The Longest Afternoon: The 400 Men Who Decided the Battle of Waterloo Audiobook

Quotes

• “Simms’ fluent and meticulously researched narrative…provides enough context to engage not only specialists but also readers unfamiliar with the broader historical background.”

  — Wall Street Journal

• “Simms tells the story of the combat for La Haye Sainte with the rich, gritty, eyewitness detail that it deserves…[and] offers a reminder that Waterloo was not fought just between the British and French but was very much a European battle.”

  — New York Times Book Review

• “Superb…microhistory at its best.”

  — Washington Post

• “Told in clear, concise, and colorful prose. The rich details and Simms’ ability to breathe life into primary source documents make this an exceptional war story.”

  — Roanoke Times

• “Through his clever ability to entwine first-person accounting with historical narrative…the book reads as a minute-by-minute eyewitness accounting…The greatest attraction of this book is its ability to tell the story of the battle in a very realistic sense…The reader is drawn into the history and given insight to feel the accountings in a very real and pragmatic fashion.”

  — Military Review

• “Simms recounts the fight from a fresh angle, delivering a thoroughly satisfying addition to a vast genre…Aided by a surprising number of letters, memoirs, and commentaries from participants, Simms writes a vivid account even readers familiar with Waterloo should not pass up.”

  — Military History

• “There are times when a relatively small number of men can make a difference…This thoroughly engrossing account will thrill all history lovers.”

  — Library Journal (starred review)

• Simms takes advantage of abundant letters and memoirs to deliver an engrossing, often gruesome nuts-and-bolts description of that afternoon.

  — Kirkus