I got this after being
rather taken with a similar book about Medieval England, by the same
author (reviewed here).
It’s history, Jim,
but not as we know it. As with the aforementioned book, The Time
Traveller’s Guide to Elizabethan England adopts a present tense
approach to the past. It can seem a little odd, especially at first,
but the style fits a history that’s almost a guided tour of
everyday life. Entertainment, food, the weird way that chimneys and
glass revolutionise housing and the persistent social divides of the
class system abound.
However, it’s the
area of religion which marks this era as most alien. In certain ways,
contrary to the common assumption that things tend to improve over
time, the 16th century seems crueller than those before,
perhaps due to a combination of bitter religious rivalry and the
uncertain nature of what might come after Elizabeth.
On Queen Elizabeth
herself, there are frequent references (and even some poetry written
by her). These range from the personal to the politico-religious, as
she enforces her will and dominates the political scene during a time
of great change. It is not a biography or anything approaching that,
however [nor does it seek to be].
The writing is detailed
and immersive without being difficult (this isn’t my sort of era
usually so I thought I might feel like a fish out of water, but this
wasn’t the case). As is common with such books, there are two sets
of glossy pages with photographs relating to the time [I checked some
reviews on Amazon, and apparently these do not show up well on the
Kindle version].
As with the Medieval
version (although more so) I did skim the lists (often regarding the
price of various goods). Here and there sections seemed a little
long, although it’s to be expected that with a general tour
approach to history some bits will engage a certain reader more than
others.
Overall, an easy to
read history that occasionally overdoes the detail but generally gets
the balance of depth and brevity right.
Thaddeus
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