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A History of Britain: Volume 1

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A History of Britain: Volume 1

By: Simon Schama
Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
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About this listen

The story of Britain from the earliest settlements in 3000 BC to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. To look back at the past is to understand the present. In this vivid account of over 4,000 years of British history, Simon Schama takes us on an epic journey which encompasses the very beginnings of the nation's identity, when the first settlers landed on Orkney.

From the successes and failures of the monarchy to the daily life of a Roman soldier stationed on Hadrian's Wall, Schama gives a vivid, fascinating account of the many different stories and struggles that lie behind the growth of our island nation. Simon Schama's major BBC2 series has shown him to be one of our most original and exciting historians.

©2012 Simon Schama (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Europe Great Britain England Middle Ages Royalty
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Covers all aspects of British history, from pre-Roman times to the Middle Ages. Well researched and informative.

Great listen.

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Easy to listen to, and competently narrated, but chapter structure a bit random.
And more conventional than the Preface hinted at.
The 3 pre-Roman millenia were rushed and justice was not done; it started well enough with the remarkable Orkney archaeology, but mentioned Stonehenge only in passing and Bronze Age not at all, as it rushed to the Roman occupation.
Insightful account of the interplay between Britons, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans and then on to 1066 and all that.
A bit episodic, as it delved deeply into various highlights: the Norman invasion, Thomas Beckett well and truly done to death, the reign of warlord Edward 1 and his efforts to create ahead of its time a colonial administration of a 'Great Britain', the defiance of Wallace and the Bruce in Scotland keeping England and its monarchy honest in its ambitions, curbed also by the cathartic cleansing of the Black Death and its labour supply impacts. I lost the plot a bit as we skipped through the Peasants Revolt and Henry V (somewhat of a breach!) to the War of the Roses, summarily dealt with, and the Reformation.. And then Henry VIII and his wives and the political machinations with Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell, for which quite frankly I will refer to Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy!
Certainly revealed well the strength of the French Connection during the Norman and Plantagenet eras. Also enlightening for me at least was the account of the 13th century baronial revolt and 'civil war', a precursor to the 'real' Civil War. And how the seeds for that Civil War were sown so much earlier. British stability since 1066 is often lauded in comparison with Continental Europe but Schama seems to be saying that there has long been a festering sore of civil unrest, especially NW vs SE.
Flawed but insomuch as it sent me scurrying off to additional/alternative references I guess was a success

Engaging and accessible, but overall quality mixed

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This is an ambitious piece of work but cleverly executed. Simon Sharma’s writing is economical and insightful. We get a glimpse of the thoughts, feelings and schemes of key figures throughout the ages. Sharma’s sense of humour and social commentary is academic and entertaining. I recommend this text to anyone who loves history and is looking for a text that identifies key narratives that have shaped Britain.

A Brilliant Introduction to the History of Britain

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Author well informed, with a captivating writing style , not to b let down by an entertaining spoken performance.

Truthfull, Entertaining

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Too much focus on the private lives of kings and queens. Clearly written for popular consumption. Very disappointing. Surely an author of such distinction can do better than this.

Medieval gossip

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A rather disjointed catalogue in my opinion, the writter is more on the side of making the journey about their own writing ability than breaking down the vast history into more digestible portions. It also makes for a difficult read that there's no character introduction or period introduction, leaving a constantly rolling poetic passing of significant periods without any general overview, leading you to meed to know your history already as the writer makes assumptions that you already know the characters of history.

More poetry then history

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