Well researched and read story

a very good narator helped deliver this excellent biography. I hadnt realised how important Wilberforce is and how hard abolision had been to achieve.

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An informative biography of a great man

I chose this book because I had enjoyed William Hague's excellent biography of William Pitt the Younger. I would rate that narrative a bit higher than the Wilberforce book mainly because of the amount of religious piety that has inevitably to be described to understand the man and his motivations. The final abolition of slavery is a lasting testament to his indefatigable campaigning against the terrible trade. I hadn't realized that it took most of his long parliamentary life to achieve this against diehard supporters of the inhumane practice. While most of the book is taken up with Wilberforce's involvement in promoting anti-slavery legislation, the author places this against the history of the time with wars in Europe and the crisis in the monarchy at the time of the accession of George IV and his battle with the wife he detested. That particular chapter is particularly lively.
I came away from the book feeling horror at the unspeakable cruelty to slaves torn from their homes in Africa starting with the nightmare sea voyage and the sheer hypocrisy of supporters of the trade who professed to be Christians.

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12 people found this helpful

Authoritative, colourful and beautifully evocative

Authoritative, colourful and beautifully evocative of both Wilberforce and the world he inhabited. A worthy companion to Hague's Life of Pitt rhe Younger.

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An inspiring and heart-warming epic.

William Hague's affectionate portrait of William Wilberforce was a delight from beginning to end. The story of Wilberforce's almost life-long campaign for the abolition of the slave trade is an epic tale of one man's strength of character, will, and devotion to a noble cause. Of particular interest to listeners who, like Wilberforce, are believers in the Lord Jesus, is the meticulous charting of Wilberforce's spiritual development and the blossoming of his evangelical Christian faith, as seen from his diaries and the testimony of his friends and enemies alike. Steve Hodson's narration enhanced my enjoyment of the book, adding an infusion feeling and warmth to the text, making one feel as though Hodson is relishing relating the life story of a personal friend. After finishing the book I certainly wished I had known Wilberforce in person.

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4 people found this helpful

What a Giant!!!

This is an excellent listen! It brings to life the huge character of this little, unassuming,but honourable and indomitable man.Of course his Christian faith is necessarily frequently referred to and we see a picture of the real man who battled for decades to see the barbaric cruelty of slavery abolished

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6 people found this helpful

An awesome insight into the life of William Wilberforce

There are times when one is blown away by the life story of an individual. William Hague's tour de force on William Wilberforce, is such a book and should be added to the school curriculum. It not only explains the life story of a rather remarkable individual, but it also gives a real sense of the time that William Wilberforce lived in and, most notably, explores one individuals continuing efforts to stop one of the great crimes of history i.e. the slave trade. The tragedy is, we are still discussing/battling with, the consequences and after-effects of such a pernicious trade/crime. Well-written and totally immersive, this book should be read by us all!

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Interesting listen

There are thousands of years of history that we can learn from, this is just the tinniest part. The story of Wilberforce is interesting and resonates in todays politics. My only small criticism is that I’d have preferred William Hague to narrate it, although the narration was excellent.

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Brilliant Brilliant Book

What a fantastic book. A brilliant study into this great man. Although the slavery issue would clearly be a strong thread throughout, WW was a great man of incredible character. Strangely, even someone with his stature still came under criticism. Are folk never satisfied? It appears not, and has been this way for generations.

Nevertheless, you can only listen (or read) and admire Wilberforce, and wonder if we'll ever see his like again

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Ist. class

This book is so well written: well done William Hague. I can find no fault with it, I was interested from the first page until the last.

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9 people found this helpful

A great recompilation of one of the most extraordinary life’s in history.

This book has inspired and challenge me beyond my expectations. The life story and achievements of William Wilberforce, alongside his legacy, must be passed on from generation to generation, as it has the tools and power to awake the desire for pursuing that which is good and noble.

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