George, Nicholas and Wilhelm
Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I
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Narrated by:
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Rosalyn Landor
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By:
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Miranda Carter
About this listen
In the years before the First World War, the great European powers were ruled by three first cousins: King George V of Britain, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Together, they presided over the last years of dynastic Europe and the outbreak of the most destructive war the world had ever seen, a war that set twentieth-century Europe on course to be the most violent continent in the history of the world.
Miranda Carter uses the cousins’ correspondence and a host of historical sources to tell the tragicomic story of a tiny, glittering, solipsistic world that was often preposterously out of kilter with its times, struggling to stay in command of politics and world events as history overtook it. George, Nicholas and Wilhelm is a brilliant and sometimes darkly hilarious portrait of these men—damaged, egotistical Wilhelm; quiet, stubborn Nicholas; and anxious, dutiful George—and their lives, foibles and obsessions, from tantrums to uniforms to stamp collecting. It is also alive with fresh, subtle portraits of other familiar figures: Queen Victoria—grandmother to two of them, grandmother-in-law to the third—whose conservatism and bullying obsession with family left a dangerous legacy; and Edward VII, the playboy “arch-vulgarian” who turned out to have a remarkable gift for international relations and the theatrics of mass politics. At the same time, Carter weaves through their stories a riveting account of the events that led to World War I, showing how the personal and the political interacted, sometimes to devastating effect.
For all three men the war would be a disaster that destroyed forever the illusion of their close family relationships, with any sense of peace and harmony shattered in a final coda of murder, betrayal and abdication.
©2010 Miranda Carter (P)2010 Random HouseListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Miranda Carter has written an engrossing and important book. While keeping her focus on the three cousins and their extended families, she skillfully interweaves and summarizes all important elements of how the war came about…Carter has given us an original book, highly recommended.” ---The Dallas Morning News
"Masterfully crafted. . . Carter has presented one of the most cohesive explorations of the dying days of European royalty and the coming of political modernity. . . Carter has delivered another gem." --Bookpage
"Ms. Carter writes incisively about the overlapping events that led to the Great War and changed the world. . . George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm is an impressive book. Ms. Carter has clearly not bitten off more than she can chew for she -- as John Updike once wrote of Gunter Grass -- 'chews it enthusiastically before our eyes.'" --The New York Times
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- By: Michael Shelden
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In modern memory, Winston Churchill remains the man with the cigar and the equanimity among the ruins. Few can remember that at the age of 40 he was considered washed up, his best days behind him. In Young Titan, historian Michael Shelden has produced the first biography focused on Churchill’s early career, the years between 1901 and 1915 that both nearly undid him but also forged the character that would later triumph in the Second World War.
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sorry
- By Kemper 16 on 11-14-24
By: Michael Shelden
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Peter the Great
- His Life and World
- By: Robert K. Massie
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 43 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers––and men––in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas.
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Narrater ruins everything
- By BrendaLouQuilts on 12-30-11
By: Robert K. Massie
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Churchill
- Walking with Destiny
- By: Andrew Roberts
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 50 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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When we seek an example of great leaders with unalloyed courage, the person who comes to mind is Winston Churchill: the iconic, visionary war leader immune from the consensus of the day, who stood firmly for his beliefs when everyone doubted him. But how did young Winston become Churchill? What gave him the strength to take on the superior force of Nazi Germany when bombs rained on London and so many others had caved? In this landmark biography of Winston Churchill based on extensive new material, the true genius of the man, statesman, and leader can finally be fully understood.
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Superb Biography
- By Jean on 03-03-19
By: Andrew Roberts
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Churchill and the King
- The Wartime Alliance of Winston Churchill and George VI
- By: Kenneth Weisbrode
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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For fans of The King's Speech, the intriguing bond between monarch and prime minister and its crucial role during World War II. The political and personal relationship between King George VI and Winston Churchill during World War II is one that has been largely overlooked throughout history, yet the trust and loyalty these men shared helped Britain navigate its perhaps most trying time. Despite their vast differences, the two men met weekly and found that their divergent virtues made them a powerful duo.
