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  • How to Be a Tudor

  • A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Everyday Life
  • By: Ruth Goodman
  • Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson
  • Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (249 ratings)
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How to Be a Tudor

By: Ruth Goodman
Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson
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Summary

The Tudor era encompasses some of the greatest changes in our history. But while we know about the historical dramas of the times, what was life really like for a commoner?

To answer this question, the renowned 'method historian' Ruth Goodman has slept, washed and cooked as the Tudors did. She is your expert guide to this fascinating era, drawing on years of practical historical study to show how our ancestors coped with everyday life, from how they slept to how they courted.

Exploring how the Tudors learnt, danced and even sat and stood according to the latest fashion, she reveals what it all felt, smelt and tasted like, from morning until night.

©2015 Ruth Goodman (P)2016 Isis Publishing Ltd
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about How to Be a Tudor

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

FULL OF INTERESING INFORMATION

I liked the book very much. I bought it not only because of an interesting theme but also because of te author, whom I consider to be a superb practical historian, spreading popularity of her subject among wide public. This book is full of information presented in a very readable/listenable form. It peeps into past people's lifes, both public and private, with some detailed descriptions of activities (cheese or clothes or ale making, for example) that are thus possible to be tried on your own, should you only wish to. I have to admit that some of these descriptions seemed too long and dragging for me, however it might be given by my particular taste. The narrator did a good job and I enjoyed listening to her a lot. I recommend this book for anybody interested in practical history.

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7 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Very good overall

What did you like most about How to Be a Tudor?

Interesting and thoroughly researched

If you’ve listened to books by Ruth Goodman before, how does this one compare?

n/a

Have you listened to any of Patience Tomlinson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

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Any additional comments?

I found the book interesting but would have preferred more emphasis on general life and less on food. Although I suppose I should have expected this given the authors' background.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

BRILLIANT!

Fascinating insight into how we lived in Tudor times- And what we got up to !!!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Tudor Social History Brought To Life!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Anybody who is keen on history. Especially pupils who study the Tudor period in KS3. If the royal history of the period is the bones, births, deaths, marriages etc. Then this book, that shows life in the tudor period from waking in the morning, to going to bed at night, throughout the year is the meat! A succulent joint at that...

It tells in an interesting and informative way how all sections of Tudor society were born, lived and died. What they ate and drank. How they passed their days.

A great narration by Patience Tomlinson too.

What did you like best about this story?

The author Ruth Goodman is an historian who literally lives history. She's brewed ale, made the bread and gone months without washing to experience how medieval people lived. Because of this personal research she makes this book come alive.

Any additional comments?

A really great book. If we could clone the author and put her in every secondary school class History in Britain we would have a nation of historians. Her enthusiasm for the subject and how she puts her point across is amazing.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

I loved this book. It's full of so much information. I really feel as though I have a much better understanding of the day to day living of common folk in Tudor times.

Well done Ruth!

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very informative

Full of details about Tudor lives this is an excellent book. Still, as a listen I found it to be a bit tiring. The amount of detail the author goes into, whilst it would gave worked for me in a hard copy it produced the opposite result as an audio. I would definitely recommend it though for someone to read!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Brilliant History

I enjoy listening to this book. I found it to be educational informative and very well narrated.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful Content & Wonderful Narration

As a lover of social history and the Tudor era this was perfect. Very soothingly narrated by Patience (a clear deep mature voice) and very in depth detail of all the minutiae of daily life of the time across the social classes. would recommend for fans of Ian Mortimers the time travellers guides. I take naps to this audiobook or put it low volume when sleep is evasive at night. very relaxing to listen to. I also enjoyed the Victorian era audiobook, also by the same author and narrator.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable

This was entertaining and very informative. A treat for those into social history and the Tudor age.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • PR
  • 15-05-23

Immersive experience of the Tudor era

Well written and narrated. The book tells us details of everyday Tudor life and is completely engrossing.

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