Gripping and immediate!

I found this book so fascinating that I listened to it twice in a row! Ian Mortimer gives an immediate and gripping account of Medieval England, described as though you are walking through its very streets. The enormity of the Black Death, the horror of leprosy, the din of the trumpets going into battle, the taste of potage and the merriment of dancing hand in hand - all are brought home to the listener in vivid colour, as though you are standing on the spot watching on. Its a great introduction to the period and the narration is excellent too.

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3 people found this helpful

Don't be put off by the sample clip

For a strange reason, the sample clip provided for you to preview this book, is an excerpt from the introduction. Whilst it does explain the concept of the book, I found it rather slow and ponderous, and somewhat off-putting. I am glad that I decided to purchase the book in spite of my misgivings about the sample clip. The book itself is excellent, and does what it says on the tin. The opening chapter is great, you really feel as if you are walking in to a medieval town, and the closest you are ever likely to get to time travel. The rest of the book follows in the same vein. I particularly liked the chapters on medieval travel, society, justice, monasteries and chivalry, and my favourite was on medicine, which was astonishing, funny and terrifying. There were a few chapters that I found a bit less interesting, a bit too much detail on clothing styles and shipbuilding techniques for my taste, but the overall standard was so high, that I have still given it 5 stars and would highly recommend it.

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3 people found this helpful

One of the best educational books I've listened to

Girlfriend and I got through this during a car trip holiday, and we both learnt a lot and enjoyed it/ It's told in a very good way to make it interesting instead of just rolling fact after fact.

The only issue is that it's pretty hard to keep a chronological idea of what was happening during the time, or remember previous bits. As with learning, listening to something once is very easy to forget.

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Really interesting

I love reading about medieval history and this book takes you on a tour through every aspect of this time. lots of detail and very well read. looking forward to more of this series visiting different times.

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Superb

This is a wonderfully imaginative approach to explaining history, humane, intelligent and comprehensive. Highly recommended for all history buffs.

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take a look

into the 14th century and all it has to offer. descriptive, brilliantly read. one of very few non-fiction books that I have read/listened to since being in education and I would listen to it again!

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Very enjoyable

I listened to the book all in one session. I think that I will revisit some of the contemporary literature next.

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Thoroughly informative and entertaining!

This book has clearly been incredibly well researched, and is written in such an engaging and relatable way that you can't help but imagine yourself there in the moment. I wish history lessons at school had been taught like this. This is history teaching at its best!

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Wonderful introduction to medieval England

As suggested by the title, this is not an exhaustive account but rather an introduction to medieval England. This is not a criticism - it is a witty and informative book. It really brought alive what it may have been like (wait for the final part of the book when the author discusses history as a concept - excellent). It is centred on the 14th century for reasons that are explained. It was very well written and enjoyable. The performance of the reader is also excellent.

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Good book, recommended.

Great narrator and it's done in a way that is only a but cheesy. If you are reading a lot of history for this or surrounding eras, the book gives a lot of useful context for that history.

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