xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I love Eleanor Herman's books. I listened to this one on Audible, and really enjoyed it. It seems so alien to read about the hygiene in previous eras and realize how far removed it is from what we (should) practice now. I enjoyed the suspicions and the wild ideas people had to keep themselves safe and detect any poisonous substances. I will always recommend any and all Eleanor Herman books.
bandaigaeru's review against another edition
just a bit too repetitive and structured weirdly for me
morepagesplease's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me intensely grateful that I live in the modern day. The descriptions of “filthy palaces” have forever changed how I will view the depictions of grandeur in both film and literature of the legendary royal courts of Europe. I also found it amazing to learn just how many varied ways there were to slowly kill yourself unknowingly and over time in historical times.
shannon_jayne1's review against another edition
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
Really interesting subject, I enjoyed part 1 more than the case studies, I found reading so many after the other a little boring so maybe the book would be better suited to being read in little sections.
bespectacled_bibliophile's review against another edition
slow-paced
DNF at 20%
This is just disappointing. What should have been a fascinating subject was honestly just boring. The author is highly repetitive, gives long quotes from long dead physicians that don't give any real substance, and regularly fluffs up the chapters with unnecessary information. The whole chapter on poisonous medicine was mostly about medical history during the 15-1600s, and most of it wasn't about poisonous (yes, the believe in humors, and using dead bodies, but that isn't inherently poisonous).
I get the feeling that the author wanted to write about medical history, but might have been directed to focus on poison...and then no one actually checked in to make sure she was saying on topic.
Also, someone that bothered me, but wasn't necessarily a deal breaker: if you're going to write about the horrible and disgusting things that happen to a person after consuming poison, don't use stupid names to describe things. You're an adult, you don't need to refer to genitalia as 'private parts' anymore.
This is just disappointing. What should have been a fascinating subject was honestly just boring. The author is highly repetitive, gives long quotes from long dead physicians that don't give any real substance, and regularly fluffs up the chapters with unnecessary information. The whole chapter on poisonous medicine was mostly about medical history during the 15-1600s, and most of it wasn't about poisonous (yes, the believe in humors, and using dead bodies, but that isn't inherently poisonous).
I get the feeling that the author wanted to write about medical history, but might have been directed to focus on poison...and then no one actually checked in to make sure she was saying on topic.
Also, someone that bothered me, but wasn't necessarily a deal breaker: if you're going to write about the horrible and disgusting things that happen to a person after consuming poison, don't use stupid names to describe things. You're an adult, you don't need to refer to genitalia as 'private parts' anymore.
akstephenson14's review against another edition
challenging
informative
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
4.0