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A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

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A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

By: Terry Deary
Narrated by: Toby Longworth
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A ridiculously funny history of Britain for adults from the multimillion-copy bestselling author of the
Horrible Histories, perfect for fans of Unruly by David Mitchell.

Ah, Britain. So special. The greatest nation on earth, some say. And we did it all on our own. Didn’t we?

As it happens Britannia got its name from the Romans, and for the past two centuries we have been ruled by Germans. As Horrible Histories author Terry Deary argues, nations and their leaders are defined by the enemies they make.

- Elizabeth I would count as a minor royal without the Spanish Armada
- Without the Nazis, Churchill would be remembered as an opposition windbag
- The surprisingly sadistic Boudica would be forgotten if it weren't for the Roman Ninth Legion


And after all, every nation sometimes needs a bit of unifying Blitz spirit (although in an ideal world, we wouldn’t have accidentally let Corporal Hitler go in the first place).

The British have a proud history of choosing their enemies, from the Romans to the Germans. You might even say those enemies made Britain what it is today...

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is a witty, whistlestop tour of British history that will have you laughing as you find out what they didn't teach you in school.

'If you could take just one history book to a desert island, this would be it. Laugh out loud funny... Pure joy'
Conn Iggulden

'Ram-packed with mind-blowing facts, hilarious characters, and little-known tales' Dan Schreiber

'Playful, cheeky, and very clever, this is a book for anyone who ever wished there was a Horrible Histories for grown-ups' Kate Lister

©2024 Terry Deary (P)2024 Penguin Audio
Civilization Great Britain Military World Funny Witty Imperialism Royalty Winston Churchill War
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What listeners say about A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The guy’s not a fan …

This book can be quite comic at times, but usually in a pretty juvenile way that means you can see the “puns” coming a mile away. Historically, it is probably fairly accurate (I’m no historian so can’t make a claim) but, like all history, it is written with a certain perspective - sadly this one is the perspective of someone who dislikes the British, and positively hates the English. Never a chance is missed to degrade the achievements of the British, nor one to extol the virtues of any enemy. Basically my advise is that the buyer should beware - if you too hate the English, then this is the author for you. Choose wisely.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Don’t except to learn much

This book is intended to introduce people to important periods of British history, so those with even a mediocre knowledge would be disappointed. What was distracting to the point of irritation is that Deary wastes no opportunity to push a certain anti-British agenda. Sometimes this is justified, but other times not. In fact, most of the time it comes across as though nothing Britain has ever done is of any merit. If he does depart by saying something positive it’s said so begrudgingly or is downplayed. Yes, I know he enjoys subverting the typical narrative we’re told at school (which is why I bought the book), but this is different. In the epilogue, rather than encourage newcomers to these shores to embrace shared British values. It’s something that ought to be discouraged or at the very least we should welcome the dilution of these values.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Preechy rather than entertaining

Some interesting lesser known stories. However, there is a thinly veiled agenda throughout the book which is made oh so clear in the ranting epilogue with the author clearly wanting a soapbox to preach to anyone who doesn't agree with his worldview.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Shallow and superficial.

Firstly don’t be fooled, not particularly funny. Second, it is suffused with shallow analysis and biased evidence based on such cheap techniques as quote mining. It ignores any genuine complexity in favour of asserting its particular bias and totally fails to ask, let alone answer why. Finally it completely fails to put itself into the position of all involved in the times described.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Mildly entertaining.

Once you get over the author’s political bias, this is a nice synopsis of English history. The only downside to the audio book was the reader. The comedic timing just wasn’t there. At times it was painful to listen to. Next time, choose someone who can a least effectively tell a joke.

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    1 out of 5 stars

A childish political treatise hidden in a history book.

I pre-ordered this book with exciting but DNF. An excellent concept made unbearable by a snooty, holier than thou writing style. Only book I read this year that was truly difficult to tolerate.

Reads like someone writing a history about a country they hate and trying to hide it poorly.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great British History Lesson with added dry humour

A lovely listen, educational and full of dry British humour with a few new angle’s revealed on the major events in British history

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    1 out of 5 stars

Basic factual errors spoil what could have been…

Basic factual errors spoil what could have been a lighthearted walk through British history.

There are several, but the most egregious and the moment that really took me out of the book was the repeated statement that James II was Charles II’s son rather than his brother. This really is basic stuff.

I grew up on Terry Deary - his Horrible History books fuelled my love of history. For that I’ll always be grateful, but this was a disappointment.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Great book, it’s shows how stupid our history is. It shows that we haven’t changed after all these years and that we should be better. Great humour and a powerful message at the end. Brilliant Narrator I have listened to many of the books he has read. 5 out of 5.

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