In the Hurricane's Eye

The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller

"Nathaniel Philbrick is a masterly storyteller. Here he seeks to elevate the naval battles between the French and British to a central place in the history of the American Revolution. He succeeds, marvelously." (The New York Times Book Review)

The thrilling story of the year that won the Revolutionary War from the New York Times best-selling author of In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower.

In the concluding volume of his acclaimed American Revolution series, Nathaniel Philbrick tells the thrilling story of the year that won the Revolutionary War.

In the fall of 1780, after five frustrating years of war, George Washington had come to realize that the only way to defeat the British Empire was with the help of the French navy. But as he had learned after two years of trying, coordinating his army's movements with those of a fleet of warships based thousands of miles away was next to impossible. And then, on September 5, 1781, the impossible happened. Recognized today as one of the most important naval engagements in the history of the world, the Battle of the Chesapeake - fought without a single American ship - made the subsequent victory of the Americans at Yorktown a virtual inevitability.

In a narrative that moves from Washington's headquarters on the Hudson River, to the wooded hillside in North Carolina where Nathanael Greene fought Lord Cornwallis to a vicious draw, to Lafayette's brilliant series of maneuvers across Tidewater Virginia, Philbrick details the epic and suspenseful year through to its triumphant conclusion. A riveting and wide-ranging story, full of dramatic, unexpected turns, In the Hurricane's Eye reveals that the fate of the American Revolution depended, in the end, on Washington and the sea.

©2018 Nathaniel Philbrick (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A tension-filled and riveting account of the alliance that assured American independence.... Philbrick is a master of narrative, and he does not disappoint as he provides a meticulous and often hair-raising account of a naval war between France and England." (The Washington Post)

"A tense, richly detailed narrative of the American Revolution...Philbrick reprises the protagonists of his last history of the War of Independence in a meticulously researched recounting of the events leading up to the colonists' victory at the Battle of Yorktown.... Philbrick, a sailor himself, recounts the strategic maneuvering involved in the many naval encounters: ships' positions, wind direction and strength, and the 'disorienting cloud of fire and smoke' that often imperiled the fleet." (Kirkus Reviews)

"[Philbrick], an accomplished popular historian...excels when writing about sailors and the ocean. He vividly renders the interplay of skill and chaos in naval combat by massive fleets, as well as the fury of hurricanes.... In the Hurricane’s Eye delivers on the author’s promise to 'put the sea where it properly belongs: at the center of the story.'" (Wall Street Journal)

"Another insightful and accessible account…This thought-provoking history will deepen readers’ understanding of how the US achieved its independence.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)