Great book

Recommended for anyone looking for a concise history of the napoleonic wars. Well read and written

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

very good history lesson

how the British alleys beat him! and that most of the world would be speaking French now.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A Fascinating History of the Early 19th Century

If you like 19th century history this book should be on your list. It is both well written and expertly delivered by the narrator. The material has been meticulously researched, but doesn’t have too many stats and figures to leave you bogged down and fatigued.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great!

Very thorough history of the napoleonic wars. Moves through each nation in its subject matter moving from the early to late period as relevant. Narrator’s voice was excellent. Though I have to admit that his intonation was odd at some points, suggesting sarcasm, irony or ridicule in ordinary sentences

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great story but hard to Listen to

I got this when I suddenly took an interest in the Napoleonic wars and its impact on the world, overall it was great with an amazing story but honestly how can 1 person emphasise something so much that does just not need to emphasised. The narrator seems so surprised when he reads ever line which is good some of the time but not all the time. Any way It was amazing and really informative.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Fascinating

An absolute incredible story, the detail level has to be heard to be believed.
A very comprehensive study of this period from all angles of Europe and the world.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great, but not quite.

At least for the casual listener, i got lost so many times in all the exact dates in mm/dd/yyyy, all one after the other, the insistence of having all the sometimes 4-5 word names read one after the other. If i were to have read the book, i would probably only have glaced at this information, but being read to me i could not avoid. i found myself getting lost bc of that.

Otherwise, the content was fantastic. Loved the global approach to the book, though at times i feel like it lacked a clear structure. Felt i was being led back and forth through time and place.

The reader also employed a somewhat difficult to follow speech bc of the insistence of using all sort of accents and verbal flourishings.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Excellent book, terrible narration

This is precisely the history of the Napoleonic Wars I've been looking for - giving the diplomatic and political context for the events and battles, and a truly global perspective on the what's, whys, and so whats. I'll be picking up a hard copy to go back and revisit key areas, as well as check the maps and index.

Sadly, the narration rendered this almost unlistenable. The guy has a good voice, but his intonation is totally off - emphasis in all the wrong places, every third sentence pronounced as if what's being revealed is somehow surprising (whether it is or not), and often using a sing-song tone that'd be more appropriate for a children's comedy. I had to whack the speed right up to try and offset it - but this is precisely the kind of thing where I'd have preferred an AI voice to a human one, sorry to say.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Not What it seems!

This is not a Military history despite being called the Napoleonic Wars. If you are looking for a Military history this is most definitely not for you. I think the book should have been much more realistically called the Napoleonic Era: a Global History.

It is a comprehensive examination of the global situation leading up to and during the Napoleonic period. It convers the economic. social, and political landscape of the major powers, and many, such as the Middle Eastern, and South American powers.

The book is very interesting once you realise what is not. I think the author likes to side with the less widely held views, but he does give a fair bit of information so if you don't agree you can look it up easily and decide. His assessment of the significance of Trafalgar is a good demonstration of this. The claim it was not as important because Napoleon rebuilt the navy to a paper strength close to what it had been before the battle, totally misses the point that a raw navy without much sailing or gunnery experience would never be the equal of a veteran elite force. In many places he states the Royal Navy's complete domination of the seas had a significance, which undermines the claim for Trafalgar.

I leant a lot about what was going on in this era from the book and am glad i listened to it. As an Audible member I was able to borrow it for free. If I had bought it I would have felt very let down.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Interminable with dire narration

What is it about scholars and the Napoleonic Wars? Why/How do they make a potentially fascinating and thrilling story monumentally boring? I kept falling asleep and waking up to find yet another disquisition on the possibility of invading Turkey, or the Walcheren Expedition which was one of the British Army's major bog ups, I know there is more to hear about - but I just don't have the patience. The reader, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the project I suspect, doesn't inject enough interest into the reading which doesn't help. Not enough/any change in pace or emphasis. I'd say go to the book and read rather than listen?

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful