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Azincourt
- Narrated by: Damien Goodwin
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
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Summary
An extraordinary and dramatic depiction of the legendary battle of Agincourt from the number one historical novelist
Agincourt, fought on October 25th 1415, St Crispin's Day, is one of England’s best-known battles, in part through the brilliant depiction of it in Shakespeare's Henry V, in part because it was a brilliant and unexpected English victory and in part because it was the first battle won by the use of the longbow - a weapon developed by the English which enabled them to dominate the European battlefields for the rest of the century.
Bernard Cornwell’s Azincourt is a vivid, breathtaking and meticulously well-researched account of this momentous battle and its aftermath. From the varying viewpoints of nobles, peasants, archers, and horsemen, Azincourt skilfully brings to life the hours of relentless fighting, the desperation of an army crippled by disease and the exceptional bravery of the English soldiers.
Critic reviews
‘If Bernard Cornwell was born to write one book, this is it. No other historical novelist has acquired such a mastery of the minutiae of warfare in centuries past. No one else could hope to take Shakespeare’s Henry V, strip it of its rhetoric and tell the unvarnished truth about the Battle of Agincourt’ Telegraph
‘A runaway success’ Guardian
'Nobody in the world does this stuff better than Cornwell – action set six hundred years ago is a fresh and vital as six days ago, with rough, tough men at war, proving once again that nothing changes – least of all great storytelling’ Lee Child
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What listeners say about Azincourt
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- Simon
- 09-09-15
Simply Stunning!
One of the seminal battles of British military history is the highlight of this masterpiece by Bernard Cornwell. Ignoring the cliched view that the archers won it on their own the actual battle is described in all its gory detail. The heady mix of the savagery of the times, the sheer bravery of the soldiery in the face of it and to no small extent the sheer ineptitude of command and organisation that were hallmarks of warfare at the time are all vividly described. Although there was much glory won on the field of battle it came at the end of a pretty ignominious campaign which Cornwell details in full without pulling any punches.
The joy of reading Cornwell's books is not just the grandiose set piece battles and action scenes but the way he weaves his knowledge of the minutiae of life in these far distant times into the books to educate without it ever feeling like anything but a story.
The presentation concludes with the views and thoughts of the author clarifying where and how he blurred the lines between fact and fiction as well as thoughts on further reading which many will appreciate.
Simply excellent and very well narrated.
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9 people found this helpful
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- michael humphrey
- 17-11-20
Great story
Read this before but listening was a good refresher. Narration is good but accents of the french characters and voices of the cast are so irritating . Vest left to the imagination.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 13-03-24
gripping story
Close to historical facts but with an intriguing fictional story cleverly entwined.Superb story by a superb story teller.
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- Anonymous User
- 12-01-24
Inspiring and tragic
This author catches all the history drama and tragedy of the day with his own subtle changes to give it an interest to those of us who like a bit of romance
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- Mr. Gary D. Mciver
- 06-01-24
Good listen/read
Great story, love the narration Seven unique words blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
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- Aidan
- 12-10-23
Brilliant Book
Absolutely brilliant book, from start to finish captivating.
This book was the first I have read from Bernard Cornwell, since Azincourt I have since read the grail series. Again, brilliant.
Narration in this is excellent as well.
Highly recommend this to anyone!
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- DF in Wiltshire
- 22-05-23
Repetitive and average but good battle writing
Found the repeated situations of rape, threats to the girl despite being warned of repercussions, threats to the main archer character despite warnings of repercussions, the convenient coming and going of the saints voice etc., a little boring. Battle imagery was great but the story about the 2 main characters was weak.
Also the narrator had the habit of making every evil bishop sound like Edmund black adder in series 1.
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- Tim Walker
- 07-05-23
50 Words for Mud
Cornwell has done his research into what is known of the events of the Battle of Azincourt, a story immortalised by Shakespeare in his play, Henry V.
This story centres on archer Nick Hook, and his journey from village to London and into the service of Sir John in the build up to Henry's expedition to France to 'claim his inheritance'. Life in the fifteenth century is masterfully evoked by the author, with every detail of garments, diet, implements and archery providing the backdrop to the unfolding drama.
If Kate Bush found 50 words for snow, then Cornwell has tried to match her with his vivid and varied weather reports as the stubborn English endure horrendous conditions across an oozing, muddy landscape, that ultimately secured their victory. War is not glorified here. It is a ruthless and bitter business in which medieval nobility sought justification for their actions through teams of priestly conduits with God, who naturally bigged up both sides.
A useful Author's Note at the end maps out the historical research and assumptions employed in building this epic tale of what might have happened on that fateful St Crispin's Day in 1415. A compelling listen, well narrated. Highly recommended to fans of historical fiction. Bernard does it again.
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- Anonymous User
- 23-11-22
Narration incredible
A very interesting historical novel- made incredible by the amazing narration. The historical note at the end was particularly welcome.
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- Mo Bass
- 22-11-22
Superb
Gritty, well researched and wonderful characterisation. Cornwell's books always inspire me to further investigation of the historic backgrounds. Excellent narration.
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