"Being a compendium of the bestselling The Invasion of Canada and Flames Across the Border," this book describes the War of 1812 from a Canadian point of view. (Pierre Berton is a popular Canadian author and historian.) We invaded Canada, don't you know?
Berton is an excellent storyteller who can interleave the big-picture strategy with vivid narrative detail. He uses only primary sources in his quest to "tell not only what happened but also what it was like;... to picture the war from the viewpoints of private soldiers and civilians as well as from those of generals and politicians." The book includes plenty of excellent maps too. The battles start to seem repetitive in the later stages of the war, as the combatants took and retook the same ground. As Berton says, "In all this [fighting at Fort Erie] there is a weary sense of deja vu."
The fact that I knew next to nothing about the war helped maintain the suspense about the outcome of battles. The occasional reference to the war Britain was fighting in Europe at the time reminded me that the action here was happening at the same time as the action in War and Peace; and one of the incidents sparking the war happened on a ship (Leopard) formerly commanded by the fictional Jack Aubrey. These cross-references were fun to notice.
Entertaining and informative. A perfect choice from browsing in Toronto bookstores.
Berton is an excellent storyteller who can interleave the big-picture strategy with vivid narrative detail. He uses only primary sources in his quest to "tell not only what happened but also what it was like;... to picture the war from the viewpoints of private soldiers and civilians as well as from those of generals and politicians." The book includes plenty of excellent maps too. The battles start to seem repetitive in the later stages of the war, as the combatants took and retook the same ground. As Berton says, "In all this [fighting at Fort Erie] there is a weary sense of deja vu."
The fact that I knew next to nothing about the war helped maintain the suspense about the outcome of battles. The occasional reference to the war Britain was fighting in Europe at the time reminded me that the action here was happening at the same time as the action in War and Peace; and one of the incidents sparking the war happened on a ship (Leopard) formerly commanded by the fictional Jack Aubrey. These cross-references were fun to notice.
Entertaining and informative. A perfect choice from browsing in Toronto bookstores.
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