Excellent history

What did you like most about The War that Ended Peace?

Best sort of history. Covers major participants in build up to declarations of war. Full of poignant facts and insightful descriptions of political leaders. Very well written and fascinating from start to finish.

What other book might you compare The War that Ended Peace to, and why?

Author also wrot brilliant account of post war peace conference. Had to actually read that as not available on Audible!

What about Richard Burnip’s performance did you like?

Calm, measured delivery.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Too many to mention.

Any additional comments?

Err. Why do reviews have to be written in this way!

13 people found this helpful

Magisterial Book Read Brilliantly

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. First of all, it's a great book. I took a deep breath earlier this year and plunged headlong into the great coursing centenary stream. Have read five or six books – Hastings', Hochschild's, Paxman's, etc. – all of them good. But this is the best. It's unfailingly intelligent. It's wonderfully clear. It's brimming with marvelous, telling details. (The best sort of details - illustrative nuggets.) And, yes, it's gripping. And part and parcel of the whole package, so to speak (so to speak indeed), it's beautifully read, performed, not quite sure what the word is. Richard Burnip is a joy to listen to. His voice is clear. He's got great range. He's got authority. And best of all, perhaps, there was nothing show offy about the read. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be: thoughtful, intelligent, clear, nuanced, assured. I thought it was perfectly judged. He does Margaret Macmillan's words justice. What more could you ask? For the record, I didn't find his reading slow. I thought it was timed to perfection. It peered into the book's depths, it brought out nuance. Writing of this calibre has its own cadence.That needs to be respected. Honoured even. This did. This isn't a canter-through book. Everything about it - from subject matter to phrasing - commands one's deepest admiration. And needs to be savoured. The "performance" was absolutely right for the book.

What other book might you compare The War that Ended Peace to, and why?

Any of the one's I've already mentioned. All of them were, well, worthwhile. But this one takes the laurel. Why? Because it was more thoughtful, more measured, more perceptive - ultimately more intelligent. World War I is a huge subject and the book opened up more of it than the others. Last but not least, it was a relief that for once here was a war book where one never felt the tug of that god awful force field: "boys and their toys."

Have you listened to any of Richard Burnip’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I haven't. But I'll certainly be looking for him in the future.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Ridiculous question. This isn't Michael Herr's Dispatches. Or Crane's Red Badge of Courage. Or a short story. It's a big demanding book. A cathedral of a book. As opposed to a bungalow. I was very glad it was what it was. It was several "one sittings". And all the better for being so.

44 people found this helpful

Excellent & Informative

In this 100 year anniversary of the Armistice I wanted to read and listen to some history books about World War 1, as bizarrely its a subject I never covered in history at school and my reading about WW1 to date has been novel based. I found this book fascinating, gripping and really informative. I learnt so much about what led to WW1, which I'd previously had no idea about. In fact I'm embarrassed to realise how little I previously knew about the build up to this war. I feel it should be compulsory reading for all politicians in the vague hope they'll learn some lessons. It is a long book but I never got bored, and it is very clearly and well read and paced. There are a lot of names and people to remember, and to be honest I don't remember all of them, but actually that doesn't matter. I finished this book with a much clearer understanding of how and why Europe went to war and the social and political environment leading to that war, and that is what I wanted from it. I feel the book has prepared me to now read about the actual history of WW1. Highly recommended.

7 people found this helpful

A Real Marathon!

What made the experience of listening to The War that Ended Peace the most enjoyable?

This is a beautifully paced, exquisitely detailed history of Europe's steady slide towards war in August 2014. It is well crafted as a story, with no loopholes.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The War that Ended Peace?

No single memorable moment.

What does Richard Burnip bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He is to be congratulated for such consistency in a reading that lasts for about 30 hours! His pronunciation of foreign names etc is superb.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

No idea! Is that the best question you can think to ask?

Any additional comments?

Only that there appears to be some problem with the downloads for this book. In the first hour of Part 3, I was aware that at least an hour of the story was being repeated. I downloaded all the files again, but this was still there.

12 people found this helpful

An Excellent Insight

Would you listen to The War that Ended Peace again? Why?

Yes. Though easy to follow and well read by Richard Burnip there is so much to take in that I will definitely listen again. I know I will get new detail from a second "reading".

What other book might you compare The War that Ended Peace to, and why?

Not from my reading so far. Most of my earlier reading about WW1 has been about the war itself. This is much more about what happened which led to the war. It covers many historical events of which I was aware but which I hadn't previously linked together in the way the author does. The interconnections all make sense and it helped me put clarity and context to late 19th and early 20th century history.

Have you listened to any of Richard Burnip’s other performances? How does this one compare?

N/A

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many but mostly the realisation that most of the statesmen genuinely thought that, as in previous crises, something would happen at the last minute to stop the war form happening. Also the naivety of those who really believed "it would be over by Christmas".

Any additional comments?

It is a long book at 24 chapters and over 31 hours on Audible. Well worth the time for anyone interested in European history and in particular the events surrounding The Great War.

11 people found this helpful

background to the causes of WW1

If you could sum up The War that Ended Peace in three words, what would they be?

well researched , educational

What did you like best about this story?

the way it showed the interactions and alliances over a prolonged period of time across various nations

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Where the Kaiser and chiefs of staff celebrated that they had avoided France coming into any conflict and then getting deflated because there had been amisunderstanding between the French and Sir Edward Gray . Just showed how things were easily misunderstood

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Not just an assassination

Any additional comments?

Its lengthy but that is only to be expected of such a weighty topic that requires in depth explanations of the subject . Because the cast of characters are already well known to even a part time student of history it is very easy to follow the narrative and sequence of events

4 people found this helpful

Compelling Account of the March to War

Would you consider the audio edition of The War that Ended Peace to be better than the print version?

No, I always prefer the print versions!

What about Richard Burnip’s performance did you like?

Very well executed, handled the numerous characters with aplomb.

Any additional comments?

In many ways the book was very sad - towards the end you began to understand why war was almost unavoidable given the characters involved and their history.

3 people found this helpful

Fascinating

Excellently well-researched, brilliantly written and performed with real passion for the subject. I listened to this book twice so far and I will again I'm sure. Experiencing this fascinating story unfolding into your ears is a real treat.

2 people found this helpful

Fascinating run-up to wwI

So interesting to read about all the factors that made wwI inevitable, and scary to think how easily it could happen again.

1 person found this helpful

Very relevant to today.

Excellent presentation of a controversial and complex subject. It's dangerous to draw too close parallels between historical events and today but, taking a broad view, this book gives much food for thought.

1 person found this helpful