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Highly anecdotal narrative
- By Chess2016 on 02-09-15
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Queen Anne
- The Politics of Passion
- By: Anne Somerset
- Narrated by: Hannah Curtis
- Length: 28 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Queen Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1702. By the end of her comparatively short 12-year reign, Britain had emerged as a great power. But while the queen's military was performing dazzling exploits on the continent, her own attention rested on a more intimate conflict: the female friendship on which her happiness had for decades depended and which became, for her, a source of utter torment.
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Spoilt by a poorly edited, inadequate narration
- By Lesley on 04-01-17
By: Anne Somerset
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When Lions Roar
- The Churchills and the Kennedys
- By: Thomas Maier
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 21 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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When Lions Roar begins in the mid-1930s at Chartwell, Winston Churchill's country estate, with new revelations surrounding a secret business deal orchestrated by Joseph P. Kennedy, the father of future American president John F. Kennedy. From London to America, these two powerful families shared an ever-widening circle of friends, lovers, and political associates - soon shattered by World War II, spying, sexual infidelity, and the tragic deaths of JFK's sister Kathleen and his older brother Joe Jr.
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Study of influence of Winston Churchill on JFK
- By Pierke Bosschieter on 08-10-16
By: Thomas Maier
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Clementine
- The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill
- By: Sonia Purnell
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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By Winston Churchill's own admission, victory in the Second World War would have been "impossible without her". Until now, however, the only existing biography of Churchill's wife, Clementine, was written by her daughter. Sonia Purnell finally gives Clementine her due with a deeply researched account that tells her life story, revealing how she was instrumental in softening FDR's initial dislike of her husband and paving the way for Britain's close relationship with America.
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Exasperating At Times But Very Good--
- By Gillian on 04-09-18
By: Sonia Purnell
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Paris 1919
- Six Months That Changed the World
- By: Margaret MacMillan
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 25 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize, renowned historian Margaret MacMillan's best-selling Paris 1919 is the story of six remarkable months that changed the world. At the close of WWI, between January and July of 1919, delegates from around the world converged on Paris under the auspices of peace. New countries were created, old empires were dissolved, and for six months, Paris was the center of the world.
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Good book, well narrated
- By W. F. Rucker on 02-07-09
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Napoleon
- A Life
- By: Adam Zamoyski
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 27 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of Napoleon has been written many times. In some versions, he is a military genius, in others a war-obsessed tyrant. Here, historian Adam Zamoyski cuts through the mythology and explains Napoleon against the background of the European Enlightenment and what he was himself seeking to achieve. This most famous of men is also the most hidden of men, and Zamoyski dives deeper than any previous biographer to find him. Beautifully written, Napoleon brilliantly sets the man in his European context.
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Fascinating
- By Jean on 04-01-19
By: Adam Zamoyski
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We Two
- Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals
- By: Gillian Gill
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 18 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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It was the most influential marriage of the 19th Century - and one of history’s most enduring love stories. Traditional biographies tell us that Queen Victoria inherited the throne as a naïve teenager, when the British Empire was at the height of its power, and seemed doomed to find failure as a monarch and misery as a woman until she married her German cousin Albert and accepted him as her lord and master. Now renowned chronicler Gillian Gill turns this familiar story on its head, revealing a strong, feisty queen, and a brilliant, fragile prince working together to build a family.
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I found it extremely moving.
- By Cheryl on 08-07-09
By: Gillian Gill
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First Family
- Abigail & John Adams
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The Pulitzer Prize-winning, best-selling author of Founding Brothers and His Excellency brings America’s preeminent first couple to life in a moving and illuminating narrative that sweeps through the American Revolution and the republic’s tenuous early years. John and Abigail Adams left an indelible and remarkably preserved portrait of their lives together in their personal correspondence: Both Adamses were prolific letter writers (although John conceded that Abigail was clearly the more gifted of the two), and over the years they exchanged more than 12,000 letters.
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"Real History"
- By leslie on 11-15-10
By: Joseph J. Ellis
What listeners say about George, Nicholas and Wilhelm
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kindle Customer
- 05-06-15
Educational Read!
