Tories Audiobook By Thomas B. Allen cover art

Tories

Fighting for the King in America's First Civil War

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Tories

By: Thomas B. Allen
Narrated by: Jeremy Gage
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About this listen

A Sweeping, Dramatic History of the Americans Who Chose to Side with the British in the Revolution....

The American Revolution was not simply a battle between independence-minded colonists and the oppressive British. As Thomas B. Allen reminds us, it was also a savage and often deeply personal civil war, in which conflicting visions of America pitted neighbor against neighbor and Patriot against Tory on the battlefield, the village green, and even in church.

In this outstanding and vital history, Allen tells the complete story of these other Americans, tracing their lives and experiences throughout the revolutionary period. New York City and Philadelphia were Tory strongholds through much of the war, and at times in the Carolinas and Georgia there were more trained and armed Tories than Redcoats. The Revolution also produced one of the greatest and least known migrations in Western history. More than 80,000 Tories left America, most of them relocating to Canada.

John Adams once said that he feared there would never be a good history of the American Revolution because so many documents had left the country with the Tories. Based on documents in archives from Nova Scotia to London, Tories adds a fresh perspective to our knowledge of the Revolution and sheds an important new light on the little-known figures whose lives were forever changed when they remained faithful to their mother country.

©2010 Thomas B. Allen (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
History & Theory Military Revolution & Founding War Civil War
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Editorial reviews

The story of how America rallied together from a collection of colonies under British rule to an independent nation brings a sense of unity, pride, and patriotism. It's easy to forget that there’s another side to the story of the Revolutionary War and America’s independence — that some Americans did not want to break from the leadership of the British monarchy. Prolific historian Thomas B. Allen’s latest, Tories: Fighting for the King in America’s First Civil War, provides a fascinating look at this opposition on the home front.

Jeremy Gage narrates Tories with an inquiring tone that complements the investigative nature of Allen’s prose. Although many American history textbooks seem to gloss over British loyalists on American soil, Tories takes a road less travelled by presenting a history of the Revolutionary War as a civil war between colonists, highlighting the conflicts that often tore apart communities as Americans went about persecuting each other in a divided fight for independence. It is a disenchanting view but a powerful exploration, and Gage is more than willing to take the plunge into the darker side of the war that gave birth to the United States of America. His performance captures the bitterness between opposing sides inhabiting the American colonies during the war, which crescendos as the Patriots start winning battle after battle, leading up to the ultimate flight of 8,000 Tories to Canada to escape persecution.

Tories allows the listener to experience the Revolutionary War from a different perspective as it sheds light on some of the darker corners of the American war for independence. While the war is most often remembered with an overwhelming feeling of patriotism, the reality is that both sides were indelibly cruel to one another during those years. Gage serves as a guide, bringing nuance to each conflict presented in this revised look at the American Revolutionary War. —Suzanne Day

What listeners say about Tories

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Great new perspective

What made the experience of listening to Tories the most enjoyable?

I've listened to a lot of Revolutionary era books in recent months, but this was my first listen that discussed the Tory involvement to such a great degree. I don't want to only understand the "school-book" version of the conflict, but I want to get a good sense of ALL the people of the era and not just the primary participants. This book gave me a great perspective of the Loyalists role in the war.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jeremy Gage?

I LOVE Scott Brick. His voice and style are perfect as far as i'm concerned and he would have greatly improved this book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were numerous points in the book where vivid details of some of the action--against combatants and civilians alike--that were absolutely heinous. i have a relatively tough skin, but some of the atrocities performed by both sides against old people, women, and children left a pretty bad feeling.

Any additional comments?

Jeremy Gage was VERY difficult to listen to. He has an odd accent and speaks in a monotone, drifting off frequently in mid-sentence. His prononciation and manner of reading (example, June One, September Eight, instead of June First, September Eighth, etc.) and inability to properly enunciate words beginning in "un" (ONcle, in stead of UNcle, for example) or "ex" (AXercise, instead of EXercise) I found to be extremely distracting.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A fascinating and overlooked history!

This is an aspect of the American Revolution that we just never think about as Americans. A very interesting compilation of historical research that everyone should read.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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A Glimpse at America's First Civil War

What made the experience of listening to Tories the most enjoyable?

Great book with a cast of characters that most of us in the US never hear about.

What other book might you compare Tories to and why?

Washington, a Life. The detail into the acts during the Revolutionary War have similar details but are a bit of a mirror image of each other.

What does Jeremy Gage bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Gage is a good reader, not the best that I've heard from Audible but he does an adequate job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the Tories were evacuating New York City at the close of the war. The stories of who went where and why was fascinating. The stories of the escaped slaves who fought for the British was especially interesting.

Any additional comments?

A good read for a little know part of US history.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting content, uninteresting reader

I'm interested in the period and in the often untold stories, such as the role of Tory/Loyalist groups in fighting against independence. But the narrator's style made it hard to engage with the content - he had little animation, and every. sentence. or. clause. came. to. a. dead. stop. I've heard many other histories read with vigor and even emotion, and was disappointed in this.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Understanding the mindset of a Tory

I really enjoyed this title. Gives you a good sense of the mindset of a Tory and why they didn't support the revolution. The narrator was fine, not sure why reviewers always complain about the narrator.

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Recommended

Where does Tories rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Excellent content. This audiobook may have been originally intended as a text book for high school and above because of the deliberate monologue of a narration with silence gaps after every paragraph to allow a student to take notes.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tories?

The story of Crean Brush, whose confiscated land became the State of Vermont.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The Tory flight from Boston.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic read, just a little difficult to follow at some points.

This book was fantastic! It provided a view of the Revolutionary War that was new to me, and not commonly taught in the American school system. The only issue I had was that at some points I had difficulty understanding if the person the author was speaking about was a Tory or a Patriot. This is only because of the depth of information that the book delves into, however, so as long as you listen carefully, I highly recommend it!

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Fascinating!

I am researching my ancestors who lived in New York during the Revolution. This book was extremely helpful for my research. I thought the British narrator added authenticity to a book about Tories! Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Mediocre Story, Poor Narrator

I strongly urge you to listen to the sample. The narrator takes liberal pauses with each punctuation mark (including commas) and talks at a pace that makes me feel like I am listening to my grandfather reminisce about his childhood. This is the first audible book out of thirty that I am seriously thinking about not finishing. I made it half way through and cannot bring myself to endure the torture of the second half.


The story itself (minus the narrator) is moderately interesting, but often loses its focus on its Tory theme and wanders into "Rebel" affairs.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Don't waste your time.

This book was just a collection of random quotes and stories that did nothing to enhance my understanding of the Tories, their . motivations or how their experiences shaped their choices. There isn't even more than a sentence worth of discussion of Benedict Arnold's motivations, though he featured relatively prominently in the book and is a well known figure. There is no coherent narrative, and no real underlying theme except that people weren't very nice to each other in the Revolutionary War. It doesn't rouse sympathies or enhance understanding in any way. The only good thing that can be said is it discusses a little of the Black experience during the war, but that is underdeveloped like everything else.

The narration was passable, I guess, but not good.

I had seen negative reviews of this book, but was curious enough about the Tories that I figured this would be better than nothing, as good a starting place as any. It wasn't.

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