The Notorious Benedict Arnold

A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery

By: Steve Sheinkin

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins

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)

Excellent

The storytelling and narration are perfect. A great insight in not only Benedict Arnold, but George Washington, and the cunning Major John Andre. Fantastic! A must listen for fans of The American Revolution.

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.

Unknown history

This was a fascinating story behind the name everyone simply equates to treachery and treason. It’s a reminder of how events can profoundly alter a person’s life. Suggested reading for those who want to gain a better understanding of American history.

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.

Great Educational book, even for non-readers!

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

Well, no because this was for school and, yes, I did like it but I wouldn't waste time reading it again unless it was for school.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that it was not that boring. I don't read much and I kinda actually liked it!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

Overall, this book was great. I kinda judged it because being the person I am, looked at it thought, history... boring.. But actually it was a good book! Recommended for school projects or stuff like that!

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.

Incredible story.

Great historical account of a gregarious man. Recently found he was an ancestor while doing ancestry.

Gripping

This book has it all—fast-paced compelling story, fascinating history, and a great reader. Thoroughly enjoyable and informative. I lived near Saratoga most of my life and never knew what an incredible battle had been fought there. Not that Arnold was the hero. His story is quite tragic, but this book is a winner.

Great Story, Great Reading, and Educational

I've heard little about Benedict Arnold and the does a fantastic job of creating a hero and a villain without trying to change history.

Local connection...

An informative and engaging biography. I thought it was interesting that he came to my neck of the woods, here in New Brunswick, Canada - the British connection I suppose. His choices sealed his fate, and ultimately insured his enduring infamy. He definitely had an abundance of daring do.