Reviews

A Brief History of British Kings and Queens: British Royal History from Alfred the Great to the Present by Mike Ashley

elysian_mess's review against another edition

Dryyy

souljaleonn's review

informative medium-paced

3.5

helenephoebe's review against another edition

3.0

Review - This isn't the best history of British Kings and Queens I've read - I much preferred David Starkey's [b:Monarchy: England and Her Rulers from the Tudors to the Windsors|1876159|Monarchy England and Her Rulers from the Tudors to the Windsors |David Starkey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436561481l/1876159._SY75_.jpg|1877125] or [b:Crown and Country: A History of England Through the Monarchy|8779037|Crown and Country A History of England Through the Monarchy|David Starkey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344623189l/8779037._SY75_.jpg|13652680] or David Loades's [b:The Kings Queens of England: The Biography|15946298|The Kings Queens of England The Biography|David Loades|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1374601918l/15946298._SX50_.jpg|21697664]. However, this book did add some additional information to these because it looks separately at the royal lines of Scotland and Wales. There are a few errors, and a few opinions put across as fact that are in fact still debated, so you can't take everything too seriously. Nevertheless a good introduction, but for something more factual and in-depth look at Starkey or Loades.

General Subject/s? - History / Monarchy / Royal Family

Recommend? – Maybe

Rating - 15/20

thehoserpolice's review

informative fast-paced

3.75

libkatem's review against another edition

4.0

An excellent overview of nearly a thousand years of the British monarchy. A wonderful and interesting read! I'm glad I read it before I went to London, that's for sure!

tclinrow's review

informative fast-paced

4.0

lorees_reading_nook's review against another edition

4.0

I had been looking for a book like this for a long time. A Brief History of British Kings and Queens was exactly what I was looking for. The author presented each monarch in a concise manner, focusing on each one's major achievements and failures. I found the various genealogical tables very helpful in unravelling the often complicated and intertwined lineages of the monarchs of England, Scotland and Wales. This was a fascinating read which helped me decide which kings or queens I may be interested in reading about in greater detail in the future.