informative and well woven history

I really enjoyed listening to this. the author has done a fine job of compiling the story of Henry the 2nd's reign within a thin veil of theatre supported by muses of contemporary chronicles. The narrator also did an excellent job and has a soothing voice empathetic to the characters he portrays, thereby helping the listener to step into the world of the Plantagenets.

My only criticism would be a general one of modern historians who fail to portray the true horror and evil of ancient nobility by applying reverence to their histories and elevating the status of such monsters. For example in summarising the heinous act of King John who is alleged to have killed his nephew Arthur and thrown his young body into the River Seine, it is not made clear to the reader that this act of murder is nothing out of the ordinary for such murderous people who were responsible for the murder, maiming and torture of thousands of people and the genocide of tens of thousands more throughout their histories. It seems it is only nobility that can be murdered and the killing of non-nobility is described as people just being treated badly or slaughtered as if they were beasts. There is a detailed and extremely interesting description of the way Henry II was responsible for implementing a formal rule of law. however what's not given any weight at all is the fact that this rule of law didn't apply to the masses who were effectively just slaves as far as I can gather. Surely an author is complicit if they fail to provide a sociological context and treat the memory of monsters with the contempt they deserve. There really is nothing honourable about the histories of the clergy, papacy and aristocracy from these times; they were thieves, rapists, child molesters and mass murderers to name but a few of their heinous crimes. But that is just a general point on revising our treatment of writing history in the same way that black history and references to non-white people in histories is rightly being corrected.

Having said all that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you are interested in the history of Henry the 2nd I highly recommend it.

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1 person found this helpful

Fascinating

I loved this book. Insightful, well researched and brilliantly told. The sentences at times, can be short, and creates a pithy, staccato listening. This doesn’t detract from the story telling or the historical wealth being shared.

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8 people found this helpful

Rich and Fascinating

This book details the life of Henry II and the Kings that held the throne before and after him. It looks at his reign objectively and compares his reign with other monarchs. I firmly believe after reading this excellent book which is both detailed and yet well paced with drama that Henry is an underestimated monarch and by far the most effective King Henry of England. An English King who could have easily styled himself emperor.

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The' I Claudius' of British History

This is a fascinating story of a dynastic saga. Some of the situations and relationships are truly remarkable and some of the characters, Elanor of Aquitaine, the Empress Matilda, Henry...all wonderfully evoked.There is a lot of information about this period. The foundering of The White Ship, for example, is a tragic, and cataclysmic event that, if we were to see it played out in Emmerdale or Eastenders, would have us all screaming at our TV's at how implausible it all is.
But this single event precipitated a crisis that changed the course of British and European history.
I love this period of British history. It is amazing. But I have a huge problem with the narration. There is no passion. I want to be swept up in the saga and drama of the story. I want to become emotionally invested in the people I am hearing about. Instead, I feel as if I am attending a lecture delivered by a very eminent, if dusty, professor who just wants me to learn.

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2 people found this helpful

A Great King who Lived too Long

Henry II should be remembered as one of England’s greatest kings, but isn’t. I’ve always wondered why this is and Claudia Gold here does an excellent job in explaining this. Like Edward III he just lived too long in a world where kings were expected to be tireless warriors and lawgivers. True Henry made mistakes and was almost the master of his own downfall, but this paints the picture of why medieval kings and aristocracy behaved the way they did. Henry was too forgiving in an unforgiving world and shows that they had to be just, but strong at the same time. Much like his grandfather Henry I. I’ve seen ludicrous reviews in the past which state ‘I hate all kings because they were brutal and evil.’ That is not understanding the world that they lived in, the first mistake of reading history. Henry’s life is fascinating and this shines through in Gold’s work. She stated that her mission is to reclaim Henry II as one of our greatest monarchs. She achieves this here and as much as Henry II was one of our great monarch she is a great writer.

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references

I can't find any bibliography for this book and it is pretty useless without one - can anyone tell me where I can find bibliographies and notes for audible books please?

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