Reviews

A History Of Scotland by Neil Oliver

obstinateheadstrongcurl's review against another edition

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adventurous informative inspiring fast-paced

4.25

alexmulligan's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

4.0

snoakes7001's review against another edition

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4.0

My husband bought me this because a) it was a kindle daily deal and only 99p and b) we've both enjoyed watching Neil Oliver on telly since Two Men in a Trench.
This does exactly what it says on the tin - it's a history of Scotland. The prose is somewhat florid at times - you can't help but hear it in Neil Oliver's voice, which brings it to life - particularly in the early sections about the formation of the very rocks themselves.
I must confess that I got a bit lost in the middle sections - too many kings and nobles to keep track of for my little brain. All in all though, it's an enjoyable read - and not at all like a textbook.

stephcampbell's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

3.0

Its seems like on a lot of time periods were just skimmed over whereas others way too much time was put into it. 

jessicah95's review against another edition

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Putting this down for now but not because it's a bad book at all, in fact it's really good, which is why I'm rating it a 4 stars despite not yet finishing it. Incredibly readable, in places feeling like highly detailed, adventure driven, historical fiction. Even funny at times, but in no way shying away from the violence and gore of earlier periods.

matthew_hough's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.5

antonia_reads_01's review against another edition

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challenging informative medium-paced

3.5

allmystuffshere's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.0

soapdish14's review against another edition

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informative reflective fast-paced

3.75

sjpl17's review against another edition

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5.0

If you want to learn about Scotland, you need to read this book. The ancient and early history is particularly interesting and magical. The middle part focusing on religious divisions in the 1600s was somewhat dragging, but that may be due to personal preference.
The coverage of the 20th century reflects modern political issues that are ingrained in Scottish society.