The History Book Club discussion

This thread is the Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts thread for The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson.

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This is the "Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts" thread.

*****SPOILER THREAD*****

For those of you who have completed the book and/or who want to discuss aspects of the book which are beyond our weekly assignments in the non spoiler threads, this thread is a spoiler thread where you can discuss those points. We know that some folks like to color outside the lines - so this a place for them.

If you have completed the book and would like to tell us what you thought about this selection, please feel free to discuss your opinions in a respectful way here.

However, please no links to personal reviews because we consider that self promotion. Simply post your thoughts here without the links.

Many folks read ahead of the weekly assignment and that is OK too; however, you must make sure that your posted comments on the other weekly non spoiler threads do not reflect reading ahead of the posted weekly assignment. If you would like to discuss aspects of the book further along, this is a spoiler thread where you can do just that.

We try to move along the discussion slowly on the weekly non spoiler threads but realize that some folks like to move along swiftly. So we have options for both groups of folks.

This is also the thread where you write your review of the book after completing it.

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If you have completed the book - please post your review here.

Please do not add any links such as to reviews elsewhere or blogs, etc. If you have already posted a review elsewhere - you may do a copy and paste here but with no links or references.

Please post your review here - just no links.

Bentley, thank you for supervising, riding herd, setting the table, raiding the libraries and the galleries, etc., etc., etc., for this most amazing read. Atkinson’s book is a marvel, filled to the brim with the telling detail, the amusing anecdote, the unbelievable fact, and the most incredible maps. And, the GOOD NEWS is that this is volume one of a trilogy!!! There are two more remarkable books to which we can look forward!!! If you haven’t, READ this book!!!
Regards,
Andrea

Thank you Andrea for posting your book as a whole and final thoughts. And for your kind words. We did our best and I think that Atkinson was picking up steam as he got to the final chapters.

Having read both the Liberation Trilogy and Volume 1 of the Revolution Trilogy - it is my impression that Atkinson was initially more comfortable with World War II as his subject matter.

But based upon the interviews that I have watched - Atkinson himself indicated that the next logical book would have been another about World War II.

Yet he had always been fascinated by the Revolutionary War and he wanted to do an in depth study in a way that nobody else had done before.

I think that is why it took a bit of time for Atkinson to get himself immersed in the new subject matter. With the later chapters - Atkinson really hit his stride and I especially enjoyed the later chapters of this first volume.

The book as a whole was excellent and well researched; but stylistically the Liberation Trilogy was more polished than the beginning of Volume I - which ultimately once Atkinson hit his stride became the type of book that one could not put down and a work which was every bit as good as his World War II trilogy.

I look forward to Volume 2.

by Rick Atkinson

The British are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 is a meticulously and deeply researched history of the American Revolution by renowned historian Rick Atkinson. This first volume of the anticipated Revolution Trilogy was riveting as you watch the struggling Continental Army up against the mighty and formidable forces of the British Army and Royal Navy dispatched by King George III. This is the story of the newly formed colonies in America and their struggle, not only for freedom, but to forge a new democratic nation.

Atkinson describes the first twenty-one months of the American Revolution with the battles at Lexington and Concord, to those at Trenton and Princeton, told in painful detail. We see each of these battles, not only from the point of view of the generals to the soldiers, but to those waiting at home.

This was a fast-paced book as we see well known characters from our history to the more obscure. I, for one, will be anxiously awaiting Volume II of this remarkable tale of America's early and laudable history.

Thank you Lorna for your review and take on the book. I hope to hear from all of the folks who took part in the discussion early on, in the middle or later.

Always good to hear from fellow members who participated in the discussion and how they felt about the book. Everyone's rating and review and comments are up to each member.

I only know Atkinson from his Liberation trilogy, those books are pretty dense but move along at a good pace, and it's the same here.

There's a lot to like about the book: It's nuanced, the detail is rich, and he does a great job mining the record for memorable details and quotes. Sometimes it can get a little distracting, but the research is impressive. His coverage of the battles is detailed and vivid; I especially liked his rendition of the campaign in Canada, and he does a good job including less well-known battles in the South at this period of the war. He really drives home the desperation and uncertainty looming over the American war effort, as well as how brutal the fighting could be; in those days, soldiers had to kill each other up close, and the sights, smells, etc. were inescapable; on top of that, medical practices and knowledge weren't exactly advanced. I also appreciated that Atkinson didn't ignore the issue of slavery, or the harsh treatment of Loyalists by the revolutionaries.

I really enjoyed his coverage of the British side as well; sometimes you have to dig through dated or specialist works to find material on this subject; it's refreshing to read more about that in a work of popular history. He does a good job describing how poorly the British understood the colonists in that part of their empire. Actually, I think I read more in this book about British politics than American politics; that was a little surprising.

I look forward to the next volumes, for sure.

Jerome, thank you so much - I really like hearing the details and how specific you were about the various aspects of the book itself.

I agree about the British perspective and British politics. I wonder since the country was not really a country during volume one whether he will dive into American politics in subsequent volumes. The closest we seemed to get was Thomas Paine or Ben Franklin.

I agree with you - the books are extremely dense and it was difficult to do each segment justice in one week.

That is why we are keeping the volumes together in one folder so that folks can look back and refresh their memories before the next volume or in the middle of the next one. At least most of the key players have been introduced in Volume One.

You bring up an important detail - that soldiers had to get up close and look the man in his eyes sometimes before killing him. How horrendous that must have been - especially since these were in many instances fellow Englishmen (who were all decent men in their own right)

I also look forward to the next volumes and thank you for your perspective and detailed observations of the book itself.

I heard from a very reliable source - one of our valued members on Goodreads - that he had attended a discussion about Washington and Eisenhower with Rick Atkinson and David Petraeus as moderator (from our great long time member Vincent)

Vincent said that he thought of me and our patiently waiting for Atkinson's next volume in the Revolutionary War Triology.

Because --------Atkinson said volume two of the Revolutionary Trilogy should be out by 2025!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes we were all expecting that volume before then. That is another three years - depending upon how you are counting the months.

Goodness we ended our last discussion on Atkinson's first book of the trilogy in August 2020 and it had been out for a little while then. I think five years is a long time to wait for the next volume in a trilogy. That makes it almost a 15 year project.

I checked to see what the author was saying about the timeline and I guess the above rings true sadly:

If you enjoyed The British Are Coming and are wondering when volumes 2 and 3 of The Revolution Trilogy will be published, here’s a note from the author:

Thanks for the many queries about when the next books in my new trilogy will appear. I’m hard at it, but frankly it’s too soon to offer a publication schedule. I do most of my own research, so the work takes time. I spent 15 years writing the three volumes on World War II in the Liberation Trilogy, and that gives some sense of the effort involved.

I’m grateful to those eager to read more!

Best regards, Rick

Remember - Atkinson is 70 years old and was born in 1952!!!!