Impressive detail and sensitivity

Hastings is a great wartime storyteller. He shows admirable balance and qualifies his opinions with cautions, and as far as I can tell, full disclosure of his preconceptions and assumptions.

The narrator is very good, with the sad exception of his Australians who all sound like intoxicated cockneys - including the diplomats.

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4 people found this helpful

Amazing

One of the best and most comprehensive historical warfare accounts ever written. Fantastically written and a beautiful listen.

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Tells a Story Largely Ignored

Although this book is not new, itstill tells a very relevant story about world politics and the situation the United States found itself in during the vacuum that followed WW2. It explains a complicated and uncertain terms without indictement or bias. I found it excellent.

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Brilliant

I absolutely loved this book. If you don't much about the Korean war, you will be an expert by the end of it. Brilliantly read and expertly researched, it is a very detailed account of a War which isn't often spoken about. In my opinion, this is a better book then Max Hastings other book "Overlord", although that is very good too.

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Korea

A military historian at the top of his game supplimented by the right narrator for the task .Bravo

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Great narrative history. Shame about the accents.

Hastings ability to pull together the complex threads of world history is first class. This is very good introduction to a formative event of the Cold War and essential for an understanding of what was to happen in Vietnam. My only complaint is the narrator’s use of accents. The Chinese and Korean are comical and close to racism. The Australian soldiers sound like cockneys. The Australian conservative foreign minister would have talked like an upperclass Englishman.

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Great overview of Korean War

Great for getting a clear understanding of exactly what happened. Covered at all levels highly recommended.

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A nationalist fight viewed as a ideological war

Great expose of a not well remembered conflict of the twentieth century. Max Hastings has captured the fox hole to the presidency and back again aspects of the combat and challenges of the Korean War. His discussion on MacArthurs brilliance and foibles is one of the more interesting components of the book, especially in light of Samuel Huntington’s view on the role of the soldier in politics written around the time of the war.
However the most poignant theme throughout the book is the view that Korea was a war against communism rather a war for national unity between two authoritarian states. One strong with reluctant backers the other extremely weak with the full backing of the world’s capitalist power, America. This thread throughout the book speaks to the most telling narrative of the war from the fox hole to the White House unmistakable tone of good versus subtle political evil is ever present.
It is through this thematic lens that readers/listeners should consider the war’s enduring lessons as the twenty first century shapes up for a similar ideological show down. A showdown that may mask the underlying reasons for tension and possibly conflict.

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Should be subtitled the Definitive History of...

This was my first foray into Max Hastings books. Have been listening to this over the past 2 weeks and enjoyed it immensely. I studied history at school and did a module on the Korean War. This book seems to do everything we were taught to do. write both sides of the story, acknowledge sources and note their veracity. If you want a fair well balanced overview of the Korean Conflict, I would reccomend this 100%.

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History at it's best.

Excellent performance and excellently written history of the Korean War. Thank god MacArthur was given the boot!

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