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zarco_j's review against another edition
1.0
Dry and tedious this managed to make what should be a fascinating subject absolutely boring. It felt like snippets from other history books and gossip magazines strung together.
jayfr's review against another edition
1.0
Dry and tedious this managed to make what should be a fascinating subject absolutely boring. It felt like snippets from other history books and gossip magazines strung together.
historic_chronicles's review
informative
medium-paced
2.0
I began reading this book over the Christmas period and finished it just after the turn of the year, however it has taken me some time to form the words to evaluate my thoughts on this book as sadly I found it quite a disappointing read.
Exploring Christmastime from the medieval era to the present day within the British Monarchy the author leads us through the various royal houses to have been in power throughout British history.
From Henry VIII to Queen Victoria and then on to the late Queen Elizabeth II, the level of research that Archer carried out was commendable in providing historical context.
The inclusion of primary sources in the form of letters and diaries gave a certain level of intimacy to the setting, however, I did find the overall reading experience extremely disjointed with an over-reliance on quotation that at times made for an incredibly dry read.
While I did find some interest in the historical context, I did wish that there was more value placed on the subject of "Christmas" within the book.
Sadly, this was not the book for me but I thank the publisher Elliot & Thompson and Netgalley for providing me with an e-book to review.
Exploring Christmastime from the medieval era to the present day within the British Monarchy the author leads us through the various royal houses to have been in power throughout British history.
From Henry VIII to Queen Victoria and then on to the late Queen Elizabeth II, the level of research that Archer carried out was commendable in providing historical context.
The inclusion of primary sources in the form of letters and diaries gave a certain level of intimacy to the setting, however, I did find the overall reading experience extremely disjointed with an over-reliance on quotation that at times made for an incredibly dry read.
While I did find some interest in the historical context, I did wish that there was more value placed on the subject of "Christmas" within the book.
Sadly, this was not the book for me but I thank the publisher Elliot & Thompson and Netgalley for providing me with an e-book to review.
lkwhitehead's review
4.0
Heavy use of primary sources to tell of Royal Christmases, mostly from Victoria’s reign to the 1940s. Sections are grouped by theme - gift giving, pastimes, away from home, trying Christmases due to domestic events (family death), trying Christmases due to external events (war), etc. Helpful family tree, which I had to refer to constantly as the cast of “characters” is in the dozens. Enjoyable read for British and royal history fans who love Christmas.
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