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A Distant Mirror

The Calamitous Fourteenth Century

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A Distant Mirror

By: Barbara W. Tuchman
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
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About this listen

A “marvelous history”* of medieval Europe, from the bubonic plague and the Papal Schism to the Hundred Years’ War, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Guns of August

*Lawrence Wright, author of The End of October, in The Wall Street Journal

The fourteenth century reflects two contradictory images: on the one hand, a glittering time of crusades and castles, cathedrals and chivalry, and the exquisitely decorated Books of Hours; and on the other, a time of ferocity and spiritual agony, a world of chaos and the plague.

Barbara Tuchman reveals both the great rhythms of history and the grain and texture of domestic life as it was lived. Here are the guilty passions, loyalties and treacheries, political assassinations, sea battles and sieges, corruption in high places and a yearning for reform, satire and humor, sorcery and demonology, and lust and sadism on the stage. Here are proud cardinals, beggars, feminists, university scholars, grocers, bankers, mercenaries, mystics, lawyers and tax collectors, and, dominating all, the knight in his valor and “furious follies,” a “terrible worm in an iron cocoon.”

©1978 Barbara W. Tuchman (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks Europe Medieval Western Europe World Middle Ages Witty Siege Comedy Royalty War England Crusade Renaissance

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Critic reviews

"Beautifully written, careful, and thorough in its scholarship....What Ms. Tuchman does superbly is to tell how it was....No one has ever done this better." ( New York Review of Books)
"Barbara Tuchman at the top of her powers....A beautiful, extraordinary book....She has done nothing finer." ( Wall Street Journal)
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Most relevant
I listened to 1415 and marvelled at the minute detail. Longer period but again very detailed, it's amazing what information appears to be available, but whether you get any closer to understanding I'm increasingly inclined to think not. Perhaps my brain is too keen to classify and categorize.
I also dislike the pronunciation of joust as juice-st but at least Caen was right not cayenne as in 1415.

Detailed, very very detailed

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An interesting, engagingly written book on a fascinating period history. At over 28rs long it’s good value for your credit too.

The narrator has an easy to listen to accent and natural speaking cadence. Strangely, she correctly pronounces some often mispronounced words, especially French place names like ‘Rheims’, but completely mispronounces quite common ones (‘jousts’ pronounced ‘jhoosts’, ‘clerks’ as spelled, ‘Schism’ as ‘Sisum’, ‘non’ as ‘nun’) which come up with jarring frequency. She talks with UK English Received Pronunciation but pronounces many words like ‘Dynasty’, ‘Lieutenant’ and ‘process’ as if a US American. She pronounces dates as ‘November two’ rather than ‘the second of November’. Perhaps this seems minor, but by hour 20 it gets quite annoying. Despite this, overall an enjoyable listen.

A lot of history for your credit

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Okay, this is a very long book and, as the previous reviewer remarks, it is certainly full of information. Precise information, at that. He also calls it 'dry' but I disagree. I found myself quite absorbed by the parallels between present-day politics and warmongering and those of our ancestors. I'm not an academic and I admit I would have found sitting and reading so much detail hard going at times but (and isn't this the whole point of Audible?) when busy with mundane tasks that keep the hands occupied but leave the brain free, my ipod-transmitted history lesson worked very well. And I truly enjoyed it.

A Distant Mirror

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I am slowly working my way through all of Audible's historical offerings. This book is so far the most rewarding I have listened to. It combines a high scholarly standard with an approach that engages the listener throughout. Speaking as a working-class, male Brummie, I find the narration is excellent.

Outstanding reflection of the central Middle Ages

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This book has had excellent reviews and I can only add mine to the list. It is a good introduction to the Middle Ages up to the beginning of the late Middle Ages; how society functioned and how wars were fought and many other aspects of life in this period. The 15th century is such a busy century; wars, changing patterns of warfare, the black death's first appearance, a dramatic fall in population in the second half of the century and its repercussion. Even the continual political rivalry between France and England is brilliantly illustrated by the De Courcey family's allegiences and diplomacy.

It is well narrated and it a book I shall enjoy listening to again as it has much to recommend itself.

Great overview of Middle Ages

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