The British Are Coming

The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777

By: Rick Atkinson

Narrated by: George Newbern, Rick Atkinson - introduction

Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year 2019

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year 2019

Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year 2019

"The winning combination of George Newbern's engaging narration and Rick Atkinson's vivid new work of history - the first in a planned trilogy about the American Revolution - brings to life what could have been a dry account of Revolutionary battles." (AudioFile Magazine)

This program includes a bonus introduction, read by the author, and exclusive to the audiobook.

For the book's maps and illustrations, visit the Revolution Trilogy website at revolutiontrilogy.com

From the best-selling author of the Liberation Trilogy comes the extraordinary first volume of his new trilogy about the American Revolution.

Rick Atkinson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning An Army at Dawn and two other superb books about World War II, has long been admired for his deeply researched, stunningly vivid narrative histories. Now he turns his attention to a new war, and in the initial volume of the Revolution Trilogy he recounts the first 21 months of America’s violent war for independence. From the battles at Lexington and Concord in spring 1775 to those at Trenton and Princeton in winter 1777, American militiamen and then the ragged Continental Army take on the world’s most formidable fighting force.

It is a gripping saga alive with astonishing characters: Henry Knox, the former bookseller with an uncanny understanding of artillery; Nathanael Greene, the blue-eyed bumpkin who becomes a brilliant battle captain; Benjamin Franklin, the self-made man who proves to be the wiliest of diplomats; George Washington, the commander in chief who learns the difficult art of leadership when the war seems all but lost. The story is also told from the British perspective, making the mortal conflict between the redcoats and the rebels all the more compelling.

Full of riveting details and untold stories, The British Are Coming is a tale of heroes and knaves, of sacrifice and blunder, of redemption and profound suffering. Rick Atkinson has given stirring new life to the first act of our country’s creation drama.

Please note: This is the abridged edition. An unabridged version, approximately 26 hours long, is also available.

©2019 Rick Atkinson (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Good book, Bad reader.

With all the money Audible is making, they should have better readers than someone imitating an infomercial. Also, the producer of this audio recording should have caught more than a few mispronunciations. (“dour,” “ignominy,” “Trevelyan” etc.) Rick Atkinson’s scholarship deserves better. Audible has some excellent British readers, and a few good Americans. Spend a little more and give us the complete package.

Great Start!

I enjoyed Atkinson's liberation trilogy and this first piece of the revolution trilogy does not disappoint. He offers enough mini-bios to keep this from seeming too academic.

Evan's Review

For the America History lover this book is for you. Cannot wait for the other two books to come availible

Horrors

Atkinson is a national treasure, great writer, but could not continue to hear about the horrors that were described.

First rate history marred by inapt reading

Rick Atkinson is an fine historian--he balances thick research with a real gift of organization and narrative power. His text is eloquent, noble, and exciting. For goodness sake, this is about the opening of the American Revolution and the Founding of our country! George Newbern, the hired reader, is probably a nice man, a kind man, perhaps a well-read man. He is terribly chosen for this book. His accent is twangy, folksy, and light. The book needs someone who can capture gravity and adventure, war and politics, etc. Instead, we have a voice suited for, perhaps, Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Newbern approaches the text as if it were a story for 8-year olds who need to have their attention kept... by sudden squeaks and rising pitch and speed--regardless of what the words are about. He has no sense of vocal propriety; he stumbles over his vocabulary (sometimes pronouncing a word differently within a few moments); his intonation and emphasis are off; and regularly, it feels like listening to a young drama student work through a script of a story he knows nothing about. This is partially OUR fault as consumers. We demand cheap recordings, companies scrable to mass produce, readers probably have very little time to prepare. Magnificent text, spoiled by a mismatched reader. A phenomena that is becoming too common.