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The Blood in Winter

A Nation Descends, 1642

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The Blood in Winter

By: Dr Jonathan Healey
Narrated by: Mark Meadows
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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents The Blood in Winter by Jonathan Healey, read by Mark Meadows.

A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR: THE TIMES/SUNDAY TIMES, TELEGRAPH AND HISTORY TODAY

A nation on the cusp of war. A king ousted from his capital by the people. A society on the brink of collapse. From Jonathan Healey comes a thrilling history about the months that sent England into civil war

‘An old-fashioned Westminster thriller . . . You could hardly find a more engrossing or exciting story’ DOMINIC SANDBROOK, SUNDAY TIMES

‘A rollicking history, packed with fire and excitement *****’ DANIEL BROOKS, TELEGRAPH

‘The House of Cards-ish drama remains gripping to the last’ LITERARY REVIEW

After years of tension between a king and his people, in 1641 England reaches a semblance of peace. Armies have disbanded, legislation has passed to ensure Parliament will continue to sit, and the people are tentatively optimistic. Radical politicians congratulate themselves on a stunning political victory. Royal servants are coming to accept an altered future.

Then comes winter. With it, chaos, protests, political deadlock, and eventually a remarkable attempt by King Charles I to destroy his opponents. On 4 January 1642 Charles marches on the small riverside city of Westminster at the head of an army, seeking to arrest five Members of Parliament. In doing so, he sets in motion a series of events that will lead to bloodshed and war, changing a nation forever.

Why did the English Civil War break out? The Blood in Winter tells the story of an English people's great political awakening, and of a nation that splintered into bloodshed at a terrifying speed. Jonathan Healey recreates the claustrophobic atmosphere of the day, with rowdy protestors in the streets and London blanketed in coal smoke. It is a story of remarkable but flawed characters, all faced with unpalatable choices, and a frightening picture of a society in profound distress.©2025 Dr Jonathan Healey (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Europe Great Britain England War Royalty Civil War Emotionally Gripping Winter

Critic reviews

This is everything a history book should be. Healey fills his narrative with portraits of extraordinary characters, which combine to make his account of Britain’s descent into Civil War a truly human one. Nothing could be more relevant to us now, in this political moment, than a history like The Blood in Winter that gives an example of how fast and almost accidentally nations can fall apart, and the individual decisions of conscience that must be made along the way’ (OPHELIA FIELD, author of The Favourite)
Healey is in the vanguard of modern popular history, and The Blood in Winter charges like a squadron of cavalry through the tumultuous year that led to the civil wars, giving equal billing to the people’s politics that shook the streets of London and the arguments and doubts that filled the houses of parliament (NADINE AKKERMAN, author of Invisible Agents)
A superb history. Healey has the rare ability to make the seventeenth century accessible without being patronising, and to cover big and important themes while keeping the reader royally entertained (SAM FREEDMAN, author of Failed State)
All stars
Most relevant
Atmospheric narrative about the root causes that led to the start of the English civil war. This is more in depth as it focuses on a smaller period in history and helps build the character of the people involved and the twist and turns along the way. Enjoyable history book

Helps to understand the path to civil war

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Excellent discourse and narration of the events leading to the English Civil War of the 1640's.

Excellent book.

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The author opens up this sad but intriguing period of England’s history by his well told narrative. He brings to life the many characters who play roles in the story. He digs deeper than the simple explanations to which we are used to. His extensive work into the preserved papers and letters is well rewarded by how it is used. Thank you author for all your work in producing this excellent book concerning events which carry lessons and even warnings to today’s society and times.

A history compellingly told

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narrator was a bit bland but I perceived overall not to bad some very interesting facts though

not many mentions of cromwell

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The book is badly written. The author is obviously an expert in his field, and the story ought to be riveting, but in his hands it is humdrum. At one point, which almost made me stop listening, he describes London as ‘crawling with horses’: an ill-chosen metaphor, because horses do not crawl or do anything resembling crawling. ‘London was full of horses’ or ‘London had many horses’ would have done fine. In another passage, presumably writing automatically, he tells of Charles travelling through London past houses with wooden doors and glass windows, and women wearing skirts. I don’t think any reader would have thought the doors were UPVC, the windows Perspex, and the women wore jogging pants.

The performance is stolidly mediocre, with the usual plethora of extra stresses and unneeded emphasis, and strange Frenchified pronunciations of words like ‘piquant’.

Poorly written; mediocre performance

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