Enlightening Book! Enjoyed learning how this Royal Family functioned. I think the author did a very good job! Thank You!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Linda
- 11-28-11
IT REALLY IS A SMALL WORLD
It was very interesting to see the relationships of Europe's leaders before WWI. I did spend a lot of time on Wickipedia and other sites to keep the genealogies straight -- very good story to inspire more research in history
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9 people found this helpful
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- Russell
- 02-02-13
Wonderful Listen!
Would you listen to George, Nicholas and Wilhelm again? Why?
I would listen to G, N and W again, but not for a while. It is a well-written book, with lots of quotations by the primary players, and those who were in positions of influence and power. It is an intimate look at the lives of three men who were thrown into circumstances beyond their control and their attempts, however futile, to mold events. The narration was excellent, well-paced, clear, but with emphasis when needed. It is a tragedy of men who were unprepared for the Twentieth Century. All were born in the previous Century and were not visionaries- far from it. They were mediocre men, thrown into a milieux that was beyond their understanding.
What did you like best about this story?
I was surprised by what a sympathetic character Kaiser Wilhelm (Willie) was. While the text and narration did not seem to intend for this result. I found myself feeling a bit sorry for this eldest grandson of Queen Victoria who nearly died at birth and because of obstetrical mishandling was left deformed and in pain (both physically and emotionally) for the rest of his life. His treatment of his mother, of course, is inexcusable. The portrayal of Edward VII was also eye-opening. I merely saw him as a narcissistic voluptuary, but he was actually a man of substance and vision.
Have you listened to any of Rosalyn Landor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Sorry, no. I haven't listened to Rosalyn Landor's other performances but I give her 5 stars for this one. She read with equanimity and did a good job when quoting men. A lot of women narrators try to put it on thickly, but she didn't. Kudos!
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes.
Any additional comments?
No.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Daniel Loring Maddux
- 01-18-22
Crazy, almost unknown relationships
Before this book, I had no idea how much of the causes of WW1, and thus WW2, were brought about by petty slights and stubbornness and insecurity within and between 4 cousins. The letters and narrative are compelling. It's interesting for a retelling of 4 men's stories to be narrated in this way, but Miranda does a good job. There is much to learn from this one.
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- Shannon
- 04-29-24
Fascinating learned a lot!
Reading for my book club. Really fascinating Perfect to read after a most English princess
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- DaveNoID
- 04-02-15
Great for the history buff
I learned a lot from this book. All the royal personalities were fascinating. Great for the history buff!
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1 person found this helpful
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- P. Evans
- 03-16-21
World War I finally explained
Meticulously researched and beautifully performed. Although we are taught the First World War started with the assassination of an arch duke in Serbia, the background is so much more involved. All three leaders were Queen Victoria’s grandkids, who lived utterly indulged and sheltered lives, whose spat over colonial lands led to the utter devastation that was WW1.
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- Amy D
- 11-11-21
Family and World Events Collide
Very interesting look into three cousins who both shaped snd were shaped by the times, events and families around them. Probably no one’s influence in their lives was greater than Victoria. None was truly a prepared, stable and educated leader. Wilhelm was unstable, Nicolas was so insulated from the world he was unfit to lead and George, the second son, was thrust into a role he was neither prepared for nor suited to. Still, it’s interesting to see how they managed their situations. Or didn’t.
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- Ongeblozzen
- 01-08-23
Three crucial personalities of WWI
A fascinating up close study of the three cousins whose inexperience and narcissism contributed to the crisis of the First World War. A different approach to this history than many other studies of this subject and worth reading. The narrator has a lovely voice and is professional but I have found, as with her other book performances, is less convincing with foreign accents and the male protagonists.
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- Dan
- 02-26-12
GREAT
Would you consider the audio edition of George, Nicholas and Wilhelm to be better than the print version?
This is one of the best books I have ever listened to. The story is great - telling how the alliances that led up to the Great War shaped up in the 50 years preceding the war - it is the very best book I have ever read on the beginnings of the war. The story of the three cousins and their respective countries and families is so interesting and without any national bias that I really want to own the book. The narration is also a very pleasant listen. 5 Stars!
Who was your favorite character and why?
Nicholas , because of his tragedy and the contrary traits in his own character.
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20 people found this helpful