• The Notorious Benedict Arnold

  • A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery
  • By: Steve Sheinkin
  • Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
  • Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (327 ratings)

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The Notorious Benedict Arnold  By  cover art

The Notorious Benedict Arnold

By: Steve Sheinkin
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
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Publisher's summary

On a bitter cold day in January 1741, Benedict Arnold was born. Little did anyone know that he would grow up to become the most infamous villain in American history. But first, he would be one of the country's greatest war heroes. Fearless in the line of fire, a genius at strategy and motivating his men, General Arnold was America's first action hero. But his thirst for recognition would ultimately be his undoing. Hopeless at political maneuvers, prone to outbursts of ego and temper, Arnold saw his fame slowly slipping away. And so, he came up with a plan that would guarantee his place in history....

Packed with gripping first-person accounts, astonishing battle scenes, and shocking betrayals, this accessible biography proves that there's more than one side to every good story.

©2010 Steve Sheinkin (P)2012 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"When voicing the story’s narrator, Mark Bramhall evokes a rugged American archetype. In dialogue he shifts subtly through an array of accents: British, German, French, high class and low.... Bramhall's pace and timing are flawless.... His narration pulls the listener in to experience just how close the lines are between hero and villain, and how close America came to losing the Revolution." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Notorious Benedict Arnold

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating History!

Benedict Arnold was a fascinating individual, a gutsy and brilliant military leader, who most likely saved the cause of the American revolution long before he sought to destroy it. If you are unfamiliar with the details of his treason the last part of this book reads like a thriller in which you can't wait to see what happens next as the intrigue unfolds. This is history which not only shines a light upon the characters and their actions, but also gives you a feel for this historical time: the mores and customs, the technology and the means of warfare, so that you get a sense of what it was actually like to live during the era of the American Revolution.

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

more than a notorious traitor

Fast moving biography of a guy that was one of the greatest US commanders fighting the British, before he made a really stupid decision. Lot's of interesting detail about Arnold's family, early years, path to glory, path to ruin and final years.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Slow start, but well worth it by the end.

I came into this book with high hopes to understand Benedict Arnold, a character rarely dealt with in other books beyond the "High School History:" He was a great general, betrayed the American Revolution, and escaped into the British Army. Most books do not spend more than a paragraph or two discussing him so I was hopeful this would give me a fuller fleshing out of the story.

I was very disappointed at the beginning. The author covered his childhood through first marriage (and first widowhood) in about 20 minutes. It was not very in depth at all, almost none of the fun details and anecdotes I have come to expect. His description of the beginning of Arnold's involvement in the Revolution like his attempted invasion of Canada were covered in "connect-a-quote" style with him stringing together long strings of journal entries. At this point I was prepared to give the book 1-2 stars.

Then came the battles at Lake Champlain (particularly Valcour Island). This is where the author really found his stride and it was a FANTASTIC reading after that point. He began paralleling the life of John Andre and Benedict Arnold, even a serendipitous meeting between Andre and Henry Knox. He began to shed light on Arnold's character that, while not justifying what he did, at least attempted to make it understandable.

The rest of the book was full of the anecdotes, insights and stories that I had been expecting and hoping for. Its story of his time at Saratoga and his run-ins with General Gates were well told and interesting. This book shot from being a big disappointment to one of the books I will likely listen to again and again, although probably skipping the first hour or two as I did not find them to be very good.

The only negative I found in the rest of the book was a habit the author sometimes slipped into: editorializing. He would insert sentences like "What was Arnold thinking?" and one can imagine him slapping himself in the forehead. These comments kind of broke up the flow he had established and was, in my opinion, self-indulgent on the part of the author.

Even with this, it could not overshadow the writing and the unbelievable true story of what happened and what nearly happened during Arnold's betrayal. It could have worked at so many points, and had it all come together the Revolution likely would have ended there.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Revolutionary War history. It should be a must read.

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5 people found this helpful

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Must read for any American History Buff

Would you listen to The Notorious Benedict Arnold again? Why?

It would be easy to listen to this story again for a second.

What did you like best about this story?

We all know about Benedict Arnold but most books about the Revolution only give passing reference to his main sin (i.e. trying to turn over West Point to the British). This book gives us a far deeper and interesting story about the man and what drove him to change sides. No big surprise to learn it came down to "money" and "sex" (i.e. his young pretty wife). But that is okay - because the story gets you to the conclusion in a very interesting way. What was really good was the way the author structured the story - the juxaposition between the British Officer who would meet his fate at the gallows and Benedict Arnold. From the opening chaper of the narrative I was revited by the story

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Learn some history

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I listened to this with my 12 and 10 year old children to help us learn and remember information related to the Revolutionary War. They really enjoyed it. As did I. Now, as they learn more about the Revolutionary war through their textbooks and things like "Liberty's Kids", things click with them more than if they hadn't listened to Arnold's story.

What does Mark Bramhall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I could drive at the same time as reading it.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Intriquing story

What did you love best about The Notorious Benedict Arnold?

Sheinkin provided a lot of insight into Arnold and while we may never truly know what caused Arnold to turn traitor, he provides a plausible explanation.

What did you like best about this story?

The historical detail and the insight into the back-stabbing and gamesmanship that our early founding fathers engaged in with each other.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Awesome!

I started listening to this book during a drive from Charlotte, North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia. It was so good that when I arrived at my hotel in Atlanta and still had more than an hour to go on the book, I sat in the parking lot listening to it through to the end.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Everything I never knew about Benedict Arnold.

Where does The Notorious Benedict Arnold rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very high. I've often wondered what the big deal was about Benedict Arnold, and why he became so hated. I'll say I fell in love with his personality 15 minutes into the book. I imagine his exploits offered wonderful and entertaining reading in his day. I would have followed articles about him had I been alive at the time. I now understand what happened and why this amazing person fell from grace; giving in to the behaviors that dog many of us today. He was a serious hero of the American Revolution. We would not be where we are today without his contributions. This book depicts his efforts with such style and heroism. The book was an adventure in itself. I was spellbound. Men will love this book as it depicts many shenanagans as well as heroic efforts. The historic quotes gave me many a chuckle. He is certainly someone I would love to have at my dinner table despite the outcome of his poor choice. Ladies must have swooned in his presence. His charisma is immediately clear and uncontested. The author does a great job of explaining why he never ran for office despite this gift. This book is a very good listen. Benedict Arnold was not who I thought he was. Throughout the book I wished I could reach out and discuss the issues he was facing with him, and of course hear war stories.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Notorious Benedict Arnold?

I found the information about his memorial strangely hypnotic.

What about Mark Bramhall’s performance did you like?

The narration maintained a sense of continuity and was easy to follow.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Valor or Deception?

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing story

I’ve never been interested in history, but this book is so unbelievably well told. It made me curious to learn more about history!

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The best

Had to be the best historical non fiction I have ever listened to. Would one hundred percent recommend

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