Clarkey
Excitingly written and thoroughly enjoyable history writing. This tells the story of the island of Britain and of Normandy between the Norman conquest and the start of the Plantagenet dynasty and does so with style and panache. If you're reading on the Kindle, the “X-ray” function can be useful in sorting out all the Matildas, Henrys, Williams, and Richards (there are lots!) and working out who blinded or mutilated who, but the author does a good job of this himself in fairness.
That history outdoes “Game of Thrones” is clear but, like GoT, anyone below the rank of knight or bishop doesn't really get a look-in here despite the horrors that were inflicted on whole populations who were ultimately paying for the “games”.
That said, the book is a great achievement, making the complex and shifting politics and fighting into a real page-turner.
Good but not as good as “Wolf Hall”. Got very slow in parts.
Superb narration on the audiobook again.
Some of the two and three star reviews seem to have wanted some counterfactuals explored at length, something that the title, strap line, and (cool) cover might seem to promise. Rather, this is a scholarly and entertaining exploration of the different types, histories, uses and abuses of counterfactuals and their role in increasing our understanding of historical events. Or not, as is argued here. It does this with some style and incisive analysis while giving right-wing rent-an-academic Naill Ferguson a good doing over, which for me made it worth the gate money on its own.
Recommended.
This is really ambitious and, though it didn't always work for me, was fascinating and passionate. Highly recommended.
This is my second Pettigrew novel (out of order). If you like a good whodunnit get into this. A better writer than Agatha Christie hands down!
Strong ending to a superb trilogy. The first book “Children of Time” is a classic and I'd recommend reading the books in order.
This was the first of the three I got on Audible and the narrator is excellent.
I enjoyed this much more when it focused on the politics and sociology of malls rather than the architecture and architects that take up a lot of the pages. This is my issue rather than the author's, and this is clearly a brilliantly researched account.
It's also well written and has some fascinating insights and jaw-dropping facts, so 3.75 stars.
I read this as a stand-alone after seeing it recommended on the BBC's “Between the Covers” programme.
If you're in the mood to curl up with a good thriller that's fast-paced and keeps you guessing, then this might be for you. Really enjoyable and well written.
3.75 stars. This was very enjoyable, and a lesson in not judging a book by its (terrible) cover: it is sharply written and clearly well researched. As a Gen X-er much of it rang true and there were some brilliant insights and many laughs. It focuses exclusively on the US (fair enough, but the title might seem to promise a wider perspective) with even American foreign policy rarely getting a look-in, other than an account of the Gulf War.
This is the first thing I've read by this author and it made me keen to read some of his other work.
Really enjoyable and well put together. It managed to be well paced despite the complexity of the overlapping cases and investigations. Highly recommend, especially if you use X-ray on the Kindle to keep track of all the characters.
Loved this. Beautifully written and I got thoroughly hooked. The dual timeline moved the story along with great pace and it's one of those books that rewards you if you just go with it (like a lot of magical realism I guess). Highly recommended.
Really enjoyable space opera. Takes a while to hit its stride but builds to an exciting conclusion that makes me want to continue with the series.
Loved this. Beautifully written and superbly put together, but you need to be up for a book set during and in the aftermath of a pandemic. I haven't read this author before but I'm going to get her new “Sea of Tranquility” and then check out the back catalogue.
Highly recommended.
Excellent, fast-paced space opera. Got the second volume minutes after finishing this. Interesting concepts and characters and great fun.
A lot of the reviews for this book mention the difficulty of working out who is saying what to who. One answer is to go for the superbly narrated audio book. The production was superb and the story gripping, though I think a passing knowledge of England in the 16th Century would be a help.
I'm about to download the next in the series.