A review by historic_chronicles
A Royal Christmas by Jeremy Archer

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.