Excellent. As I had a basic knowledge of the period already I was able enjoy Mitchels satirical slant on the era. I loved the little digressions and occasional comparisons with today. Really enjoyed this book.
Read more

I'd been recommended this book and, as I enjoy the humour of the author, was looking forward to reading it. The idea of the book is to look at the English Kings (and occasional Queen) starting as far back as possible and ending with Elizabeth I. The introduction is interesting (always a good start) as David Mitchell introduces the idea of how the English people view the monarchy. I noted this had been written recently as there are references to King Charles III. This book was first published in 2023. There are 403 pages, if you include a "Bookend" chapter at the end - the chapter cover 39 monarchs with the first few chapters grouping a few together. You can definitely hear the voice of the author coming through in the writing. It's familiar and conversational in a style more commonly used in an autobiography - I thought this made the book very easy to read. I loved the list of monarchs and the maps at the start, always useful for context. Particularly interesting though were the family trees. We are always taught about 1066 onwards but rarely look at the periods before that so it's great to see the names and their connections. The book starts after the Romans and the narrative gets murky/confused for the first couple of chapters. To be fair to the author he is working through a period of history that is also very murky. He makes good efforts to pull together some basic facts in a comedic way then moves on. Once the Viking invade then the history becomes more familiar to both author and reader which makes everything more comfortable. Jokes generally need to be about something recognisable to make them funny and the narrative gets funnier as we progress through the book. The style of the book is very much like a Bill Bryson book - lots of research and lots of facts, all presented in an accessible way with plenty of humour. When we get to the Plantagenets the story gets muddled again and I suspect David Mitchell didn't enjoy this section. Henry Tudor eventually takes over and we are all then back on familiar ground again (bring on the jokes!).
Read more

This book does what it says on the tin! It offers a comprehensive guide to the history of the English monarchy, in an informative and enlightening fashion, but also with an irreverence, a don’t-take-history-too-seriously attitude, that is extremely refreshing. This is David Mitchell as we know him! Wonderful stuff!
Read more

This has been passed round everyone in the family. Well written and funny, David Mitchell is really witty. Lots of interesting snippets and actually written in a way I can remember the info! Good fun for all ages, if a bit sweary, but thats makes us all remember it.
Read more

The family is split over this one but there was too much David Mitchell being funny for me - I found it difficult to follow the timeline of the history. Probably better to get a straight history book if you really want to learn it. A good read though.
Read more

Impossible to read other than in the voice of the author! Well researched and some interesting material. Book speeds up towards the close and becomes sketchy, but overall a good read. Can’t believe he didn’t know Sorrento had an old harbour!
Read more

This was absolutely hilarious in parts. It had me in stitches! It demonstrates what a shambles the line of succession has been since Roman occupation of Britain, during which there was orderliness, peace, and a halt to intertribal warfare. It proved that virtually any Tom, Dick, or Harry could claim the crown and what a shambles the line of succession has been since around 400 A D
Read more

I'm a slow reader so rarely get to the end of a book without forgetting the beginning and middle, as it takes me so long to finish. I couldn't put this down. It's so well written that I experienced it like a conversation. I have to admit I could hear David's voice. I smiled often and was fascinated constantly. DM managed to articulate what's wrong with authoritarian leadership based on spurious claims of position and power over populations. This book should be on the national curriculum and be used to challenge some of the prevailing populist notions of national identity. Please make a TV series
Read more

El libro contiene muchos comentarios divertidos sobre los personajes y sigo leyéndolo gustosamente. Sin embargo, la copia que yo he recibido, tiene una lista de 56 ilustraciones que figura en las paginas 408 al 410, donde están ordenadas en secuencia y por numeros, pero las ilustraciones están en tres lugares distintas y no están en secuencia. totalmente desordenadas e.j. el 1y el 2 están seguidas por el 19 al 24 y la pagina siguiente tiene el 6 al 9, seguido poe el 29 al 32 y la próxima pagina muestran el 14 al 15. Todos en color y de alta calidad. Algo estraño. Tal vez otra broma del autor ;) James
Read more

Enjoyed reading every page of it.
Read more

Okay, so I now own the Kindle, the audiobook, and the paperback version of this phenomenal book — and am currently regretting that it doesn’t come in hardcover. I have honestly lost track of how many times I have read or listened to this book — it’s seriously that entertaining (frequently laugh out loud funny), that informative, that well-written, and just that darn good. Are you fond of really well-written medieval English history and weapons-grade British sarcasm? Come on in, the water’s fine. And obviously if you’re a fan of David Mitchell, you already have a decent idea of what you’re getting into. The author would likely cringe to be called erudite, but Mitchell is just so smart and well-spoken that it’s always a sheer joy to read/hear/etc anything he has to say about… well, about anything, honestly. I still think the book deserves more stars.
Read more

Wonderful book, very funny and very informative about the history of England's Kings and Queens. Every history book should be written as interestingly as this one.
Read more

.
Read more