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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
thevalkyriereader's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Though it is difficult, Dan Jones succinctly summarizes in great detail the rise and fall of the Middle Ages.
oh_hai_its_lena's review against another edition
4.0
For what it's about it's well written in a way that keeps things reasonably interesting. Probably like a 3.5. Definitely recommend the audiobook though.
natashamuse's review against another edition
4.0
At first, this book was a three-star for me, because I failed to appreciate the enormity of the task Jones see before himself. The more I thought about the thousand-year (plus) journey he took us on, the more impressed I became. I've never before felt the connective pull Roman/ancient history has on us today. Not to say I could explain how it all works. But I can see it now. It's like a car without its shell, I still couldn't build one but I have a much better idea of how all the disparate parts fit together.
All that while keeping it enjoyable to read! Jone takes so much information and makes it manageable. Instead of dutifully marching through time or trying to jump from one country to the other, Jones mostly sticks to themes or ideas, like Monks or Merchants, and quilting them together between the twin posts of the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Renaissance.
I think this might be the perfect book for anyone interested in this time/place but who doesn't know where to start. It's not comprehensive, but really, what book you can lift with one hand could be?
All that while keeping it enjoyable to read! Jone takes so much information and makes it manageable. Instead of dutifully marching through time or trying to jump from one country to the other, Jones mostly sticks to themes or ideas, like Monks or Merchants, and quilting them together between the twin posts of the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Renaissance.
I think this might be the perfect book for anyone interested in this time/place but who doesn't know where to start. It's not comprehensive, but really, what book you can lift with one hand could be?