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nathanjhunt's review
challenging
informative
fast-paced
3.0
This was my 58th book finished in 2023.
Knowing nothing about this period of English history, I was eager to learn; pre-Norman history is a bit of a mystery to me.
Unfortunately, I felt having no background knowledge was a hindrance. The book jumped about a bit at the beginning which really confused me. It name dropped so many people and places in one go; I struggled to follow the text, as the author doesn't do much to explain who all these people are, especially when they have very similar names (Æthelwulf, Æthelred, Æethelflæd, Æethelweard, Ærthelhelm, Æthelbald, Æethelberht).
The family tree is headache-inducing, and the author doesn't do much to explain the relations in the text.
Overall it was fine, but I didn't feel like I learnt much as it was difficult to take in.
Knowing nothing about this period of English history, I was eager to learn; pre-Norman history is a bit of a mystery to me.
Unfortunately, I felt having no background knowledge was a hindrance. The book jumped about a bit at the beginning which really confused me. It name dropped so many people and places in one go; I struggled to follow the text, as the author doesn't do much to explain who all these people are, especially when they have very similar names (Æthelwulf, Æthelred, Æethelflæd, Æethelweard, Ærthelhelm, Æthelbald, Æethelberht).
The family tree is headache-inducing, and the author doesn't do much to explain the relations in the text.
Overall it was fine, but I didn't feel like I learnt much as it was difficult to take in.
ominousjorts's review
4.0
This book is a brief but compelling overview of the life and reign of Athelstan and argues convincingly that he was one of the primary forces behind the formation of England as a cohesive state. It is conscious of the paucity of evidence from the time and the lack of known detail about Athelstan, but despite this packs a huge amount of information into its 100 pages, and Holland manages to maintain this factual density without his writing becoming stale or difficult.
I would recommend this book as a highly readable introduction to the period.
I would recommend this book as a highly readable introduction to the period.
laurenjpegler's review against another edition
4.0
April 2022: 2nd read and still v enjoyable & interesting. found my footing with the names eventually this time
cernunnos's review against another edition
5.0
A very readable, succinct but scholarly study of this under-appreciated monarch. I was particularly impressed by the breadth of the author's research as outlined in the extensive and useful suggestions for further reading. Mr Holland clearly knows his stuff and communicates it with admirable clarity. An excellent opener in the "Penguin Monarchs" series.