Boston in 1775 is an island city occupied by British troops after a series of incendiary incidents by patriots who range from sober citizens to thuggish vigilantes. After the Boston Tea Party, British and American soldiers and Massachusetts residents have warily maneuvered around each other until April 19, when violence finally erupts at Lexington and Concord. In June, however, with the city cut off from supplies by a British blockade and Patriot militia poised in siege, skirmishes give way to outright war in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It would be the bloodiest battle of the Revolution to come, and the point of no return for the rebellious colonists.
1 of 2 copies available
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 3, 2016 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781470351151
- File size: 374789 KB
- Duration: 13:00:48
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Not just another history of the famous Boston battle that ignited the American Revolution, BUNKER HILL is a colorful reconstruction of the early American landscape, as well as its culture, and even its geography. These are aspects of the Boston and New England region that have been rarely glimpsed. Chris Sorensen delivers each sentence with considered inflection and emotion. He taps into Philbrick's impressive research, lending fresh perspectives to the nuanced characters who lived in Boston during the occupation of the British troops in 1775. Colonists bewildered by the siege in the city and its environs erupt in patriotism and revolt against the British blockade. Key players in the drama that led to the foundation of the United States spring to life in the author's depiction and the performer's impassioned rendering of historical events. A.W. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine -
February 25, 2013
Like most popular historians, Philbrick (Mayflower) writes about discrete events, not large developments. And he’s good at it, even if the larger context is rarely considered and critical analysis gives way to story and celebration. Here, his focus is on events that began with the humiliations of the British at Lexington and Concord and ended with the siege of Boston, the American victory at Bunker Hill in 1775, and the departure in 1776 of British forces from New England’s largest city. Philbrick correctly presents the battle at Bunker Hill as a critical moment in the opening stages of the War for Independence, and displays an empathy for the out-maneuvered British caught in the traps that the Patriots laid for them. He wisely makes as one of his central figures the Patriots’ charismatic leader, Joseph Warren, who was killed at Bunker Hill, and who has since been largely forgotten, despite having been the man responsible for “orchestrating the on-the-ground reality of a revolution.” Philbrick tells his tale in traditional fashion—briskly, colorfully, and with immediacy. The book would have benefited from a point of view more firmly grounded in a contemporary evaluation of the battle, but even as it is—no one has told this tale better. Agent: Stuart Krichevsky, Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, Inc.
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