I had very high hopes for this book based on reviews, however, I was extremely disappointed within the first 3 chapters. The book is poorly edited (several sentences and half sentences repeated in just the first chapters); the author switches tenses often and inconsistently; and, it is difficult to tell when the author takes liberty with filling in the gaps of the story. I recently read Nathaniel Philbrick's "Valiant Ambition" which I found to be much better written. I abandoned this book and took all the other Killing ..." series books off my to-be-read list. There are many good books about the American Revolution such as the Philbrick book, "George Washington's Secret Six" by Brian Kilmeade, and the little-known "Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution Through British Eyes" by Christopher Hibbert. I just could not continue reading "Killing England" knowing that there are so many other great authors that can tell the stories. I think Simon Winchester and Nathaniel Philbrick have spoiled me. ( )

With all the candidness I can muster I will say that O'Reilly outdoes even the tabloids in sensationalizing events near and afar. That said though, 'Killing England' is a rare exception in the O'Reilly world of sensationalism due to the fact that he's laced it with enough facts to knock out a whole Redcoat Army and that is saying something.

The whole drive in this particular book seems to be towards exonerating the founding fathers of many of the unjust (and here I offer no opposition) charges levelled against them regarding slavery. O'Reilly furnishes enough historical evidence to winningly argue that the patriot core (headed by Washington) did indeed aim to dismantle slavery as they perceived themselves as being no different to the enslaved blacks with regards to their status in English eyes; but were ultimately betrayed by the times with the idea being too radical and their republic being too adolescent to withstand such a trenchant challenge to the senses. And herein lies the book's success, O'Reilly successfully exposes the often contradictory dimensions of larger than life historic figures to humanize them and showcase that they were no different to us in nature and temperament.

But outside facts, 'Killing England' does not really have much going for it. Its sensationalism makes it worthy of being crowned king at the local tabloid press awards. When you have such crisscrossing between fiction and fact, you expect a paparazzi to jump out at every second page. Overall, some facts in 'Killing England' but otherwise the title should be enough to exhibit its red-pilling nature. Three stars because its tabloid nature costs it a first place. ( )

I LOVED this book.
Some of the parts in my opinion could have been written better, but Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard did a fantastic job in putting this book together.
There aren’t enough books that focus on both sides of the American Revolution, and O’Reilly and Dugard do a great job in making all of the information make sense. ( )

Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard have written a 'popular" book outlining the American Revolution. We follow George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and others on the battlefield and off. Special commentary is made about the actions of Benedict Arnold, King George III and the Marquis de Lafayette. If you're looking for an easy-to-read (or listen to) book about theAmerican Revolution, "Killing England" will serve nicely ( )

Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard have written another history in their Killing series, this time on the American Revolution. In a book that reads more like a novel than a history, the story begins with George Washington in the French and Indian War and ends with Washington taking the oath as the first president of the United States with a postscript of what happened to various persons after the war. In between are all the battles and personalities of the revolution on both sides.

First, I must note that this is not a scholarly book in any way. The footnotes provided are just explanations of the text. Quotes are not acknowledged. There is a list of sources but precious few books are listed and there is no indication where that material is used. The index is excellent as well as the many maps detailing battles and skirmishes but the legend for each of the maps in on a separate page in the front of the book, making it more difficult to use.

This is a good introduction to the American Revolution but it cannot substitute for a good scholarly account of the event. ( )