Marina's Reviews > 1776

I'm between 3 and 4 stars for this book. McCullough is thorough in his research, and this book read well. It's what I wish history classes felt like: it was easy to envision myself living out the events described. However, I'm not entirely sure why he chose only to address this single year in the Revolutionary War. While he does indicate that the two battles at the end of the year were "turning points" for the American army, I was hoping he would make a stronger argument for not also addressing the events of 1777 until the end of the war. The closing argument felt a bit weak compared to the strength of the rest of the book, and I was hoping for an ending with a little more "oomph." I should note, though, that it took me a while to finish the book, so the ending may have carried more weight if I had read it in less time.