George III
The Life and Reign of Britain's Most Misunderstood Monarch
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George III
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Narrated by:
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Philip Stevens
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By:
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Andrew Roberts
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
George III, Britain's longest-reigning king, has gone down in history as 'the cruellest tyrant of this age' (Thomas Paine, 18th century), 'a sovereign who inflicted more profound and enduring injuries upon this country than any other modern English king' (WEH Lecky, 19th century), 'one of England's most disastrous kings' (JH Plumb, 20th century) and as the pompous, camp and sinister monarch of the musical Hamilton (21st century).
Andrew Roberts' magnificent new biography takes entirely the opposite view. It convincingly portrays George as intelligent, benevolent, scrupulously devoted to the constitution of his country and (as head of government as well as head of state) navigating the turbulence of 18th-century politics with a strong sense of honour and duty. He was a devoted husband and family man, a great patron of the arts and sciences, keen ('Farmer George') to advance Britain's agricultural capacity and determined that her horizons should be global.
The book gives a detailed, revisionist account of the American War of Independence, amongst other things persuasively taking apart a significant proportion of the Declaration of Independence. In a later war, it shows how George's support for William Pitt was crucial to the battle against Napoleon. And it makes a credible, modern diagnosis of George's terrible malady that robbed him of his mind for the last 10 years of his life - his other main claim to the popular imagination.
Roberts argues that, far from being a tyrant or incompetent, George III was one of our most admirable monarchs. George III shows one of Britain's premier historians at his sparkling best.
©2021 Andrew Roberts (P)2021 Penguin AudioWhat listeners say about George III
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sam J
- 13-02-2022
Simply brilliant
Andrew Roberts has written a masterpiece that will rehabilitate the image of a much maligned and ultimately tragic monarch. The depth of his research has been absolutely breath-taking and his writing style is informative, accessible and entertaining.
You need the stamina of a marathon runner to listen to the entire 36 hours and I must admit that I did skip the five year period when the American war of independence was going badly for the Poms. (Turgid depressing stuff if you are a closet redcoat supporter!) However that is not the fault of Andrew Roberts.
What I did enjoy was Andrew's demolition of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, which apart from its brilliant opening paragraph is a tissue of hyperbole, outright lies, unfounded ad hominem attacks on the character of George III or 'after the fact' justifications. Propaganda at its most devious. It also demonstrated the incredible tolerance that Great Britain had for its ungrateful and treacherous American colonies and that nothing could have been done to avoid the American revolution. (Britain was fortunate that it did not happen during the Napoleonic wars.)
I had no idea about George III's love of the arts, science and architecture. I did not appreciate his considerable intellect, personal integrity or his love and loyalty to his queen.
But most of all, Andrew Roberts has completely destroyed the myth that George III was a tyrant. In fact he was certainly the least tyrannical head of state of his era having total respect for the liberal constitution of Great Britain.
Congratulations Andrew Roberts. History owes you a debt of gratitude for putting the facts straight.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joshua Ebert
- 28-05-2023
Well written
When I started listening to this book, I did not know anything about George III. After finishing, I feel like I know more about George III than most people who categorise him based on his affliction. He did so much, and although lonely, he found some privacy.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marc Fearby
- 01-02-2023
An excellent yarn
I'm enjoying this thoroughly (albeit only halfway through at the moment). It's very enjoyable and the narration is good (certainly not irritating or average as another reviewer claims). I used to think that George III was mad for most of his reign but that wasn't the case, at it turns out.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Darcy Moore
- 17-02-2023
Brilliant!
Andrew Roberts has written a balanced restoration of the reputation of this Hanoverian monarch. Highly recommended!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-11-2021
Magnificent
An outstanding read
Exceptionally researched
The very best narrator
I highly recommend this wonderful book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Omar Shubeilat
- 02-03-2023
Must listen if you want to understand George IIJ
The first thing that comes to your mind when George III is mentioned is his mental illness! but after listening to this book you'll realise there is so much more truth to it, and labelling George III as the mad king, or the autocratic king is simply not fair.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lauren Wilson
- 17-12-2021
Very disappointing
I am extremely disappointed in this audiobook.Sadly,looking forward to the full history,it became boring,and,irritating with an average narration.
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