AUGUST 2014 - AudioFile
Korda’s long, detailed biography of Robert E. Lee, with emphasis on the Civil War years, reveals Lee to be America’s greatest tragic hero. Jack Garrett’s strong voice, expressiveness, and vigorous pacing give his narration energy and hold the listener’s interest. He does well matching his tone to the text’s sense, conveying the book’s sympathy and admiration for Lee while avoiding hero worship or hagiography. He has a slight tendency to read with too much emphasis and emotion—more performance than narration—but doesn’t go far enough to become distracting. Korda’s text and Garrett’s narration provide listeners with a good opportunity to know Lee’s story. W.M. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 04/28/2014
In this exhaustive study, former Simon & Schuster editor-in-chief Korda (Ulysses S. Grant) examines the life of Robert E. Lee from start to finish, illuminating not just the man, but his extended family and the society which produced him. While Korda's treatment verges on hero worship, he explores Lee's qualities and contradictions thoroughly, approaching him first and foremost as a state patriot, loyal to Virginia before any other cause. He further presents Lee as a military genius, a brilliant engineer (Lee re-channeled the Mississippi River near St. Louis), a spiritual descendant of George Washington, an embodiment of Napoleonic tactics, and a living legend in his own time. History has supported most of these claims; Korda backs up the rest with an accessible and authoritative account of Lee's career. Naturally, while Lee's schooling and early service are covered, the bulk of this book is reserved for the events of the Civil War. The size of this tome is intimidating but fitting, given its subject: Lee, the famed American general whose legend still looms long after the end of the Civil War. If not the gold standard for Lee biographies, this is a superbly engaging offering. Agent: Lynn Nesbit, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (May)
From the Publisher
Korda clearly has command of his subject...[Clouds of Glory] is well-considered and amply documented. Military buffs will find much to feast on.” — Christian Science Monitor
“Masterful...Korda delivers the goods.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Superbly engaging.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Monumental.” — BookPage
“Lively, approachable, and captivating…Llike Lee himself, everything about Clouds of Glory is on a grand scale.” — Boston Globe
BookPage
Monumental.
Boston Globe
Lively, approachable, and captivating…Llike Lee himself, everything about Clouds of Glory is on a grand scale.
Christian Science Monitor
Korda clearly has command of his subject...[Clouds of Glory] is well-considered and amply documented. Military buffs will find much to feast on.
AUGUST 2014 - AudioFile
Korda’s long, detailed biography of Robert E. Lee, with emphasis on the Civil War years, reveals Lee to be America’s greatest tragic hero. Jack Garrett’s strong voice, expressiveness, and vigorous pacing give his narration energy and hold the listener’s interest. He does well matching his tone to the text’s sense, conveying the book’s sympathy and admiration for Lee while avoiding hero worship or hagiography. He has a slight tendency to read with too much emphasis and emotion—more performance than narration—but doesn’t go far enough to become distracting. Korda’s text and Garrett’s narration provide listeners with a good opportunity to know Lee’s story. W.M. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2014-03-30
A masterful biography of the beloved Civil War general. Former Simon & Schuster editor in chief and acclaimed biographer Korda (Hero: Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia, 2010) is well-acquainted with heroes of the ages and has learned to present his subjects as true human beings with foibles, faults and failures. Robert E. Lee's (1807-1870) days at West Point showed him to be a master engineer and master of maneuvers, talents borne out in the Mexican-American War and in the making of St. Louis as an important port on the Mississippi River. Those abilities came into play throughout the Civil War, as he built the defenses for Northern Virginia that protected it when all seemed lost. George Washington was Lee's idol, and during his schooling, he discovered the writings of Napoleon, which he applied throughout his life—especially the use of speed, audacity and élan to defeat an army twice the size of his forces. Lee was a member of one of Virginia's oldest families, and his devotion was to his state, family and country, in that order. He felt that secession was unmerited and that slavery should not be extended but be allowed to dwindle away. Korda's clear descriptions of Lee's battles illuminate his closest subordinates, especially Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet, his curious methods of leading and his incredible patience. The author also points out that, as a gentleman, Lee would never raise his voice in anger, and he avoided confrontation and gave his orders as "if practicable"—unfortunately, that became a way out for those who disagreed with his strategies and "knew better." It was Lee who kept the South going as his barefoot army starved and froze but followed him with unqualified devotion. Lee is a man for the ages, and Korda delivers the goods with this heart-wrenching story of the man and his state. Readers with the stamina for long biographies should follow this book with S. G. Gwynne's biography of Stonewall Jackson, Rebel Yell, to publish in September.< BR>★
