The Guns of August

By: Barbara W. Tuchman

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, historian Barbara Tuchman brings to life the people and events that led up to World War I. This was the last gasp of the Gilded Age, of Kings and Kaisers and Czars, of pointed or plumed hats, colored uniforms, and all the pomp and romance that went along with war. How quickly it all changed...and how horrible it became.

Tuchman masterfully portrays this transition from 19th to 20th Century, focusing on the turning point in the year 1914: the month leading up to the war and the first month of the war. With fine attention to detail, she reveals how and why the war started, and why it could have been stopped but wasn't, managing to make the story utterly suspenseful even when we already know the outcome.

©1990 Dr. Lester Tuchman (P)2005 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"More dramatic than fiction...a magnificent narrative - beautifully organized, elegantly phrased, skillfully paced...The product of painstaking and sophisticated research." (Chicago Tribune)

Amazing book

Interesting, well-written, and laced with dry humor.

A Classic

I couldn't listen to this when I first downloaded it. Did not appreciate the narration.
But after a couple of years I gave it another try and found it gripping. I became accustomed
to the narration. The timing and pace of it was perfect. I now understand
why the Guns of August is considered a classic.

Performance too much

Story was alright, but I felt I got lost in the narrator’s “squawking.” When it came time to read someone’s journal or report, her accent during her most notably performance, was overwhelming. I know this is her job to perform, but to me (my review, not your) it was over-acted and lost its purpose.

Another Title Killed by Bad Narration

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

I would recommend the title, but not in audio format.

How could the performance have been better?

I had to listen to the book at half speed to understand the narrator. Her shrill voice always felt like it was stabbing into my ears.

Not ideal for listening

The first section is good but when the fighting breaks out I found it difficult to follow. I believe the author says her purpose was to cover the causes of the war up to the establishment of the stalemate in 1914. Analysis of the European powers in the decades between 1870 and the war is interesting. The depiction of the nations tumbling into war due to alliances and mobilization schedules in the summer of 1914 is rightly considered the highlight of the book. Unfortunately when the battles begin the analysis ends, and much detail is expended on the first couple months of the war. Names of various commanders and acronyms for plans and headquarters, troop movements without maps. If this was in service of a theory for how the military actions of the first few months led to stalemate, and that it could have gone another way, all this would be worth the effort. But the battles do not seem pivotal. Stalemate seems to be fated. Recommended as a library book, but not a good use of a credit.

Audio “ducks” out as if you’re receiving a text

My grandpa has read over 50 books about the World Wars and highly recommended this one. Unfortunately the audio recording here is a challenge, I’m not a fan of her voice, it feels out of sync with the content, also, the audio sucks out and you miss a word or two once or twice a minute. That makes this unlistenable for me and I’m returning the book.

Excellent

This book is about the first months of the war and a description of the challenges faced by both sides in those early days. I would place the book half way between a text-book and a novel. If you read a lot of history books, this is one of the best.

Fascinating Account

The unbelievable amount of research that must have gone into this book is amazing. Little anecdotes and quotes create something that reads more like a novel. Hugely informative and entertaining.

excellent narration

wanda mccaddon was amazing. her narration turned what could have been a clinical read into a story. this very long book was beautifully written like a history textbook but the delivery of the narrator kept it from feeling like a history lesson and read like a story.

Maybe the best book written about WW1

What a great read/listen this is. First things first, I’ve seen negative reviews of the narrator and I cannot imagine how that is possible. Yes, the author is American and narrator is English but as this is about a war in Europe, it is totally appropriate. More importantly her performance is almost perfect, she captures the sarcasm and absurdity effortlessly and therefore really adds to an understanding of the material.

As for the work itself, some reviewers have mentioned getting lost without maps or that too many “characters” are covered...I will agree that this is not a book to start with if you are curious about The Great War. It is more of a deep dive intended for an audience familiar with the people and places that led to the outbreak of the war and the all important first month of the conflict. If you are familiar with WW1 history, I could not recommend this book more, a truly outstanding history.

For those new to the subject or looking for a broader coverage of all the important moments, I highly suggest A World Undone, also available on Audible. It is more of a macro history and at the end of every chapter is a mini chapter or short biography that describes in decent detail, important events/people of the war. The introduction there hopefully will lead you back here as this is arguably the best book written about The Great War.