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Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'
Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price
2 reviews
_grace_c_'s review
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
You think you've a vague grasp on "Vikings" from the movies you've watched until you read this book; Neil Price hightlights that we can't just project our present views and concepts onto the people of the past and thereby explain away all of their actions. He challenges a mountain of questionable ideological assumptions that have been forced upon archeological finds and historical sources and shows how assumptions and previously made conclusions have stunted our ability to understand their world.
This book doesn't just come from the angle of 'Who were the Vikings?' but also 'What was it like to be these Vikings?' Price has written an immensely detailed book using the archeological finds from the period and openly discusses these findings without having to make adamant assumptions to fill in the blanks of time. Price didn't hide from the horrors that played out in the Viking Age and discusses these topics with emotion and transparency.
This was my first history book and overall I enjoyed it; incredibly informative although the interest did come in waves at times with such lengthy chapters. It taught me so many side's of the Vikings that I would never of considered (like how many sheep they required to sustain the diaspora!)
This book doesn't just come from the angle of 'Who were the Vikings?' but also 'What was it like to be these Vikings?' Price has written an immensely detailed book using the archeological finds from the period and openly discusses these findings without having to make adamant assumptions to fill in the blanks of time. Price didn't hide from the horrors that played out in the Viking Age and discusses these topics with emotion and transparency.
This was my first history book and overall I enjoyed it; incredibly informative although the interest did come in waves at times with such lengthy chapters. It taught me so many side's of the Vikings that I would never of considered (like how many sheep they required to sustain the diaspora!)
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual violence, Incest, Rape, War, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, and Slavery
zuleika's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
3.0
Why I embarked on this 600+ page history of the Vikings I cannot tell you. Interesting aspects include Viking queerness, diversity in Scandinavia and the bits about chess. Unpleasant aspects include graphic descriptions of human sacrifice. I don’t think this will be a reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Animal death, Murder, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Rape, War, Genocide, Suicide, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Death, and Child death
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