Bunker Hill

A City, a Siege, a Revolution

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrated by: Chris Sorensen

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The best-selling author of In the Heart of the Sea, Mayflower, and In the Hurricane's Eye tells the story of the Boston battle that ignited the American Revolution, in this "masterpiece of narrative and perspective" (Boston Globe).

In the opening volume of his acclaimed American Revolution series, Nathaniel Philbrick turns his keen eye to pre-Revolutionary Boston and the spark that ignited the American Revolution. In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party and the violence at Lexington and Concord, the conflict escalated and skirmishes gave way to outright war in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was the bloodiest conflict of the revolutionary war, and the point of no return for the rebellious colonists. Philbrick gives us a fresh view of the story and its dynamic personalities, including John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and George Washington. With passion and insight, he reconstructs the revolutionary landscape - geographic and ideological - in a mesmerizing narrative of the robust, messy, blisteringly real origins of America.

©2013 Nathaniel Philbrick (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Masterly.... Philbrick tells the complex story superbly." (Wall Street Journal)

"A masterpiece of narrative and perspective...." (Boston Globe)

"You will delight in the story and the multitude of details Philbrick offers up." (USA Today)

Fascinating and Detailed

So far I've listened to it twice! This is an incredible book for a history buff. I loved the details about the battles and the way they were regarded by the participants. Well worth 'reading' and enjoying - this is a permanent part of my library now.

Brings the history alive

I️ started this audiobook just before a visit to Boston and finished it just after returning home. The book really helped my understanding and appreciation of the many historical sites in Boston.

History.....

.... is the best kind of audio book. Novels don't translate as well in spoken form as history. This is a great example of good history on "tape".

Loved it and so have my children

I didn't know what to expect when buying this book but I didn't expect my 13 and 11 year old children to love it. Very well performed and written.

Thorough perhaps to a fault

Clearly Philbrick has done his usual excellent research but I personally found it so detailed that it became tedium and I stopped listening. I imagine reading this book rather than listening to it might be a better option.

Superb storytelling

Far from merely recounting the Battle of Bunker Hill, this book breathes life into the people and places well before the battle to show how and why the fight took place. It pulls together information to bring the listener into the battle’s midst, and shows why the battle was of such great importance to building our country.

Worthy of several listening!

Well worth the listen as a New England Yankees, so much so I've invested in the other two books in this series!

Unknown details revealed

I have a History degree so am used to reading historical books. This is not a book for someone looking for exciting drama. It is a book for someone that enjoys learning about the revolutionary war. The book stays in Boston and does not leave. It also gave me a new respect for Dr Warren and his role.

A Good HISTORY Book

I bought this book thinking it might be a good history-based adventure story, along the lines of those by Bernard Cornwell or Kenneth Roberts, but found it to be instead a narration of historical events. Even so, I found it quite interesting, and what seemed to be an accurate-as-possible recounting of the events and attitudes leading up to the start of the American Revolution.

It is obvious the author has done extensive research, including reading as many letters from that day as he could find, and he weaves the narration of his research together into a very understandable sequence of events that throws new light on our understanding of what led to the revolution.

If you are at all interested in history, you should very much enjoy this book.

Should be required reading...

Living within an hour of Bunker and Breed's Hills, this story resonated with me perhaps a bit more than most. In these times, being aware of our country's history-the sacrifices and noble goals which shaped it from its onset-is something every school child should intimately know. I found it refreshing to revisit my local-and our early history-once again.