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Lädt ... A Few Acres of Snow (1999)von Robert Leckie
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Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. Fascinating topic and an interesting book by an author willing to share his opinion on whatever comes to mind, whether directly relevant or not; an author who also likes using unfamiliar but appropriate words. Repetitive to the point that I began wondering if the book was still a draft where copy and paste revisions had not been edited to remove redundancy. ( ) A Few Acres of Snow: The Saga of the French and Indian Wars is by military historian Robert Leckie and details the long and bloody history of wars between France and Britain that took place in the New World of North America. The title of the book comes by way of Voltaire who commented to King Louis XV upon the loss of Canada, “After all, Sire, what have we lost – a few acres of snow?” Reading much like a historical saga, Leckie supplies plenty of drama and color in his descriptions of the battles that were fought in the North American wilderness. Many well known names appear in this account, George Washington, Samuel de Champlain, James Wolfe, and Louis-Joseph de Montcalm along with vivid descriptions of their involvement in these battles. I enjoyed reading about this period in history but I did find there was a lot to absorb, from far reaching political and cultural issues to the complex negotiations of kings and queens. A Few Acres of Snow was a lively and exciting read but unfortunately the author also implants many of his own opinions in the narrative which makes the book read more like an entertaining myth than a straight factual account. I also read more than one review of the book that questioned the author's accuracy, so, although I enjoyed the read, the information given needs to be somewhat filtered. While ostensibly a history of the French and Indian War, the author devotes 2/3 of the book to preceding events, beginning with Columbus and proceeding through the initial discovery and settlement of the French territory via Cartier and Champlain. At times the author devotes much detail to insignificant events and/or persons, hence the theme of the narrative is hard to follow. Nonetheless, the diligent reader will gain a feel for the importance of the early governors like Frontenac, Jesuits, native Indians, the fur trade, etc. Included are short biographies of several of the well known players, including George Washington and William Pitt. Unlike the prior reviewer, I found it refreshing that the author was not hampered by political correctness that corrupts so many modern histories. For example, the author portrays the Iroquois in a realistic fashion, acknowledging conduct that was often truly barbarous and savage. Overall, there are better histories than this book for the typical reader wishing to gain insight into a fascinating war. keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
"Leckie is a gifted writer with the ability to explain complicatedmilitary matters in layperson's terms, while sustaining the dramainvolved in a life-and-death struggle. His portraits of the keyplayers in that struggle . . . are seamlessly interwoven with hisexciting narrative." -Booklist"As always, [Leckie] describes themaneuvers, battles, and results in telling detail with a cinematicstyle, and his portraits . . . are first-rate."-The Dallas MorningNews"Leckie's accounts of battles, important individuals, and therole of Native Americans bring to life the distant drama of theFrench and Indian Wars."-The Daily Reflector With his celebrated sense of drama and eye for colorful detail,acclaimed military historian Robert Leckie charts the long, savageconflict between England and France in their quest for supremacy inpre-Revolutionary America. Packed with sharply etched profiles ofall the major players-including George Washington, Samuel deChamplain, William Pitt, Edward Braddock, Count Frontenac, JamesWolfe, Thomas Gage, and the nobly vanquished Marquis deMontcalm-this panoramic history chronicles the four great colonialwars: the War of the Grand Alliance (King William's War), the Warof the Spanish Succession (Queen Anne's War), the War of theAustrian Succession (King George's War), and the decisive Frenchand Indian War (the Seven Years' War). Leckie not only providesperspective on exactly how the New World came to be such a fiercelycontested prize in Western Civilization, but also shows us exactlywhy we speak English today instead of French-and reminds us howeasily things might have gone the other way. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)973.2History and Geography North America United States Colonial period (1607-1775)Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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