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  • A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

  • By: Terry Deary
  • Narrated by: Toby Longworth
  • Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (7 ratings)

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A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

By: Terry Deary
Narrated by: Toby Longworth
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

A ridiculously funny history of Britain for adults from the multimillion-copy bestselling author of the
Horrible Histories, perfect for fans of Unruly by David Mitchell.

Ah, Britain. So special. The greatest nation on earth, some say. And we did it all on our own. Didn’t we?

As it happens Britannia got its name from the Romans, and for the past two centuries we have been ruled by Germans. As Horrible Histories author Terry Deary argues, nations and their leaders are defined by the enemies they make.

- Elizabeth I would count as a minor royal without the Spanish Armada
- Without the Nazis, Churchill would be remembered as an opposition windbag
- The surprisingly sadistic Boudica would be forgotten if it weren't for the Roman Ninth Legion


And after all, every nation sometimes needs a bit of unifying Blitz spirit (although in an ideal world, we wouldn’t have accidentally let Corporal Hitler go in the first place).

The British have a proud history of choosing their enemies, from the Romans to the Germans. You might even say those enemies made Britain what it is today...

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is a witty, whistlestop tour of British history that will have you laughing as you find out what they didn't teach you in school.

'If you could take just one history book to a desert island, this would be it. Laugh out loud funny... Pure joy'
Conn Iggulden

'Ram-packed with mind-blowing facts, hilarious characters, and little-known tales' Dan Schreiber

'Playful, cheeky, and very clever, this is a book for anyone who ever wished there was a Horrible Histories for grown-ups' Kate Lister

©2024 Terry Deary (P)2024 Penguin Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
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What listeners say about A History of Britain in Ten Enemies

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Shallow and superficial.

Firstly don’t be fooled, not particularly funny. Second, it is suffused with shallow analysis and biased evidence based on such cheap techniques as quote mining. It ignores any genuine complexity in favour of asserting its particular bias and totally fails to ask, let alone answer why. Finally it completely fails to put itself into the position of all involved in the times described.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Mildly entertaining.

Once you get over the author’s political bias, this is a nice synopsis of English history. The only downside to the audio book was the reader. The comedic timing just wasn’t there. At times it was painful to listen to. Next time, choose someone who can a least effectively tell a joke.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Preechy rather than entertaining

Some interesting lesser known stories. However, there is a thinly veiled agenda throughout the book which is made oh so clear in the ranting epilogue with the author clearly wanting a soapbox to preach to anyone who doesn't agree with his worldview.

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