The French and Indian War

Deciding the Fate of North America

De: Walter R. Borneman

Narrado por: Jonathan Yen

In the summer of 1754, deep in the wilderness of western Pennsylvania, a very young George Washington suffered his first military defeat, and a centuries-old feud between Great Britain and France was rekindled. The war that followed would be fought across virgin territories, from Nova Scotia to the forks of the Ohio River, and it would ultimately decide the fate of the entire North American continent—not just for Great Britain and France but also for the Spanish and Native American populations.

Noted historian Walter R. Borneman brings to life an epic struggle for a continent—what Samuel Eliot Morison called "truly the first world war"—and emphasizes how the seeds of discord sown in its aftermath would take root and blossom into the American Revolution.

©2006 Walter R. Borneman (P)2023 Tantor

What a like in a lesser known history book

Book was well done. They hit all parts of the prewar, the war itself, and post war. They don't get bogged down in unnecessary parts and the author makes a good point showing the global aspects to the conflict. Plus had a nice hat tip to last of the mohicans! Recommended for a history person.

Great overview.

No mention of the role of the East India company. A large proportion of English members of Parliament own stock in this enterprise. The tea chests floating in Boston harbor prompted an overreaction that cost the King a huge kingdom.

Thorough history of the French and Indian War

This book discusses events that led up to the war and events after the war. The book describes military actions in great detail. I liked the author’s editorial interjections, which were often amusing. The narrator did a great job. He spoke clearly and added appropriate voice inflections.

Outstanding Survey of French & Indian War

Not exhaustive nor encyclopedic but it does include discussion of contemporaneous debates and happenings in both London and Paris (and Prussia, Austria, Russia and Spain, India, Phillipines, Sumatra, Caribbean amongst the most notable). Author makes the compelling argument that the Senen Years War, as it was known everywhere else, was the first world war. In most respects the war in America became a sideshow, much like the War for Independence became a generation later. Like all books that are engaging the reader can wish it was longer, more detailed and answered more questions than it raised. The narration was great insofar as it was hardly noticed--no misproununciations, not monotone, but also not histrionic. Nothing to interfere with the readers concentration. Not an introduction, but a very good continuing discussion of the wider issues. For me it was a refresher and whets my apitite for more knowledge.

The details of the history

I liked the book and performance. the readers voice could have been a little smoother and deeper.

Quality content

Bormeman does a very nice job presenting the details of this war from the perspectives of all involved.

I cannot recommend it.

There were two aspects of this book that I did not care for.
The first is the narrator. He should not be a reader for audiobooks. His voice has an annoying, smarmy, nasal quality that is better suited for one of those cheesy ‘World’s Dumbest Criminals’ ‘reality’ TV shows. Or maybe narrating a wrestling match. He doesn’t have the right voice for a serious work of non-fiction. I kept expecting him to make snide comments. His voice detracted from the story.

The other aspect is that the book spends way too much time discussing wars in Europe and the Carribean. Sure, the French and Indian War was part of the larger ‘Seven Years War’, but the title wasn’t ‘The Seven Years War’, it was ‘The French and Indian War’. If I wanted to read about the WWII D-Day landing at Normandy, I wouldn’t expect half the book to be detailing what happened in the Pacific or North Africa.