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The Making of Oliver Cromwell
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
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The Making of Oliver Cromwell
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Summary
The first volume in a pioneering account of Oliver Cromwell - providing a major new interpretation of one of the greatest figures in history.
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) - the only English commoner to become the overall head of state - is one of the great figures of history, but his character was very complex. He was at once courageous and devout, devious and self-serving; as a parliamentarian, he was devoted to his cause; as a soldier, he was ruthless. Cromwell's speeches and writings surpass in quantity those of any other ruler of England before Victoria, and, for those seeking to understand him, he has usually been taken at his word.
In this remarkable new work, Ronald Hutton untangles the facts from the fiction. Cromwell, pursuing his devotion to God and cementing his Puritan support base, quickly transformed from obscure provincial to military victor. At the end of the first English Civil War, he was poised to take power. Hutton reveals a man who was both genuine in his faith and deliberate in his dishonesty - and uncovers the inner workings of the man who has puzzled biographers for centuries.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- waterloo
- 27-11-23
Lots of details and dates
A good overall book about the man covering his personal, political and military life as well as a good general history of the English Civil War ..
Worth a listen to if you want a general introduction to the period .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 28-07-23
A little fry butfry but Excellent
I found this book to be full of interesting facts and well researched detail. The narration was a little monotone, but an achievement with the level of detail that needed to be put across. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-03-22
Very Good
Hutton has a great style, I found the book most interesting when describing Cromwell's life off the battlefield.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- shane vearer
- 14-06-24
that he was christen
Good history good to know true history there is a Abbey near me and Crowell hump were he put the connans
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- William Hardie
- 15-01-23
Interesting but not too deep.
Overall I enjoyed the book. I was a little disappointed in that at the end I still knew very little about what made Cromwell tick. I had hoped for more about the influences and writing of Cromwell. I think the conversation of Cromwell to Christianity and the puritans could have been probed a lot more as clearly they were key in making Cromwell. Nevertheless I did get a flavour of the factions in parliament and how the civil war went in regards to Cromwell.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dirk Daring
- 10-01-22
Extremely informative and exciting
From only knowing of Cromwell in a film adaptation of the English civil war, it was great to find out how it all started and his role in it. The final battles were excellently read as to build up the excitement and drama.
Well worth a listen, one can only imagine how much work these writers and historians put in for our enjoyment.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 27-02-22
interesting but...
very stiff narration for me. Detail is amazing but I am not really the person for this level of historical detail of fighting forces but I appreciate it will suit some.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Alan eastwood
- 11-07-23
Excellent novel.
Gripping. Fact filled novel, highly
Recommended, Hard to put down. A bargain book. Excellent read.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- C. P. Lowe
- 19-12-21
Subject that polarizes
Problem with Cromwell is that you can view him as a mean murderous religious zealot or a guy operating in the context of his time who at the end of the day brought parliamentary democracy to England - which was one hell of an achievement for an obscure bloke from East Anglia. I tend to lean slightly towards the latter. The author clearly strongly to the former. So it has an element of another Cromwell bashing tome about it. That said the performance is good and it is worth a listen. The only broadly balanced book either way that I have read on Cromwell is the Antonia Fraser one, and ironically she is a Jesuit.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- M W Gibbs
- 15-02-22
Everything a history book should be
As a non-historian who realised I know very little about the Civil War and only the bare bones of the biography of Oliver Cromwell - largely shaped by Ricard Harris’s magnificent performance in the film - this book was a very enjoyable revelation. It has the added benefit for the non-historian of always placing the events and characters into the context of Britain at that time.
Professor Hutton paints a picture of Cromwell’s early and unremarkable beginnings up to the point where he becomes one of the dominant figures of the Parliamentarian army and politics. But this is no hagiography because he genuinely paints Cromwell “warts and all”.
Like all good books this volume has a cliffhanger ending even if we do know what happens next. Being a reader of a certain age I just hope that it’s not too long before Professor Hutton publishes the next volume.
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2 people found this helpful