The book takes the unorthodox approach of writing in the
present tense about Medieval England (which, for the purposes of this book,
means the 14th century). As the writer states he intended, this helps to make
the description of the past more immersive and sympathetic.
Mr. Mortimer writes of a wide range of areas and whilst
there's enough depth to give a good feel for a certain topic (travelling, for
example) the book is not burdened with excessive detail and is easy to read
throughout.
The writing style is light and straightforward, and, despite
not knowing much of this period, I never felt lost with strange technical
terms. Whenever an odd term or one which has a different meaning in the modern
world crops up it's explained simply and concisely.
The only slight issue I had in terms of information was that
there was very little about the armour of knights, or suchlike. The book is
about life in England
rather than war overseas (or at home), but it still felt like a small missed
opportunity.
As might be expected I found some chapters more interesting
than others. Travel was not my favourite, but the description of the physical
and wider social/psychological impact of plague was absolutely fascinating. At
its best the book was absolutely enthralling, and the chapters (including law)
that I found less appealing were nevertheless well-written.
Overall, the book paints an intriguing and enjoyable picture
of what life was like about seven centuries ago. I'd recommend this to anyone
who wants to read about life in the Middle Ages, regardless of whether they
know any history beforehand.
Thaddeus
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