She is clear and easy to understand with very good inflection. The narration by Nadia May is exceptional (that said, some people do not like her voice -a love it or hate it sort of thing so try the sample). Also, the writing style is brilliant and engaging.

However, this is forgivable as her analysis is interesting, clear, and generally logical. She also indulges her tendency to tangential anecdote including a complete history of the Dutch war of independence from Spain and an in depth review of the careers of many actors going back decades before the events at the center of her book. This leads her to indulge in sweeping statements of human nature and political philosophy which get a little tedious. Tuchman is attracted to the Irrational in Human Affairs and finds much fodder for her interest in the actions of the British during the revolution. It is an excellent and interesting take on the revolution from an interesting perspective. This is Tuchman's history of the American revolution focusing on the naval aspects. It seems that no sooner than I go out and buy a converter to convert my tapes into MP3 than Audible comes out with this -). “ tightly woven narrative, ingeniously structured.Before I start my review I have to say that I have loved the works of Tuchman since Highschool and owned this same work by the same narrator (on audio tape) for years. A persuasive book, which brings us entertaining pictures, scenes and characters.” - Chicago Tribune “Tuchman writes narrative history in the great tradition. It is only part of Tuchman’s genius that she can reconstitute such scenes with so much precision and passion.” - People “Nothing in a novel could be more thrilling than the moment in this glorious history when French soldiers arrive see a tall, familiar figure: George Washington. By turns lyrical and gripping, The First Salute is an exhilarating account of the birth of a nation. She sheds new light on the key role played by the contending navies, paints a magnificent portrait of George Washington, and recounts in riveting detail the decisive campaign of the war at Yorktown. Tuchman places the Revolution in the context of the centuries-long conflicts between England and both France and Holland, demonstrating how the aid to the American colonies of both these nations made the triumph of independence possible. In The First Salute, one of America’s consummate historians crafts a rigorously original view of the American Revolution. Tuchman, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of the classic The Guns of August, turns her sights homeward with this brilliant, insightful narrative of the Revolutionary War.

The first salute tuchman