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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
am quite fond of David McCullough. I have derived quite a bit of pleasure from a couple of his other books, particularly his biography of John Adams. That combined with my recent interest in early American history had me looking forward to reading 1776. Unfortunately, I was left somewhat disappointed.
1776 suffers on multiple levels, all of which generally revolve around a lack of focus. First, it only covers the first year of a war which spanned eight years. This is a bad foundation to work from, as it doesn't cover the entire war, yet doesn't focus on any key events. McCullough simply starts writing about the war, and then seemingly just stops. It is almost like reading the first 5 chapters of a novel and then stopping.
Also, coverage of historical events during this time is not consistent. Some key battles are resolved in a few sentences, while paragraphs are devoted to details like King George's caravan to parliament in 1775 or the fact that Howell had a mistress that he particularly enjoyed. These are nice details, and something I expect to be mentioned in a thorough account of the war - but it comes at the expense of other details which are equally or more important. One would expect that by focusing on a small portion of the war, the author would be able to provide greater detail. Instead, it almost reads like a high school history book (though written much better), as it covers the highlights, but doesn't provide much in the way of detail.
No historical figure is brought to the page very well. There are so many names popping up here and there that you never truly get a good feel for any of them. This might not be a fair criticism though, as McCullough is not trying to write a biography. With so many events to cover in 300 pages, with so many parties involved, there isn't much spotlight for individuals.
Despite all my complaints, I still enjoyed the book. McCullough is a great story teller, and it makes for great reading. It wasn't as good as it could have been, but everybody has a bad day from time to time. With any luck his subsequent book will return to his previous level of quality.
1776 suffers on multiple levels, all of which generally revolve around a lack of focus. First, it only covers the first year of a war which spanned eight years. This is a bad foundation to work from, as it doesn't cover the entire war, yet doesn't focus on any key events. McCullough simply starts writing about the war, and then seemingly just stops. It is almost like reading the first 5 chapters of a novel and then stopping.
Also, coverage of historical events during this time is not consistent. Some key battles are resolved in a few sentences, while paragraphs are devoted to details like King George's caravan to parliament in 1775 or the fact that Howell had a mistress that he particularly enjoyed. These are nice details, and something I expect to be mentioned in a thorough account of the war - but it comes at the expense of other details which are equally or more important. One would expect that by focusing on a small portion of the war, the author would be able to provide greater detail. Instead, it almost reads like a high school history book (though written much better), as it covers the highlights, but doesn't provide much in the way of detail.
No historical figure is brought to the page very well. There are so many names popping up here and there that you never truly get a good feel for any of them. This might not be a fair criticism though, as McCullough is not trying to write a biography. With so many events to cover in 300 pages, with so many parties involved, there isn't much spotlight for individuals.
Despite all my complaints, I still enjoyed the book. McCullough is a great story teller, and it makes for great reading. It wasn't as good as it could have been, but everybody has a bad day from time to time. With any luck his subsequent book will return to his previous level of quality.
An incredibly enjoyable read. David McCullough continues to be amazing. Only wish it could have gone on longer.
I tried to read this book, but it was boring. I listened to the audiobook and read the print copy but I just couldn't continue to punish myself. Maybe at another time or place, I can find it in my soul to try again.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Great overall account of one year in war and in the foundation of the U.S. Should be required reading for all U.S. history students, and isn't too long or overly-detailed that it turns you away. Would have appreciated more mentions of slavery (and admonishing the founding fathers for their racism), the contributions of American women, and just what was going on with U.S. civilians at the time (more about their thoughts and actions towards the revolution and more anecdotal accounts from the everyday people). Some more context about Britain at the time too could have been a good brief addition.
Not what I expected. Slow-moving and rather dry for the first 2/3. In hindsight, McCullough is masterful in contrasting the bleak hopelessness of the first several battles to Trenton and Princeton. The end is strong in that sense. In all, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the American classic I expected, per se.
I took history classes throughout my childhood, high school, and college (including a military history class as a high school senior) and never have I heard about many of the campaigns and struggles faced by the Continental Army as led by General George Washington during the first full calendar year of the war for American independence. I was shocked by the degree of despair running rampant through the ranks as the army suffered loss after loss. It was very enlightening to say the least and I did want to read more making me question when McCullough will release the inevitable follow-ups 1777, 1778, 1779, 1780, and 1781. It's gonna happen, right?
I really love history and I was so excited to read this book, but man it was dull. I did listen to the audiobook and I hoped that reading it would mean it was better, but talking to other friends who read the actually book, they thought it was dull too. I know this an opinion in the minority here, but I've read other historical nonfiction books that were much better than this one.
informative
medium-paced