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Review
‘We should…welcome a new biography of the man who was so admired by Napoleon and…Winston Churchill – especially if the biographer is Richard Holmes, whose background is a happy blend of military academia and media friendliness. Professor Holmes tackles his subject at a Light Infantry pace, cracking through a wide-ranging biography with confidence and good humour.’ Independent on Sunday
‘The appeal of Holmes’s books is not merely their authority but their style. His lightness of touch makes these 500 pages a joy to read as well as an education.’ The Times
'Outstanding…Holmes has written what must be the…fairest biography of Marlborough.' Daily Telegraph
‘When it comes to balancing tales of Marlborough’s flaws with those of his genius for war, Holmes discharges his material relentlessly…His descriptions of the general’s tactical system, the way he ran his armies…are all excellent.’ Waterstones Books Quarterly
‘Fascinating and revealing…Holmes has done his subject full justice by crafting a quite brilliant, judicious and fully-rounded portrait that should go some way to restoring Marlborough's reputation as a truly Great Briton.' Sunday Telegraph
'A very good read, about a very great man.' Independent on Sunday
‘Richard Holmes goes far beyond the life of John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, to depict the moral and political landscape of an entire age in this rewarding biography of the British general…Holmes is as thrilling on his subject's romantic devotion to his wife…as he is on the battles.’ Sunday Times
‘As comprehensive an account of Marlborough as a single volume can hope to be. Holmes is at his best…that eye for detail, grasp of subject, deployment of sources, combine to produce as lucid and vivid an account of warfare as one could ask for.’ Spectator
'Richard Holmes…is a good storyteller…his chief interest remains those battles where maps and tactics are more important than charm, uncertainty and luck.' Economist
'A modern, up-to-date "life and times" written in a jaunty style…those who enjoyed Holmes's earlier works…will know what to expect.' TES
‘Richard Holmes’s new biography…is probably as comprehensive an account of Marlborough as any single volume can hope to be…there is nobody writing who can move from column into line quite as smoothly as [he] does.’ David Crane, Spectator
‘Holmes depicts the moral and political landscape of an entire age in this rewarding biography of the British general.’ Sunday Times
Praise for ‘Redcoat’:
‘“Redcoat” is not just a work of history but of enthusiasm and unparalleled knowledge. This is a wonderful book, doing justice to men who have long deserved a chronicler of Richard Holmes’ skill.’ Bernard Cornwell
‘It would be hard to exaggerate the excellence of this book. Vivid, comprehensive, well-written, pacy, colourful.’ Simon Heffer
‘A wonderful book, full of anecdote and good sense. Anyone who has enjoyed a Sharpe story will love it.’ Bernard Cornwell, Daily Mail
‘Redcoat is the story of the British soldier from the Seven Year War through to the Mutiny and Crimea. It is consistently entertaining, full of brilliantly chosen anecdotes and rattles along at a good light infantry pace.’ David Crane, Spectator
Sunday Telegraph
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Customer Reviews
This a very readable and informative biography of someone who is possibly not as well known or appreciated as perhaps he should be as he was directly and indirectly responsible for much of the Europe we see today, so his legacy truly lives on. The fact that he is probably best known as an ancestor of Winston Churchill and Princess Diana does him a great disservice as his life story is so remarkable that in the hands of such an experienced and skillful biographer as Mr Holmes it fairly leaps from the page, and makes this book, (cliche alert!) a real page turner...sorry but it's true. Although the author's expertise is towards military history, he does touch on the importance of his personal relationships and political machinations that went on around him, but not in as great depth. Hibbert's book "The Marlboroughs" which has more detail on his relationship with his wife Sarah and her equally remarkable story is probably as good a book as any for that.
By all accounts Marlborough should be held in as high esteem as Nelson and Wellington in the English/British psyche, and this book goes a good way to supporting that thesis.
Holmes does a very skillful job of weaving narrative, comment and well-chosen contemporary quotations. Churchill/Marlborough was unquestionably a genius, combining the political skills to keep his disparate alliance together, and military skills that were more than equal to the finest that France had to offer. We should never forget that the French were, at the time, the unquestioned masters in all things military, and that their population was about three times that of Britain's.
As a biography, this book can perhaps be excused for its very sketchy coverage of the Spanish theatre of war; after all, the war was fought to keep a Bourbon off the Spanish throne. Nor is there any comment to help us understand how Britain managed to finance its wars--the key issue which relatively few historians seem to understand. Nonetheless, Holmes is to be congratulated for a spendid achievement; like all good historians, he has read deeply enough from original documents to have an instinctive understanding of how people thought and why they acted as they did, and to interpret these in a generous, but by no means credulous, spirit.
This isn't an altogether bad book - it is interesting, but its faults outweigh its virtues and after a... Read more
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