Mayflower

A Story of Courage, Community, and War

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

From the perilous ocean crossing to the shared bounty of the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrim settlement of New England has become enshrined as our most sacred national myth. Yet, as best-selling author Nathaniel Philbrick reveals in his spellbinding new book, the true story of the Pilgrims is much more than the well-known tale of piety and sacrifice; it is a 55-year epic that is at once tragic, heroic, exhilarating, and profound.

The Mayflower's religious refugees arrived in Plymouth Harbor during a period of crisis for Native Americans as disease spread by European fishermen devastated their populations. Initially the two groups, the Wampanoags, under the charismatic and calculating chief Massasoit, and the Pilgrims, whose pugnacious military officer Miles Standish was barely five feet tall, maintained a fragile working relationship. But within decades, New England would erupt into King Philip's War, a savagely bloody conflict that nearly wiped out English colonists and natives alike and forever altered the face of the fledgling colonies and the country that would grow from them.

With towering figures like William Bradford and the distinctly American hero Benjamin Church at the center of his narrative, Philbrick has fashioned a fresh and compelling portrait of the dawn of American history, a history dominated right from the start by issues of race, violence, and religion.

©2006 Nathaniel Philbrick (P)2006 Penguin Audio, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., and Recorded Books, LLC. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

ALA Notable Book Winner, 2006

Booklist Editor's Choice, 2006

Chicago Tribune Best Books of 2006

New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year, 2006

Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year - Adult, 2006

Pulitzer Prize Finalist - History, 2007

San Francisco Chronicle Best Books, 2006

Washington Post Best Books of 2006

"Impeccably researched and expertly rendered, Philbrick's account brings the Plymouth Colony and its leaders...vividly to life. More importantly, he brings into focus a gruesome period in early American history." (Publishers Weekly)

"Startling [and] fascinating." (The New York Times)

Important history

Very interesting history that I had not been exposed to before other than the classic tale of the Pilgrims. Hard to keep track of everyone and every place when just listening. There are a lot of moving parts to this amazing history.

Exciting heartbreak

i was enthralled by this book. As a lifelong New Englander (I'm a Rhode Islander with Bridgewater roots), I've of course known of the Pilgrims and Wampanoags, Narragansetts and Abenaki. I learned about Bradford, Standish and Roger Williams and a little of Massasoit. I have always wanted to learn more about King Phillip's War.
This history of Southern New England from the Mayflower's arrival through the turn of 17th century was a harrowing account of the period. From alliance to war. From foothold to expansion. I was hooked on this story. I loved learning about the people who shaped the area that has been my home. Benjamin Church, Phillip and Canochet. It's a heartbreaking history of the Native population. I recommend anyone with any interest in this period give this book your attention.

great story

well researched, written and told. enjoyed it as much as his book on bunker hill.

Great Book of Documented History

I found this to be a very interesting and informative story regarding the first seventy five years of American history. The author made numerous references to historical documents that were left by the very people who lived through those formative years. He also "translated" the original place names into the current place names so we can find them on a modern map and visualize, or even visit, these sites.

The author does not ignore the brutality of the Indian wars, but mercifully does not go into the gory details. He just stated the facts such as, "these 10 men were captured and tortured to death", or "the dwellings were burned down with the inhabitants still inside". It must have been a horrific time to be alive.

This is a great book for anyone interested in this portion of our American history. The narrator was well choosen and did an outstanding job of presenting the story.

It is a thoroughly research and well written.

I've read it twice so far. A wonderful reader in George Guidall. He's one of my favorites. I highly recommend it.

Informative and surprisingly different

Great perspective and thorough lay out of the events of the early settlements. The story gave you a glimpse through the prism of the times.

Fascinating book about a little-understood time

Mayflower is a fascinating account of a two early episodes in American History. The first period - the emigration of the Pilgrims from the Old World to the New is of course well-known, but not particularly well-understood. The basic story is there and (thankfully) the outline is what we all tend to believe. However, the details of the Pilgrims and that first Thanksgiving are nothing that you have learned in school. The initial chapters about the fitting out of the Mayflower (and the Speedwell) and the financial macinations are a bit tedious, but the story picks up very quickly with the voyage across the ocean and the landing around (but likely not on) Plymouth Rock.
The second period, King Philip's War, leads directly from the first but is much less famous. It takes place 50 years later than the Pilgrim's landing and is fascinating in its own right. The background gained from the study of the events at Plymouth in the 1620's allows for a deeper understanding of King Philip's War that would have been impossible in a stand-alone context.
The narrator does an excellent job with the pronounciations of the Indian proper and place names. It is a little confusing at first, but by the end of the book the names are familiar and easily recognizable. If you are interested in early Colonial history, I definitely recommend this book.

This is a wonderful book

This is a wonderful book. The author tells such a compelling story that once the book was finished I found myself missing the characters. You won't be dissappointed.

History!

The true story of the Pilgrims? Seems a lot more realistic than the picture book images of the first Thanksgiving that we all grew up with. Living in the Northeast makes it that much more familiar. Lots of Indian names, and following what tribe is on which side during some of the wars gets a bit confusing, but the whole story is fascinating. Life wasn't so easy (or peaceful) back then -- for anyone! Good book, excellent narration.

Mixed

I really enjoyed the first half. The second half was not of interest to me. Well-written, though, and the epilogue was excellent. Good narration.