Youth in Asia

Very Enjoyable

Reviewed: 09-05-23

I previously knew little about the Mexican War, apart from its political context and its results. This book is written with a particular narrow focus on the opening of the war, the selection of Taylor as the primary general in command, and the manner in which various officers, later key generals in the US Civil War, fit into the picture. It also provides a helpful sketch of Taylor himself, and so, within the confines of its focus, the book certainly succeeds. The narration is also very good.

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EPIC!

Reviewed: 09-05-23

I seldom complete an audiobook so quickly, but this one is absolutely enthralling. William C. Davis is such a good writer, and I have enjoyed at least a half dozen of his works, but An Honorable Defeat is just so good. Beginning with the last days of the Siege of Petersburg, the book tells of the efforts of the Secretary of War, the illustrious statesman and general John C. Breckinridge, to influence President Davis and to wind down the war.

After the fall of Petersburg, the evacuation of Richmond, and a Confederate government in almost continuous flight, the author provides a riveting play-by-play of the disintegration of both the war effort and of Davis’ inner circle, and of the fascinating adventures of the diverging parties of government officials attempting to escape capture. The irony in all of this is that, during the dying gasps of the Confederate cause, its most powerful and respected official and representative was not the contentious President Davis, but rather the renowned Kentucky statesman and former US Vice President whose loss of the Presidential Election of 1860 had, against his own wishes, brought about secession in the first place.

The author is, as always, neutral and fair in his assessment of complicated and often self-contradictory historical personages. I can’t say enough good things about this book

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So, So Good

Reviewed: 08-23-23

I had high hopes for another highly entertaining, insightful, and informative Tony Horwitz production, but Midnight Rising actually exceeded my expectations. Horwitz provides a well-balanced human depth to each of the actors that helps this oft-told story to avoid the predictable “good guy / bad guy” cliches.

Narrator Dan Oreskes may be the best audiobook reader I’ve ever heard. Not only is the text read to perfection, but his pronunciation and intonation, and especially his affecting of regional accents, so often an irritating pitfall among audiobook narrators, are absolutely top notch. Particularly memorable for me was Oreskes’ reading of the curious exchange between John Brown and JEB Stuart through the door of the engine house. I was sorry that this audiobook had to end.

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Just Outstanding

Reviewed: 08-23-23

The half of Civil War history that’s seldom told, this book is sorely needed. The first chapter covers the initial formation of the Confederate government and, from there, I had expected a more or less chronological narrative of Confederate political history. But the book actually turned out to be a collection of topical essays that work together to present a multifaceted picture of the evolution of life in the Confederacy, as well as a glimpse into Southern White mindset that evolved throughout the war and its immediate aftermath.

I initially found the narrator to be irritating, but as the book progressed, I warmed to his voice and his sometimes comical variety of Southern accents.

Altogether highly recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

Somewhat Irritating “Pop History”

Reviewed: 06-21-23

Getting to the finish line was an effort. I agree with many of the reviewers who point out the author’s obvious biases in framing “good guys vs bad guys” narratives, but, even as I struggled through such pretentious neo-Transcendental-isms as “like a lead weight, (it) teathers the phrase to earth, keeping Lincoln’s prose from rising into poetry. The reader longs to cut it loose”, I will say that I did learn a few things about the time period that I did not already know.

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Very good content; irritating performance

Reviewed: 05-13-23

As others have noted, the narrator is at times painful to listen to, not only with inconsistent and often botched pronunciations, but also with his habit of affecting dramatic speech. Southerners, and even soldiers from New Jersey, invariably sound like backwoods rednecks, and his renditions of female voices and Frenchmen are especially cringeworthy.

But I could get through all of that tolerably well if so many of the pronunciations were not so obviously off.
* Chancellorsville is often “Chancellorville”.
* Grant’s instructions “indicted” (indicated) something.
* Cavalry is rendered “Calvary” about half the time.
* Barlow was “reassessed” (reassigned) to a new command.

(GROAN)

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Brief and Enjoyable

Reviewed: 04-18-23

The author doesn’t break any new ground here, but he does do a great job of framing the well-established chronology of the Civil War in terms of the performance of the much-maligned commander-in-chief of the CSA. I found the resulting assessment to be fair and honest. NOTE: The reader should ideally have a solid knowledge of the progression of the Civil War prior to delving into this particular volume.

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Astonishingly Good

Reviewed: 11-03-22

Not just a first-rate biography, but an insightful history on the crucial period of national development between the Revolution and the Civil War.

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Better than expected

Reviewed: 12-29-21

Thoroughly well-argued. Intellectually dense in some areas, but satisfyingly worth the effort.

Narration contains enough mispronunciations to be annoying, but not overly distracting.

Overall, deserving of subsequent listens.

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1 person found this helpful

Highly Philosophical Language

Reviewed: 06-05-21

It’s better to hear this encyclical audibly than to not experience it at all, but the philosophical depth of the language lends itself more to reading - where the reader can pore over a particularly information-dense sentence - than hearing in audiobook form.

As others have pointed out, the narrator has some issues with pronunciation which, though distracting and annoying, do not otherwise detract from the audiobook.

St Pius X, Ora Pro Nobis!

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