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kingarooski's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this look into life in London during the Georgian era. The book's chapters focus on each of the neighbourhoods or areas of London and offer a really good insight into the notable residents, the jobs and businesses of the are, as well as, a great description of the geography and how it changed over time. A lovely, accessible and informative read.
jaibee's review against another edition
4.0
I was on course to slap a 5 on this but I lost interest the closer to the end/further out of the city we got - I think, the areas which are indisputably London now (Bethnal green, Whitechapel, Hampstead) would have benefitted from more comparison to how they are today than the idea of them being villages outside of the city that were slowly built up as that’s harder to imagine when what you know is the modern day metropolis...
That said, the early chapters in particular are fantastic - everything about the city, Westminster, Mayfair et al were evocative of the era and full of wonderful (and often funny) historical titbits that I didn’t know.
That said, the early chapters in particular are fantastic - everything about the city, Westminster, Mayfair et al were evocative of the era and full of wonderful (and often funny) historical titbits that I didn’t know.
ronanmcd's review against another edition
4.0
How brilliant is this? London WAS the Georgian Age. It is a time so strange and yet so familiar to us. In London's history we see the basis of our current ideas, moralities and underpinnings of society. But via the Victorians and the carnage of the twentieth century they are at a remove, and fascinatingly so.
This book reads as a scattergun approach to history by its logic; eschewing chronology in favour of geography. But that didn't take away from its wonderful density and colour.
Who can argue with a book filled constantly with murders, prostitutes of various flavours and aristocracy bankrupting themselves at every opportunity?
This book reads as a scattergun approach to history by its logic; eschewing chronology in favour of geography. But that didn't take away from its wonderful density and colour.
Who can argue with a book filled constantly with murders, prostitutes of various flavours and aristocracy bankrupting themselves at every opportunity?
sophiadh's review against another edition
3.0
I love London and have read a fair number of books on the city during specific time periods. I picked this one up at the Sir John Soane Museum when I visited in November. According to the introduction it started as a blog, a forum for the author to post the interesting stories that she found in the course of her research about the city of London during the Georgian period. She was interested in the stories of regular people rather than the well-known. I had a difficult time getting into it, despite my interest in the topic. It is organized by area – i.e. Spitalfields, Smithfield, Kensington, etc. It reads more like a blog than a book at first – like a bunch of stories strung together without a lot of linkage other than the topic. I’m not sure if I simply got used to her way of writing or if the stories link better further into the book. It is well researched, and the stories are interesting. I did enjoy it, but I think there are better books out there on this topic.
jaibee's review
4.0
I was on course to slap a 5 on this but I lost interest the closer to the end/further out of the city we got - I think, the areas which are indisputably London now (Bethnal green, Whitechapel, Hampstead) would have benefitted from more comparison to how they are today than the idea of them being villages outside of the city that were slowly built up as that’s harder to imagine when what you know is the modern day metropolis...
That said, the early chapters in particular are fantastic - everything about the city, Westminster, Mayfair et al were evocative of the era and full of wonderful (and often funny) historical titbits that I didn’t know.
That said, the early chapters in particular are fantastic - everything about the city, Westminster, Mayfair et al were evocative of the era and full of wonderful (and often funny) historical titbits that I didn’t know.
annetja's review
5.0
Excellent. Superbly researched and engagingly written. Absolutely absorbing, even for one not well versed in London's geography.