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47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fresh Look at the First World War, November 7, 2006
There have been a number of brilliant books written on the subject of what should have been known in history as the true First World War, or as we know it, the French & Indian War or Seven Years War. THE FRENCH & INDIAN WAR: DECIDING THE FATE OF NORTH AMERICA, by Walter Borneman may never reach the apex of that list, but it is indeed a fine work worthy of being in a class with Francis Parkman or Fred Anderson. Borneman brings a fresh writing style to the old subject that is a true joy to read.
The book does have a few slight knocks against it. I thought the introduction leading up to the war should have been more deeply explored than the brief narrative of the first two chapters. The circumstances pushing towards the world war could have easily taken several hundred pages by itself, but Borneman, in this work, seeks a rather brief 300 page account of the war and, given that limitation, does an incredible job.
The Third Chapter introduces the reader to Ben Franklin and his Albany Plan in as good a dissertation as I have read on the subject. The book contains sparse maps, but what is there is worthy of high praise as well as giving good explanation of troop movements, detail, dates and conditions on conflicts such as Braddock's defeat and Ticonderoga. Mid way through the book you will find eight pages of magnificent pencil drawings, several I don't recall ever seeing before.
Borneman concludes his work with twenty five pages of notes and a brief bibliography. Brevity is, at once, a slight for this book, but it also accomplishes what I believe to have been Borneman's intention; to present a comprehensive study of the French and Indian War in a compact reader. To that end, Borneman succeeds in magnificent fashion. Overall, I was very pleased with this book.
Monty Rainey
Junto Society
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Misnamed War, March 3, 2007
The French and Indian War names the two losers in this war. From this war the victorious kingdom of Great Britain became the British Empire. We usually think of Braddock's march towards Fort Duquesne and Wolfe attacking Montcalm at Quebec during this war. However, there is also John Bradstreet's attack on Fort Frontenac on the shores of Lake Ontario, the battles in the Lake George and Lake Champlain area of New York state, the battles for Fort Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, along with numerous other conflicts that made up what was known as the Seven Years War in Europe which really lasted nine years. One definite strength of this book is the many maps which were placed in the appropriate chapters to illustrate exactly where the events took place. The lack of such maps in other books I've read on various subjects has been frustrating. The real losers in this war, of course, were the Native Americans. Regardless of which side won the war they would lose their land. England's victory in this war lit the spark for the American Revolution to follow, and it was the defeated France that assisted America to defeat England in America's revolution. Former Harvard historian Samuel Eliot Morison called the French and Indian War the first World War. It was, indeed, global in nature. The fate of William Pitt, Jeffery Amherst, Robert Rogers, Chief Pontiac, and other key participants is also covered. The book is 308 pages long, and there are a lot of names to keep track of. My knowledge of this war and its importance to future events in America were definitely increased with this reading. Stick with it to the end. It is worth it.
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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another "just right" historical narrative, January 8, 2007
If you google Walter R. Borneman, you will find not just a writer of history books, but a lawyer managing a substantial trust benefiting medical research, and also a mountaineer who has climbed all of Colorado's fourteeners and co-authored books on the subject. I cannot help but think that this background contributes to both the efficiency and the meticulous attention to detail and accuracy found in his recent books ("1812" and "French and Indian War"). This is not to say that his writing is not pleasing; it flows rationally and provides eminently pleasurable reading.
As work limits my pleasure reading, I am quite selective in choosing my material. In less than 400 pages Borneman has provided a complete, yet readable account of the global conflict referred to as the "French and Indian" war. I find most history books deficient in illustrations and maps, and I would like to have seen a few more here, but I managed by book marking the maps as to return to them easily as I read.
If you need a long tome to fill idle hours, they are out there. However, if you need a pleasurable, informative narrative history of the French and Indian war that is complete but can be finished in a reasonable interval, you should read this book.
Borneman has bracketed the American Revolution with his last two books. It would be kind of him to fill this gap someday.
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