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kanejim57's review against another edition
5.0
A very good introduction to the Kings and Queens of England right up to Queen Elizabeth II. The individual biographies given were written by a collection of scholars but with the result that this reviewer felt that there was an evenness to the overall book.
kanejim57's review against another edition
5.0
A very good introduction to the Kings and Queens of England right up to Queen Elizabeth II. The individual biographies given were written by a collection of scholars but with the result that this reviewer felt that there was an evenness to the overall book.
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.5
A freebie on Audible, I picked this one up as an alternative to listening to my usual history podcasts to fall asleep to. I have read this before... in fact I think I only removed the physical copy from my bookshelf last year to donate to charity, so it was vaguely familiar, but equally I've read lots of the different books on this topic by various authors, as it's endlessly fascinating to me!
You can certainly tell this is an older audiobook because of the recording quality; it's clear and the narrator is very good, but the length if pauses between paragraphs is very long and there's a distinct crackly undertone to the sound. The narrator also pronounces certain words in an odd way, 'joust' being one example (I've only ever heard it said as "jowst", but she pronounces it like "juiced"). I get different strokes for different folks, but this did bug me a bit after a while.
The book is split into the usual dynastic groupings, with a different author taking on each period. While it is fairly detailed and yet concise, I do think it is a shame that Antonia Fraser didn't take this task on herself; she's a great historian in her own right and I think having her perspective one each ruler would be very interesting. As it is, it's a little bit all over the place; some authors focus more on the historic events, others the people, and each author seems to have a clear 'favourite' so you don't get a consistent approach to each examination.
The age of the book does also let it down. Initially published in 1975, this version has been updated to bring us up to 1999, but it's still comes across as rather traditional history. All if the featured authors are male (as far as I know), and the gender biases of the time do come through quire clearly in places; none of the Queens get a particularly glowing reception, and something about their chapters just seems 'off' to me when compared with the various Kings.
If nithing else, I can recommend this as good for those who struggle to fall asleep - in the nicest possible way, it did the job I asked it to - it's engaging enough that my brain wants to listen and understand rather than start whirring with all my worries, but it's not over-stimulating so sleep comes far more naturally. And it is worth a listen if you have an interest in the subject, but there are definitely better versions out there.
You can certainly tell this is an older audiobook because of the recording quality; it's clear and the narrator is very good, but the length if pauses between paragraphs is very long and there's a distinct crackly undertone to the sound. The narrator also pronounces certain words in an odd way, 'joust' being one example (I've only ever heard it said as "jowst", but she pronounces it like "juiced"). I get different strokes for different folks, but this did bug me a bit after a while.
The book is split into the usual dynastic groupings, with a different author taking on each period. While it is fairly detailed and yet concise, I do think it is a shame that Antonia Fraser didn't take this task on herself; she's a great historian in her own right and I think having her perspective one each ruler would be very interesting. As it is, it's a little bit all over the place; some authors focus more on the historic events, others the people, and each author seems to have a clear 'favourite' so you don't get a consistent approach to each examination.
The age of the book does also let it down. Initially published in 1975, this version has been updated to bring us up to 1999, but it's still comes across as rather traditional history. All if the featured authors are male (as far as I know), and the gender biases of the time do come through quire clearly in places; none of the Queens get a particularly glowing reception, and something about their chapters just seems 'off' to me when compared with the various Kings.
If nithing else, I can recommend this as good for those who struggle to fall asleep - in the nicest possible way, it did the job I asked it to - it's engaging enough that my brain wants to listen and understand rather than start whirring with all my worries, but it's not over-stimulating so sleep comes far more naturally. And it is worth a listen if you have an interest in the subject, but there are definitely better versions out there.
freeflyt's review against another edition
4.0
I learned very much from this book about the monarchs that I was less familiar with. A great overall brief exposure to the whole history of the British monarchy. I'm glad I read it.
voodoomary's review against another edition
3.0
This book basically gives very brief accounts of the lives of the kings and queens of England from William the Conquerer to Elizabeth II. Unfortunately, the brevity of each biography leaves the reader feeling like something was missing in each story. It seems like if one is going to create a work that is so comprehensive, it should be contained in several volumes rather than one book. I also believe (not that I'm an expert) that this book may be a bit dated as some of the arguments brought up (the ones including Queen Elizabeth I are the ones I noticed most) have been contradicted or contested in more recent studies. While enjoyable, this book should be treated as an introduction into the lives of various rulers. From these introductions, it would be wise to get a more rounded out and detailed account of that person's life.
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