ever read on what it means to be a soldier - not someone wearing a uniform and doing a job for a paycheck but a real soldier. Being intelligent and tough are two good things and Simon Murray is both. When you read of this man's character, formed in his early twenties, you have little doubt of the leadership ability which led to business success.Simon Murray is a man of action.Very well written. Very readable. 1. It should be back in print. 2. Simon Murray should write a business book!