A review by roxanamalinachirila
A History of Private Life, Volume II: Revelations of the Medieval World by
4.0
A really lovely book, rich in detail, crazy in scope. If there's anything I can possibly reproach it for, it's these two things: the chapter on literature isn't as interesting as the others (nor is it as clear, in my opinion); and also, that it explains the situation in only a few places in Europe, without much mention of other areas.
It's good to know, as the authors caution us again and again, that they do not have the ambition to describe all of Medieval Europe at once, but at the same time I felt that a few words about the situation elsewhere or how typical some of the aspects were for the rest of the world would have been useful.
Overall, however, it was a fascinating read, with a lot of interesting little details and very concrete information which is an absolute pleasure to read. I highly recommend it.
It's good to know, as the authors caution us again and again, that they do not have the ambition to describe all of Medieval Europe at once, but at the same time I felt that a few words about the situation elsewhere or how typical some of the aspects were for the rest of the world would have been useful.
Overall, however, it was a fascinating read, with a lot of interesting little details and very concrete information which is an absolute pleasure to read. I highly recommend it.