Very Interesting

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get lost in the middle with all the names, but I found it an interesting book and enjoyed ze accents.

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A comprehensive and compelling introduction to WW1

This book considers the events of 1914 which led the various fractions within Europe to believe they had no alternative to war. In addition ‘The Guns of August’ continues past the causes of the war and continues to assess the various initial battles which had commenced in the West and the East and the various winners and losers.

I found this book to be very easy to read and comprehend, some history books can be very dry and analytical. However within ‘The Guns of August” I found myself becoming quickly caught up in all the action and events. The writer uses a lot of detail about the events and the various protagonists which paints a vivid picture of their various appearances and characteristics. I found this extra details enabled me to be able to picture the events taking place over a hundred years ago and to feel present within the moment.

A must read for anyone with an interest in history and World War One.

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The narration.

Very enjoyable. If you can call industrial slaughter enjoyable, of course. A good work of history.

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A great boon

Reading a lot of newer books on ww1 I've often heard Tuchmans Guns of August referenced.

In many ways this is the main book on that first month.

Now I finally got round to it and I was not dissapointed. This is truly a masterpiece. That's all there is to it.

Very enjoyable.

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A Classic

Detailing the build up to and fighting in the first month of World War One, the book brilliantly describes and explains the origins of trench warfare.

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Meh, as a true Englishman, slightly displeased

Apologies, as this might come across as acidulous, and there was aspects to the book I throughly enjoyed, and learned. But, the main meat and potatoes of the book for me was a tawdry, banal and an arduous read. I fought the urge to not complete the book in respect to the author. The work they have endured must have been astonishingly gruelling. For fun, I would avoid. If you’re being paid, for example, a fledgling military commander, or a politician, it’s a must. AND FOR HEAVEN SAKE, learn from this!
I find the whole First World War an expansive waste of life. The privileged and the elite playing with people’s lives, it’s here, in the pages of this book, which highlights that no matter your station, education or intellect, there is no bar for utter stupidity.
I’m ex-military, before you ask!

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An amazing book about a terrible war.

A page turning book with lots of interesting facts and actually some humor. Everybody should read it.

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A Classic Account

Any additional comments?

Tuchman's book has been around for a while, but it remains a very good account of the first month of the war. Some understanding of the basic geography of Europe is helpful to understand the movement of armies across territory, but listeners can always check a map between chapters.

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Brilliant

loved this. great characterisations. beautifully read with the right amount of panache and gravity as required

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A very well written history of war

War is no my favourite subject. But this is a description of the first month of WWI that is something out of the ordinary, With interesting portraits of the main players in Germany, Belgium, Russia, France and England and with a comprehensive, if not sometimes a bit too detailed, description of all the events leading up to the battle of Marne.
It leaves me with a deep feeling of sorrow for the meaningless of war and that the lifes of millions can be in the hands of so mediocre or even useless military commanders.

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