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titus_hjelm's review against another edition
2.0
Has anyone ever asked if dynastic history really is the only approach the so-called trade audience is interested in reading? This History of Britain is 98% kings and queens with only a stray line dedicated to the mass of the people populating the British isles. There’s nothing wrong with the prose as such—if the royal approach is your cup of tea—but somehow I imagined that 20 years into 21st century even popular historians would recognise the limits of this kind of elite history. Overall, this doesn’t feel like a very ambitious project at all, somewhat surprisingly, from Schama.
odbasford's review against another edition
3.0
I certainly love Schama’s voice, but the book begins with way too much sauce and mid-way dries right up—the last hundred pages is a slog of names and places with little connective tissue. I am very interested in the topic (my ancestry lies somewhere between the Welsh and Normans) and appreciated the survey of every monarch from Alfred onwards. Unfortunately, I feel like the chapters tended to lose their themes in the details, while simultaneously leaving out large swaths of historical topics. I hadn’t intended on reading the rest of the series and I’m even less inclined nuts!
peterthomazin's review against another edition
3.0
Simon Schama has a very particular style of writing, which is pretty casual and light for a historian. His insights are not always the accepted ones you may have come across before. All this makes for an interesting read. What I found more difficult to get used to was the tendency to focus on specific topics with a great deal of the surrounding events by contrast out of focus. I can't help but believe this makes for a good television script and a slightly odd book. Enjoyable though.
allthebookblognamesaretaken's review against another edition
4.0
Though I found I already knew the majority of the information in this book, there's something comforting about that, like you're visiting with an old friend or friends you haven't talked to in a while. A nice refresher when it's easy to mix up all those Henrys and Edwards.
That being said, sometimes the author's transitions were terrible and you scarcely knew one monarch had died and you're suddenly reading about another.
That being said, sometimes the author's transitions were terrible and you scarcely knew one monarch had died and you're suddenly reading about another.
emmybooks1703's review against another edition
4.0
A really interesting overview. Would have been nice to have more Scottish and Welsh history as its predominantly about England.
I lost track a bit in the latter stages of the book as there was lists and lists of kings and queens to keep track of.
I lost track a bit in the latter stages of the book as there was lists and lists of kings and queens to keep track of.
estherscholes's review against another edition
5.0
I love a great history overview as each one focuses on slightly different things and I always forget certain elements and get fascinated all over again when I rediscover them!
Good pace, good writing, good insights.
Good pace, good writing, good insights.
laura_read_that's review against another edition
2.0
Questionable sources, almost exclusively secondary, none of which were cited in the text. Several big events were skipped entirely, such as the War of the Roses. Gossip and theories are repeated as fact. It's single redeeming quality is its readability. Though it should not be anyone's sole source of English history, it's a relatively quick and enjoyable read.
dragon7's review against another edition
3.0
One of multiple takes on British history. I haven't settled on Schama's writing yet.