Very comprehensive. sometimes hard to follow

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

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2 people found this helpful

I would never have read this but would recommend

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.

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Well written. Well read.

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

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great history, great performance

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.

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5 people found this helpful

Wonderful

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

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Smashing

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

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Excellent and thought-provoking perspective

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.

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10 people found this helpful

Literary rather than a literal approach .

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 .

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Very Interesting Although not Comprehensive

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

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informative listen

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

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