368 pages
English language
Published Sept. 27, 2009 by Penguin Random House.
Not quite as gripping as the previous Middle ages one but still very good. If anyone thought it might have been a good time to live then this book will convince you otherwise.
His sense of humor and mastery of the subject really shine through in the chapters on health & hygiene and the law, but the chapters on food and clothing made my eyes glaze over in exactly the same way they do when GRRM goes on at length about what his characters are wearing or eating.
Awesome...
A genuinely interesting look at England in the fourteenth century. It discusses not only the political angles, but focuses primarily on the daily life of people in the various classes. It also talks about popular pass-times, games, fashion, music, food, cleanliness, medicine, and almost anything else you could consider.
I wish more books were written like this one. It doesn't waste time with unnecessary detail, the writer's opinion or siblings in scholarship, it just relates information to you the best it can in as much detail as possible without being exhausting. It's a quick and easy read, highly informative and saturated in information. And if that weren't enough, Mortimer does one better by never judging the people about which he's writing. He explains their actions, and why they are the way they are, but never stops and laughs. He points out absurdity when it occurs, of course-- and it does often-- and holds people accountable for their actions, but at the same time, the compassion he obviously has for his subject is a highlight.
Furthermore, most books on a similar subject will spend exhaustive detail on the exploits of the rich and noble. Mortimer remembers them, too, but he …
I wish more books were written like this one. It doesn't waste time with unnecessary detail, the writer's opinion or siblings in scholarship, it just relates information to you the best it can in as much detail as possible without being exhausting. It's a quick and easy read, highly informative and saturated in information. And if that weren't enough, Mortimer does one better by never judging the people about which he's writing. He explains their actions, and why they are the way they are, but never stops and laughs. He points out absurdity when it occurs, of course-- and it does often-- and holds people accountable for their actions, but at the same time, the compassion he obviously has for his subject is a highlight.
Furthermore, most books on a similar subject will spend exhaustive detail on the exploits of the rich and noble. Mortimer remembers them, too, but he doesn't include them to the exclusion of the poor. He balances all the characters of the Middle Ages excellently, creating a book rich with information and detail.
