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mtb_za's review against another edition
informative
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.5
This is a really solid, informative retelling of an extremely interesting source text. If you are interested in the life and times of William Marshal, an important figure in late 1100s/early 1200s England and France, this is a great read.
A good amount of context about where Marshal fits in, and what might not be told in the official story makes it even better. Strong recommend, not only for the breezy writing style that makes it quick and engaging to read.
A good amount of context about where Marshal fits in, and what might not be told in the official story makes it even better. Strong recommend, not only for the breezy writing style that makes it quick and engaging to read.
richard212's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
mattgorski's review against another edition
4.0
Deep dive!
What a unique peak into one life at a time in history that has such fascination with us today. I like all of the details from the original account, but the real appeal comes from all of the details pilled from other historical documents.
What a unique peak into one life at a time in history that has such fascination with us today. I like all of the details from the original account, but the real appeal comes from all of the details pilled from other historical documents.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
I know very little about Knights and was interested to give the books a go because I was curious to learn more. However I'm not quite sure if either the subject don't intressed me enough or that the book wasn't written in a compelling way for me. It was well written and reacherd. It just didn't blow my mind and make me more curious about the subject in question.
fantasyfunk's review against another edition
3.0
It took a bit to get going into this book. I actually set it down a few times for books I had a higher interest in reading. Eventually I decided to really give it a go and found myself enjoying it.
I will say I wish the author had made his deductions stand out clearer as his own opinion on what Marshal was thinking with some "maybe" and "probably." I just felt that a lot of subjective thought was stated in this book in this book as truth which could be misleading. It's not that I didn't appreciate the opinions to help form a character of William Marshal and explain his actions, I just would have like a more explicit recognition of them.
I would have also liked clearer footnotes. While there is a bibliography at the end, I found it not very user-friendly. This is more of a personal preference that I typically like to explore more about interesting bits I find in the book.
Overall though, I thought this book was enjoyable and an easy read. For me, it definitely picked up as Marshal began to really make himself and interact with the kings of England. I appreciated the flow of the story which sometimes can get lost in nonfiction books.
I will say I wish the author had made his deductions stand out clearer as his own opinion on what Marshal was thinking with some "maybe" and "probably." I just felt that a lot of subjective thought was stated in this book in this book as truth which could be misleading. It's not that I didn't appreciate the opinions to help form a character of William Marshal and explain his actions, I just would have like a more explicit recognition of them.
I would have also liked clearer footnotes. While there is a bibliography at the end, I found it not very user-friendly. This is more of a personal preference that I typically like to explore more about interesting bits I find in the book.
Overall though, I thought this book was enjoyable and an easy read. For me, it definitely picked up as Marshal began to really make himself and interact with the kings of England. I appreciated the flow of the story which sometimes can get lost in nonfiction books.