Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution


Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
12
Narrator
6
Release Date
May 2016
Duration
13 hours 19 minutes
Summary
A New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the George Washington Prize

A surprising account of the middle years of the American Revolution and the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold, from the New York Times bestselling author of In The Heart of the Sea, Mayflower, and In the Hurricane's Eye.

'May be one of the greatest what-if books of the age—a volume that turns one of America’s best-known narratives on its head.”—Boston Globe

'Clear and insightful, [Valiant Ambition] consolidates Philbrick's reputation as one of America's foremost practitioners of narrative nonfiction.'—Wall Street Journal

In the second book of his acclaimed American Revolution series, Nathaniel Philbrick turns to the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. In September 1776, the vulnerable Continental army under an unsure George Washington evacuated New York after a devastating defeat by the British army. Three weeks later, one of his favorite generals, Benedict Arnold, miraculously succeeded in postponing the British naval advance down Lake Champlain that might have lost the war. As this book ends, four years later Washington has vanquished his demons, and Arnold has fled to the enemy. America was forced at last to realize that the real threat to its liberties might not come from without but from withinComplex, controversial, and dramatic, Valiant Ambition is a portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation.
Reviews
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Eric Dahlstrom

I didn't know much about the circumstances that led Benedict Arnold to betray his country. This book was a delight to listen to and opened my eyes to the temptations and motivations of a very complex, yet troubled figure in American history. This book would appeal to any history buff, particularly one interested in the American Revolution. The narrator, Scott Brick, is excellent and makes a very good book even more entertaining. If you liked Nathaniel Philbrick's other books, you'll undoubtedly like Valiant Ambition as well.

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Ryan Hill

This book proves that Benedict Arnold is not a traitor and is an enlightenment for people think Arnold is a traitor. Read this book and think again about Benedict Arnold.

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Christopher K.

The book ends without a clear outcome

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LaMarr A.

What a learning experience....and great narration! I don't recall having learned anything about Benedict Arnold other than that he'd been a traitor during the revolutionary war, never realizing that America's creation and survival occurred primarily because of his skills and earlier devotion to the revolutionary cause. And the intertwined story of he and George Washington was vivid. Want to know how thin the tread was between our revolutionary success and failure, read this book! These are the history facts that should be part of our school's history texts. And it shows many similarities between the political elements/tensions in play then tand today's fractured picture.

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