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The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Andrew Roberts (Author), Phillipe Stevens (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
Editors' pick Best History
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The last king of America, George III, has been ridiculed as a complete disaster who frittered away the colonies and went mad in his old age. The truth is much more nuanced and fascinating - and will completely change the way listeners and historians view his reign and legacy.

Most Americans dismiss George III as a buffoon - a heartless and terrible monarch with few, if any, redeeming qualities. The best-known modern interpretation of him is Jonathan Groff's preening, spitting, and pompous take in Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway masterpiece. But this deeply unflattering characterization is rooted in the prejudiced and brilliantly persuasive opinions of 18th-century revolutionaries like Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson, who needed to make the king appear evil in order to achieve their own political aims. After combing through hundreds of thousands of pages of never-before-published correspondence, award-winning historian Andrew Roberts has uncovered the truth: George III was in fact a wise, humane, and even enlightened monarch who was beset by talented enemies, debilitating mental illness, incompetent ministers, and disastrous luck.

In The Last King of America, Roberts paints a deft and nuanced portrait of the much-maligned monarch and outlines his accomplishments, which have been almost universally forgotten. Two hundred and forty-five years after the end of George III's American rule, it is time for Americans to look back on their last king with greater understanding: to see him as he was and to come to terms with the last time they were ruled by a monarch.

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  1. Listening Length
    36 hours and 2 minutes
  2. Author
    Andrew Roberts
  3. Narrator
    Phillipe Stevens
  4. Audible release date
    November 9, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B09BH2WR38
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 36 hours and 2 minutes
Author Andrew Roberts
Narrator Phillipe Stevens
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date November 09, 2021
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B09BH2WR38
Best Sellers Rank #22,070 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#22 in Biographies of Royalty (Audible Books & Originals)
#28 in Historical British Biographies
#40 in Great Britain History (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
930 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They also say it's informative, excellent, and explains its subject matter well. Readers describe the book as interesting and absorbing with fascinating details. They praise the author as a superb historian and say the book provides a good general history of the period. Opinions are mixed on the length, with some finding it long and well-researched, while others say it's too long.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityInformation qualityInterestHistorical accuracyLengthComprehension
36 customers mention "Readability"32 positive4 negative

Customers find the book well-written, easy to read, and worth reading for history buffs. They appreciate the intelligent presentation and magnificent quality of the physical book. Readers also enjoy the narrator's presentation.

"...TLDR; This book is really good and I highly recommend it! It's a big book but this is a big subject so it's fair. READ IT!" Read more

"...I did know that Andrew Roberts is a first-class historian and highly capable writer. (I have read his bios of Churchill and Napoleon.)..." Read more

"...the revisionist theory that George III was an honorable, moral, talented, intelligent, and, ultimately, a great king, and that his madness was the..." Read more

"...George III, as Roberts depicts him, was personally kind, brave, devout, patriotic, and cultured, and he was committed to the British constitution..." Read more

30 customers mention "Information quality"30 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative, interesting, and well-researched. They say it does a good job of explaining its subject matter. Readers also mention it's an eye-opener about King George.

"...It is a massive book as a result but does such a good job of explaining its subject matter that to have it any shorter would be a disservice...." Read more

"...theory that George III was an honorable, moral, talented, intelligent, and, ultimately, a great king, and that his madness was the result of manic-..." Read more

"...writer, and this revisionist biography of King George is another enlightening, enjoyable book from his hands...." Read more

"...It is also an eye-opener about King George in terms of what role he truly played concerning the American Revolution, as opposed to commonly held..." Read more

18 customers mention "Interest"15 positive3 negative

Customers find the book extremely interesting and informative. They say it provides an interesting side of the story that Americans generally aren't provided with. Readers also appreciate the variety of interesting anecdotes and original thoughts on the subject.

"This book is well-written, well-researched, and interesting in many respects. New light is shed on many important issues...." Read more

"...Well-written, well-researched, and a fascinating read." Read more

"...most certainly not an easy or casual read, but it is a treasure trove of fascinating details on one of the most interesting periods in Western..." Read more

"...It definitely provides an interesting side of the story that Americans generally aren’t provided." Read more

11 customers mention "Historical accuracy"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's historical accuracy superb. They say it provides a thorough history of King George III and a good general overview of the period. Readers also mention the book is an attempt to balance the historical record.

