Clouds of Glory

The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee

By: Michael Korda

Narrated by: Jack Garrett

In Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee, Michael Korda, the New York Times best-selling biographer of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ulysses S. Grant, and T. E. Lawrence, has written the first major biography of Lee in nearly 20 years, bringing to life America's greatest and most iconic hero. Korda paints a vivid and admiring portrait of Lee as a general and a devoted family man who, though he disliked slavery and was not in favor of secession, turned down command of the Union army in 1861 because he could not "draw his sword" against his own children, his neighbors, and his beloved Virginia. He was surely America's preeminent military leader, as calm, dignified, and commanding a presence in defeat as he was in victory. Lee's reputation has only grown in the 150 years since the Civil War, and Korda covers in groundbreaking detail all of Lee's battles and traces the making of a great man's undeniable reputation on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, positioning him finally as the symbolic martyr-hero of the Southern Cause.

©2014 Success Research Corporation (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers

GREAT… except for

No translation into English of any of the foreign language phrases that were scattered throughout the book

Nice to meet you Mr R.E. Lee

Very good well written and read great detail and it makes you feel you are there.

good book

wish it would have been more in depth about the war year's, great read all together.

excellent

I did not know much about Lee, the man, and is the reason I listened to this biography. I found it very enlightening and highly recommend it to anyone who has a desire to understand the Confederate Virginian's perspective on the Civil War.

the best of any book on Robert E. Lee

Would you listen to Clouds of Glory again? Why?

I will wait a couple of years and listen again.

What did you like best about this story?

Well known history but written in a way that it seemed like all new information. Classic biographical piece.

What about Jack Garrett’s performance did you like?

Garrett was the right choice for presenting this great historical figure.

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

I was sorry to have the book end.

The Civil War as viewed by a Southern General

This book is an excellent read after listening to "American Ulysses: A life of Ulysses S. Grant" and "William Tecumseh Sherman: In the Service of My Country: A Life". These three generals, and many others, attended West Point and fought in the Mexican War. These experiences shaped their military careers and knowledge of other general officers with whom, and against whom, they would fight in the Civil War. While General Grant and General Sherman got out of the army and pursued a civilian career before the Civil War Robert E. Lee was a Colonel in the U.S. Army until he resigned to take command of the Army of Northern Virginia -- not the Confederate army. This book will give you a better understanding the difficulties facing General Lee as he defended his state of Virginia. A wonderful book.

An extraordinary man, but a mediocre book.

All and all it was a good book, albeit somewhat redundant and disorganized in it's delivery.

Excellent!

Probably the best book there is on General Lee. Worth the listen absolutely, get now

Great history lesson and touching story about Lee.

This audio bio was a great blend of thorough research, objective analysis, and right-on narration. I picked this bio of General Lee because I had just finished Chernow's bio of U.S. Grant (which was moving and mind changing). I was telling a neighbor how I had a new appreciation for Grant;'s achievements and character. My neighbor, born and raised in the south, said she would read the Grant bio if I would read a bio of Lee.....and I'm so glad I have. I think both men were true patriots who fought for honor according to their own deeply held beliefs. ThIs bio of General Lee presents a portrait of a an honorable man who was misused by those who chose succession. I am now looking for an account of why the south believed the only path open to them was succession when they lacked the population size, developed industry, navy, and capital to wage a war for independence. I was deeply saddened by the waste of life and blight on our country caused by the Civil War vividly presented in this bio of Gen. Lee.

Clouds of Glory

this book was well written and informative. performance was good, speaker had a good voice for reading aloud