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ksmith952's review
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.5
The book is a collection of previously published essays and articles. Some may seem dated in a few cases, but the scholarship and engaging style make this a good read nonetheless.
sallyavena's review against another edition
5.0
This is my all time favorite book of his. A compilation of essays McCullough has written over his years of research. Most are side stories of things he's written books about, but all are fascinating little bios or brief glimpses into lesser know people that have changed history some how. Each essay is only 10-20 pages long, so it's a perfect book to read a little here and there.
timsin10's review against another edition
3.0
Some of these essays were really good, but by its very nature it felt disjointed and never went into enough detail on any one topic.
busboom's review against another edition
5.0
A delight from start to finish. We lost an American treasure when David McCullough passed, and Brave Companions reminds us of his capacity to make history come alive, make us reflect, and also instill a measure of clear-eyed optimism. He is greatly missed, and I yearn for dozens of books like this.
ben_r's review against another edition
5.0
Everything written by David McCullough should be read without reservation. Incomparable. These stories, portraits, of historical figures come to life.
mneill's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fantastic book for someone who wants to read history without the commitment of a giant tome. McCullough picks several interesting topics, and each chapter stands alone.
mnyberg's review against another edition
4.0
I found some stories to be fascinating and others mildly interesting. But overall well worth the read.
clarke11235's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic set of essays on history and historical figures.
misajane79's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, confession time: this is the fist McCullough I've read. His books have been recommended to me dozens of times (especially John Adams), but I have always had this aversion to "popular" historians. There are certain popular historians that I just distrust--they have published too much to have done much of the work themselves--or to really dive into the material.
McCullough does not appear to be one of those "popular" historians.
This book is a collection of essays, first published in 1991. The majority of the essays are brief, biographical sketches of some fascinating people--some of whom I had never heard of, many of whom don't follow into my usual categories of historical interest. But each essay was wonderful. He introduced me to some people I would love to know more about, such as Miriam Rothschild. He told the jaw-dropping story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the railroad line across Panama (before the canal).
I loved his writing style--he doesn't get bogged down in details like so many historians, but somehow senses exactly what we the reader need to know in order to understand.
Highly recommended. I may even tackle John Adams one of these days.
McCullough does not appear to be one of those "popular" historians.
This book is a collection of essays, first published in 1991. The majority of the essays are brief, biographical sketches of some fascinating people--some of whom I had never heard of, many of whom don't follow into my usual categories of historical interest. But each essay was wonderful. He introduced me to some people I would love to know more about, such as Miriam Rothschild. He told the jaw-dropping story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the railroad line across Panama (before the canal).
I loved his writing style--he doesn't get bogged down in details like so many historians, but somehow senses exactly what we the reader need to know in order to understand.
Highly recommended. I may even tackle John Adams one of these days.