"...However, I did know that Andrew Roberts is a first-class historian and highly capable writer. (I have read his bios of Churchill and Napoleon.)..." Read more

"...However, Roberts is a superb historian and even when his work is not his best, it is better than much that is available...." Read more

"...This book about King George III was outstanding. I recommend it most highly." Read more

"...It is also a review of British and world history during his reign. The book reviews the causes and the history of the American Revolution...." Read more

6 customers mention "Length"3 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the length of the book. Some mention it's long and well-researched, while others say it's too long.

"A lengthy, extremely well-written, and fascinating perspective on George III, presenting him in a more favroable light than most survey-level..." Read more

"...Although the middle part of the book (Revolutionary War) seemed a bit overlong, and the latter parts of the king's life slightly truncated, all-in-..." Read more

"...The American Revolution section, however, is long and well-researched...." Read more

"...main problem, and it is not a small one, Is that the book is much, much too long. The length gets in the way of the argument...." Read more

5 customers mention "Comprehension"0 positive5 negative

Customers find the book difficult to understand and overwhelmed by minutiae details. They also say it's confusing.

"...They are also very confusing and often lead to very little that is significant to the author’s thesis...." Read more

"Extremely interesting and informative. At times it was a bit difficult to understand with my limited knowledge of British government and politics,..." Read more

"...I tried multiple times to finish it but was overwhelmed by minutia detail. On and on and on until I lost interest. I get it...." Read more

"...Very dry and way too detailed. Couldn’t finish it." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

JOHONDAR
5.0 out of 5 stars Very eye opening
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2022
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As an American, there are some things that you simply take for granted and one of them was that King George III was a tyrant and an early prototype for Hitler. Even for someone like me who has read a lot of early American history and knew before even buying this book (albeit only vaguely) that there was more to George III than what was common knowledge, it's not an easy prejudice to overcome.

This book is incredibly well researched and highly detailed. It is a massive book as a result but does such a good job of explaining its subject matter that to have it any shorter would be a disservice. While I do have a few nitpicks, I'd like to start by saying that this book really changed the way I look the man who was George III. It's so interesting to see how this great boogeyman of American history/culture had nearly nothing in common with how he is described in any of our founding texts or throughout most of our history. Once his malady starts to become more prominent, you even start to feel genuinely sorry for him and that's not something I expected at all.

The handful of nitpicks I mentioned earlier are these. Before I start, I want to clarify that none of these are significant and don't detract enough to merit removing a star.
1. The terminology. This story takes place almost exclusively in England which has about 1500+ years of hoity toity pomp attached to it so when the book throws out a title such as "First Lord of the Back Closet to the Minister of Finances", it can be a bit difficult to even guess what such a person's duties might be. Though I can't complain much because stopping to explain all of them would probably add another 100 pages to the book's length.

2. I feel the book sometimes goes too far in justifying the King. There are many moments that go like this, "George III was actually a really smart and enlightened monarch you guys, no really he was!" It happens maybe just a bit too often if I'm being honest. Granted, this book's mission is to try to revive the King's historical reputation so I get why they're there but a few of them could probably have been omitted and the message wouldn't have been affected.

TLDR; This book is really good and I highly recommend it! It's a big book but this is a big subject so it's fair. READ IT!
37 people found this helpful
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Gregory A Cook
5.0 out of 5 stars Roberts Excels Once Again
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2024
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I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, having been fed the same diet of anti-George propaganda as most Americans. However, I did know that Andrew Roberts is a first-class historian and highly capable writer. (I have read his bios of Churchill and Napoleon.) In his telling, George comes across as a thoroughly decent man, effective and patriotic monarch, and tragic figure. (My low opinion of Thomas Jefferson was only solidified.) Although the middle part of the book (Revolutionary War) seemed a bit overlong, and the latter parts of the king's life slightly truncated, all-in-all this is a superb and even-handed book. History lovers take note.
4 people found this helpful
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Clipper
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but unnecessarily long
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2022
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This book is well-written, well-researched, and interesting in many respects. New light is shed on many important issues.

