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juniper_reads's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Informative and humorous an absolute joy to read.
jmrprice's review
4.0
Rollicking good read - Elizabethan England may be centuries behind us, but so many of the ‘bad’ behaviors remain. Looking forward to reading Ms Goodman’s other works.
Received as a Goodreads giveaway.
Received as a Goodreads giveaway.
motherbird76's review against another edition
3.5
Lots of interesting and ah-ha! Especially in the etymological sense. But I didn’t feel like it read as a manual or how-to guide. So to me that was lacking. I did like the book.
compassrose's review
At its best when distilling the products of what does appear to be thorough research (along with considerable experience in living history); at its worst when introducing that research with the particular flavour of jocular Britishness that is so witty when done well, and so dreadfully annoying when not. (From the opening of the chapter on alcohol: "To drink or not to drink, that is the question. Whether it is ruder in the pub to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous refusal, or taking up the pot, drown your reason in ale.") This unfortunate choice lends what is otherwise an interesting little book on a relatively niche bit of social history an unnecessarily schoolkiddish tone. A detailed survey of 16th and 17th century English social mores, etiquette, and behaviour.