Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

By: Ulysses S. Grant

Narrated by: Alastair Cameron

Length: 29 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Written from his death bed, The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant are written by the most well known Civil War General himself, Ulysses S. Grant. In a review of his life as a private citizen, as well as a general, Grant lets the listener know what a heroic figure he really was.

Like so many men before him, Grant describes being pressured into a certain way of life by his father. He never aspired for a military career, but his father insisted on West Point Academy for his schooling. Grant takes us through the Mexican-American War, his short retirement after the war, and his involvement in the Civil War. He points out specific historical figures that directly lead to successes and failures in his military career.

Grant also immerses the listener in battle scenes that leave you visualizing an old western movie. His depiction of the war leaves an impression as he goes into deep details about the little parts of daily life in the military, like the food, supplies, and ammunition wagons that delivered their goods to them. Grant gives intellectual commentary on why he believes the Civil War happened, why the South was doomed from the beginning, and surprisingly, how they were all the better for it in the end.

©2016 A.R.N. Publications (P)2016 A.R.N. Publications

Good story, terrible orator

The oratory was terrible. A nasally European should not have been chosen to read this book. Several times I wanted to turn it off because I could not stand to listen to the monotone reading. chose another audio version of this book because this narrator of this version could put you to sleep.

Excellent book, well worth your time to read

the story line was incredible however, the narrator was difficult to listen to as it sounded like he was talking through his nose. Aside from that however, this is an outstanding book.

English narrator, American history, no editor

Where does Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 25% in content.Dead last in narration (tied with a Basil Liddell Hart audio book)

What did you like best about this story?

For me it was the reconstruction of a historical figure I thought that I knew something about.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was truly gating. How can you be paid to narrate the book and not bother to look up the how to pronounce the American place names and surnames? Shiloh, Appomattox, far too many to note here. I can't believe it was released this way. Would you narrate English history and mispronounce "Thames" river? Every time?

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Extreme interest.

Any additional comments?

Missed the maps.

Awful

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not a chance

What did you like best about this story?

The history as told bt Grant

What didn’t you like about Alastair Cameron’s performance?

Everything. His pronunciations of American historical sites was awful. Ah-PO-mah-tox for App-oh-MA-tox and chi-ca-HO-mah-ny rather than Chick-ah-HAH-mony, well understood AMERICAN pronunciations stands out to me as examples. This guy sucks as a reader of American history.

Was Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant worth the listening time?

Yes - This was, however, the longest I have ever taken to listen to a recorded book. This guy sucked as a narrator.

Any additional comments?

Listen to me.

It is long and tedious but intriguing

As any historical recount, it requires attention to listen to the bombardment of facts, but if you’re already studied in the Civil War battles, you will not be lost.

Impressive work

Considering the conditions under which this memoir was written and the degree of detail provided, it's an historical gem. The reading however detracted from really enjoying the book. The reader's steady monotone along with mispronunciation of many American words, phrases and place names make this rendering difficult to wade through.

Maybe a narrator that can actually pronounce the names of places and people next time?

I find it very hard to believe that no one in the process of recording this book knew enough about the subject to correct the mispronunciations of Mr. Cameron. His British accent aside, places like Appomattox are such a part of this history that it was excruciating to hear him incorrectly pronounce it each time. General Beauregard’s likewise is not some obscure name that should stump anyone. Potomac is another example and they are everywhere throughout the book.

Why did no one stop and correct these among many other glaring errors? Very sad to be so ignorant of a subject and still be a producer or director as well.

Classic: inside the mind of the greater general

Grant had a clear vision of destroying his enemy's ability to fight, & that a draw would represent a victory for his opponent.

Wish I had read reviews first.

The memoir is fascinating! The narrator is terrible! British accent and mispronounciations abound! Pick another version!

British Pronunciation of Proper Nouns in America

Would you listen to Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant again? Why?

I am not certain, the book is very linear and fact based. On one hand it is apparent that Grant was not talented with rhetoric. On the other hand the book presents a wealth of knowledge and a prospective I wouldn't otherwise be exposed to.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator did an excellent job of elocution, and pronounced the names of many places phonetically correctly. However, in American English the spoken names of many places vary from the phonetically correct. American English is my primary language and I found this 'correct pronunciation' incredibly distracting and quite grating to hear the names like the Army of the Potomac, Maryland, and many other places pronounced in an atypical way. I don't begrudge the narrator, but I am spending a large percentage of this book thinking that's not the way we say that in America, as instead of to listening to content of the book.