Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence (Bill O'Reilly's Killing Series)

Well researched and factual but eminently readable. Keeps you engaged from the first page to the last. Buy this book. You will not be disappointed.

Easy read.Nonetheless thorough and filled with interesting facts that I had Lon since forgotten or never knew in the first place

I enjoy reading the Killing books. I always learn a good deal (even if I do think that I know a lot about the subject. Humm.) Killing England is no exception. I also like the writing style. He and his collaborator keep things simple, breezy even. It makes for a fast read. This is not a textbook!! Some reviewers have noticed this and didn't like it. Folks, there are thousands of books about the American Revolution. If your favorite bit of Revolutionary history did not make it into this one, suck it up. There are plenty of other books. This one is not a seven volume comprehensive history of the period. Instead, this is a popular history, a history that hits the high points. It gives us a feeling for how dire the conditions were for the farm boys who fought and died in the war and how near and unlikely the eventual American victory was. I learned a fair bit, as I always do. I especially enjoyed the parts telling about the Europeans who came across the sea to help us out. I strongly recommend this popular, fast read of a history. These books are fun and informative. And for the more snooty reviewers---don't confuse a popular history with a text book.

Loved the book. Loved the storytelling of nearly 8 years of war, 1776-1783, leading to independence. Facts are brought to life by telling the personal stories of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, King George III, treasonous Benedict Arnold, Alexander Hamilton, John Paul Jones, Cornwallis, and some fascinating lesser known people: German officer and military leader Baron von Seuben and Swamp Fox MariosTake-aways that fascinated me:* The Signing of the Declaration of Independence was signing a death warrant. Men of conviction. Jefferson, an introvert, had the gift to write with total clarify and purpose* Patriots, while less skilled fighters, were defending their home. Fearsome fighters. Risk-takers. More clever when they had to be.* Patriots might have been outnumbered by Loyalists. But Patriots were more passionate about the clause. Support waned with defeats* Human losses due to malnourishment, frigid cold, poor hygiene, and captivity as prisoners of war were greater than battlefield losses* Luck and happenstance played a big part: Washington’s surprise attack crossing the Delaware and used foul weather to advantage despite bitter cold, and capture of Benefit Arnold’s courier with treasonous documents by alert troops* War crimes were committed by both sides but especially by the Red Coats. Namely rape and mass execution of surrendered prisoners* Important role the French played later in the war. The French decided the enemy of my enemy is my friend. They suffered large loss of soldiers and the French Navy played a key role blocking Cornwallis’ escape from Yorktown VA* General George Washington never lost faith. Inspiration to his troops by leading from the front. Authorized the swift and necessary executions of many traitors. He was decisive in command.* At the end of the war, colonial Loyalists paid a heavy price, and most had to leave* Finally, our forefathers all loved women and not always their wives.One detail I thought missing from the storytelling, and never explained: How did the Patriots pay for the war, raise cash to pay soldiers, and buy weapons of war? How were monies raised and where did monies come from?

This is the best of the "killing" books yet. I have read easily a hundred histories, bigraphies, military analyses on the revolutionary years, and this book presents the story in a structurally explanatory manner, getting the salient events across, while placing the players in the realistic human situation they faced. Lot's of telling detail left out of other books, but never is the story lost or sidetracked.In the Patton and Reagan books, O'Reiily advanced interesting and quite defensible historical conjectures, causing concern as he had much data to support them, but not fully conclusive data in my mind, Here, he does none of this, and this is good, as the story is do important it is inappropriate for such distractions.The book is not big enough to cover everything. For example, Arnold's raid up the Androscoggin to attack Montreal is just a few sentences. More weirdly, perhaps to establish the shear range of patriots and the visciusness of the Brits in the war, Frances Marion's efforts in South Carolina merit a good solid enjoyable chapter, while Nathaneal Greene's extremely significant running battles with Cornwallis's main hoard all over the Carolinas gets a mere reference in a sentence.The prose is of very good quality, very simple but pleasurable to read. Clearly this project was purposed to combat the shear historical ignorance we find in the US these days. However, the extremely well read will like this book as well, it is not long but is a great treatment of the important and compelling story of our heritage, Our freedoms that were earned by extreme hardship in blood are now frivoled away as curious anarchisms now, perhaps irretrievable.

Just finishing Killing The Witches (extremely fascinating book) and the author suggests Killing England as a follow-up book...can't wait!

I have read the book previously and bought this copy as a re-read. It arrived with the book binding upside down. I suppose this makes it a true collectors edition. I am keeping it!Jim MullaneyWest Chester, Ohio

This is a terrific read for someone that doesn’t want to get bogged down with way too much information, but still wants a informative look at the revolutionary war. The writing style has great flow and is easily digestible!

Easy reading and enriching in historical facts. I love all the Killing series. Worth reading to learn about the hardships during this patriotic achievement in US history.

I am really enjoying this book! Great details; I really had no idea what a fierce struggle our Revolutionary War was! All the more reason to keep protecting our Union and its principles now! Dan Overmyer,8th generation descendant of Johan Georg Obermoyer, who migrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in 1751, and fought as a militia captain in the war for our independence.

The backbone of the Killing series is right hera. The authors inlighten us with a terrific narrative of the Revolutionary War and the birth of America. 300 and some pages of a fun read.

Das Buch ist eine echte Inspiration. Mr. O'Reilly erzählt, wie die amerikanischen Gründungsväter sich von England meisterhaft getrennt haben, ohne ihren britischen Wurzeln und Kultur zu zerstören. Er bespricht auch das Thema, dass mann die Geschichte entsprechend zu seiner Zeit beurteilen sollte.

I found it easy and interesting to read. It describes the characters involved in and the course of American revolution it just the right amount of detail for me at least