A History of Britain: Volume 3 cover art

A History of Britain: Volume 3

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A History of Britain: Volume 3

By: Simon Schama
Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
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About this listen

Timothy West reads the third and concluding volume of award-winning historian Simon Schama's compelling chronicle of the British Isles.

Here he illuminates the period from 1776 to 2000 through a variety of historical themes, including Victorian advances in technology and industry, women's increasing role in society, and the burgeoning British Empire which promised civilisation and material betterment for all. This volume also looks at key characters from the period, including Wordsworth, Burke, Queen Victoria, Churchill, and Orwell, whilst examining some lesser-known lives, such as Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman doctor, and Mary Seacole, a Jamaican nurse in the Crimea. Finally, Schama reflects on the overwhelming presence of the past in the 20th century, and the struggle of our leaders to find a way of making a different national future.

©2012 Simon Schama (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Europe Great Britain England Thought-Provoking

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All stars
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Very detailed but sometimes goes off on long tangents, which like the other volumes make it easy to miss bits. Assumes some prior knowledge of the history

Very comprehensive. sometimes hard to follow

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Although I enjoy history, I know that I’d never have actually read a book like this. I would thoroughly recommend it, especially as it covers less well known parts of history. The narrator does a great job of engaging the listener’s attention.

One criticism I have is that the chapters in the audiobook don’t correspond with the actual chapters in the book, which are much longer. As a result, a new chapter sometimes starts in the middle of an audiobook chapter.

Another point to note is that obviously this is history from a certain viewpoint, and it does sometimes sound uncomfortably patriotic and imperialistic, even when discussing atrocities committed in the name of Britain.

I would never have read this but would recommend

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Great and informative history, giving a flavour of every period without simply recounting millions of facts. Excellent for long commutes!

Well written. Well read.

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I struggled a bit with all the details about India but it was more than made up for by all the Churchill and Orwell stuff.

great history, great performance

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Fantastic end to the trilogy of history. Thoroughly enjoyed it, it brought events to life.

Wonderful

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Culmination of three books. Like the tangents and religious insight. End of the story so far

Smashing

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Recounting history on such a large scale is always a matter of selection. I was satisfied by Schama's decision to focus on Churchill and Orwell to demonstrate the politics and dynamics of 20th century British history.

The leaps in time throughout the book were sometimes disorienting and this would probably not be the case in a printed work. However that small inconvenience was minor against the wealth of information and thought provided by the history. Certainly it gives me a context for further reading of the subject.

Excellent and thought-provoking perspective

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Not a standard potted history ( unlike the first two volumes in the series ) .Schama does say this in his preface. Sometimes it's more a summary of the careers and writings of various authors . Orwell in particular is covered in depth with more pages on his various novels than on the first World War for example .There is much on Churchill and HG Wells too .There is the now usual hatchet job on the British Empire .Still enjoyable and if it encourages people to read Orwell in depth all well and good just don't take it as a facts and figures summary of history in this period .

Literary rather than a literal approach .

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very enjoyable and the topics covered are very well down. I particularly like the coverage of WW2, Churchill Disraeli and Gladstone. Some topics I was keen to hear about such as the Peninsula war, the Boer wars and parts of the former Empire such as Australia and Canada get very little attention. India on the other hand is covered quite comprehensive. All in all however I've enjoyed all three volumes

Very Interesting Although not Comprehensive

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A very informative listen and a credit to the author. The narrator was very good as well.

informative listen

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