For much of the book, I did have some trouble accepting the revisionist theory that George III was an honorable, moral, talented, intelligent, and, ultimately, a great king, and that his madness was the result of manic-depression rather than porphyria. But when I finally got to the lengthy, and brilliantly argued conclusion, I was persuaded on both points.

My main problem, and it is not a small one, Is that the book is much, much too long. The length gets in the way of the argument. The author feels obliged to get into the most minute details of 18th century parliamentary politics which, frankly, are just not that interesting. They are also very confusing and often lead to very little that is significant to the author’s thesis. Because so much time is spent on so many not very memorable personages (many of whom confusingly go by the same or similar titles), not enough time is spent developing the main characters. I did not feel the need to know so much about the various Grenvilles, Grevilles, Portlands, Pelhams, Shelburnes, Halifaxes, Graftons, etc.,etc., whose names, let alone characters, are frankly very hard to keep straight.

Still, overall, this book is well worth the slog.
28 people found this helpful
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Lexington Green
5.0 out of 5 stars George III, The Last King of America
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2021
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Andrew Roberts is a reliably good writer, and this revisionist biography of King George is another enlightening, enjoyable book from his hands. Americans know King George as the villain of the drama in the mythical version of our War of Independence. But, as Roberts shows, the would-be tyrant, as depicted in Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, is mostly wartime propaganda. George III, as Roberts depicts him, was personally kind, brave, devout, patriotic, and cultured, and he was committed to the British constitution as he understood it. He was not, and did not want to be, a tyrant. But, as a ruler, it is the result of his policies more than his personal character or intentions which matters, and George gets mixed marks. He was unable to see a creative solution to the rising strength and autonomy of the North American colonies. Nonetheless, the King bears only part of the blame for this. None of his government ministers were able to find a political solution short of war, either. George was stubborn, and this probably served Britain poorly when persevering in the American conflict. But his perseverance served his country well in its long struggle with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, which was truly a war for national survival. This fundamentally decent and well-intentioned man endured many years of war, a pack of wretched children, as well as public vilification, much of it unfair and undeserved. These burdens no doubt contributed to the mental illness which eventually consumed him, and it is touching and sad to read about the disintegration of a man we come to know across the chapters of this beautifully executed book. I bought this book less because of any interest in the subject, but out of certainty that any book by Roberts, who is at the peak of his powers, would be good. I found the life of George III to be of greater interest than I expected, and the talents of the author to be every bit as good as I knew they would be. Highly recommended.
25 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

sally soan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2024
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Exactly as described
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Anna
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
Reviewed in Italy on February 18, 2022
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The figure of King George III always interested me, I read some articles about how misunderstood he was and with this book I was able to learn so much. I devoured every page and couldn't take my eyes off the book, beautifully written and mesmerizing.
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Andrew Desmond
5.0 out of 5 stars Rewarding Insights
Reviewed in Australia on September 25, 2022
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“The Last King of America” is what I call a commitment book. It’s lengthy and, at times, complex. However, it is also very rewarding. It provides a different insight to the reign and character of George III. This much maligned king was an intriguing man and certainly not the buffoon or tyrant that many Americans would have you believe.

Andrew Roberts has written a fascinating book. George was no tyrant. In addition, America was inevitably going to seek its own road to the future. The country would simply not be constrained. Also, forget any ideas of taxation without representation. America was only lightly taxed and the Boston Tea Party was more about the interests of smugglers and merchants than any issue around taxation. Most history books would suggest otherwise. Most history books would be incorrect.

George Washington was an extraordinary figure in history. He is rightly venerated. But this does not mean he was without flaws. Significantly, he did not stand against slavery. In fact, in 1783 he sought to reclaim slaves freed by the British. History rarely mentions this point.

Nonetheless, George did have serious bouts of insanity. He was almost certainly bi-polar. This was a great tragedy for the monarch and his family. Nonetheless, it had nothing to do with the loss of the American colonies.

Overall, “The Last King of America” is a rewarding read especially to the reader seeking new and different interpretations of common historical perspectives. Andrew Roberts has made a mighty contribution to our understanding of an epochal time in history.
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