Enjoyable

An interesting overview of the history of the British empire. I thoroughly enjoyed this and thought it was well read.

Two small criticisms:
1. I did feel the overall structure could have been improved slightly and timelines jumped about a bit though appreciate it's difficult to stick to chronological or geographical structure given the vastness of the topic.
2. There was an undercurrent of the need to justify British Colonialism as being 'not too bad' or 'not as bad as other colonial powers rule'. I don't think this was entirely necessary and slightly undermined the impartiality of the analysis.

Overall I would recommend the book and on the whole it was well balanced and insightful.

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9 people found this helpful

An indepth anthology of the British Empire

Very detailed and the book delivers the weight and gravity that the British Empire had on the history of creating the modern world. Also how the British impacted on other empires that rose and fell along side its own. The shear size and organisational complexity in its heyday is breathtaking. The reader's delivery of characters within the storyline is excellent.

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1 person found this helpful

Superb

A short and sweet moral defence and history of the world's largest empire. Excellent narrator, highly engaging and clear narrative telling stories of the empire we're no longer allowed to hear.

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A steady but very dense book

This book starts off very slowly and continues like this until it talks about WW2 and then it changes pace. Although it is slow it is very encapsulating and never brushes over anything.

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Excellent

I really enjoy Jonathan Keeble’s narration. Brings so much to audio books. Another great example. I learned a lot from this book and will hear Amazing Grace with a new perspective going forward.

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Brilliant

a concise and not necessarily as expected look at imperial history Ferguson presents an un biased not wholly condemnatory conclusion that surprised me. I suspect not for everyone who has an entirely un nuanced view of empire but an entertaining and interesting overview.

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Makes you think

Mr Ferguson always makes me think and has done much to alter my view of history. This is, in general, another excellent book.
I would say that he takes a very macro view of the benefits of empire. Not unrealistic but viewed from a safe distance.
I would also add that I feel he falls into the trap of condemning Ireland for not fighting on the allied side in Ww2. Ireland was a tiny, impoverished nation that had, less than 20 years previously, finally won its freedom from its ancient enemy ie Britain. No government could have asked its citizens to fight for Britain without risking a descent into another bloody civil war.
He further fails to mention how Irelands neutrality was very strongly inclined towards Britain.
On the whole though this is a superb book and leaves you thinking about the world from a different perspective. I enjoyed it immensely.

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24 people found this helpful

Great Listen

It always helps to know a little bit about the subject matter before listening to a book like Empire. But you don't have to be an expert.
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed listening to this book. Packed full of little snippets that added to the larger picture. Currently The British Empire is a bit of a dodgy subject, but I felt the good and the bad were reflected and Niall Ferguson gave a balanced view.
Jonathan Keeble the narrator was fabulous.
Loved it.

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Superb

A fair, informative and balanced assessment of an often controversial and misunderstood subject. It taught me so much about perspective of this often difficult area of history. Thoroughly recommended.

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A lot of people would do well to listen to this book

Fantastic book, well written and genuinely informative whilst remaining on the whole balanced
Britannia ruled the waves until its so called two faced friend became a Shylock

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