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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
A VERY informative book on its subject matter: 14th-century France. It details the rise and fall of kings, the Black Death, the 100-Years War, crusades, peasant uprisings, brigandage, living conditions, social order, etc. It really leaves no stone unturned, with the possible exception of the technology of the time period.
This book is not a quick read in the slightest, even though it does have the thread of the Coucy Barony running throughout and some very influential people inhabiting the castle, especially Enguerrand VII. One of the main problems is so many characters that it's easy to forget who is who--compounded by many with similar names. Another shortcoming is there is very little description of the setting in which things are taking place.
I'm not sure how much I remembered, though. It's a good book, but not a good place to start with the Middle Ages. More like the pinnacle.
This book is not a quick read in the slightest, even though it does have the thread of the Coucy Barony running throughout and some very influential people inhabiting the castle, especially Enguerrand VII. One of the main problems is so many characters that it's easy to forget who is who--compounded by many with similar names. Another shortcoming is there is very little description of the setting in which things are taking place.
I'm not sure how much I remembered, though. It's a good book, but not a good place to start with the Middle Ages. More like the pinnacle.
informative
challenging
informative
slow-paced
I haven't read a Tuchman book in about 7 or 8 years, and I had forgotten how much I truly loved her writing. She brings a cleverness, humanity, and wit to a period that seemed deprived of all three.
If you enjoy reading medieval history then this book is for you! Tuchman tells the story of the 1300s, focusing on the last fifty years, in all of its turmoil. She focuses on one man, Enguerrand de Coucy VII, whose life spanned this time. I enjoyed his character and was actually sad when he died (though it is a history book, so of course he dies!). The events of this turning point in history include the papal schism (two popes!), the hundred years war between France and England, a few crusades, and the Black Plague. This is not a time period I would want to live in, and Tuchman brings many of the horrors of this era to life. Reading about the various wars makes you shake your head in wonder at the apparent ineptitude (idiocy) of the various leaders who refused to adapt their methods and often led their armies into slaughter, especially when facing the Turks. Overall, good history is as entertaining and interesting as good fiction, so again, if you enjoy history check this one out.
Excellent, readable history of a time even more calamitous than now... a good outlook refresher.
so here's the thing about reading historical non-fiction: i won't remember the details, or the dates, but i always walk away with a fundamental understanding of humanity. this book reminds me of why i love reading history so fking much. it gives me this sense of shared humanity - that we've been fking things up since time immemorial, that majority of us will live lives reduced to statistics, that we are motes of dust in the greater universe. and you know what, that's fine.
because this means that no matter how apocalyptic your era seems (and the middle ages that this book covers are as apocalyptic as it gets - the black plague, endless pointless wars, ineffective government if at all), the world will go on, because humanity always finds a way. and if most of us won't make a difference in the way that matters to history, what's really stopping you from living life the way you want it instead of the way society tells you you must in order to matter?
and you might think that a book written in the 70s, covering the middle ages, would be dry, but the writing in this book - seriously, wow, so evocative and funny and entertaining. don't get me wrong, this is still a behemoth to get through, and a slog at points, but the writing is indeed beautiful and it just sweeps me right into the middle ages, and when i extricate myself from the pages, grateful to be living in the here and now.
this isn't a coherent review - i could talk about how this book opened my eyes to medieval christianity and europe and warfare - but i can only talk about how it makes me feel. and that's the thing, i won't remember the names of the french kings that went mad, and the dukes that hated each other, but i will remember the awe of recognising a fundamental truth about being human across time, and i will remember the events covered in this book that brought me there.
because this means that no matter how apocalyptic your era seems (and the middle ages that this book covers are as apocalyptic as it gets - the black plague, endless pointless wars, ineffective government if at all), the world will go on, because humanity always finds a way. and if most of us won't make a difference in the way that matters to history, what's really stopping you from living life the way you want it instead of the way society tells you you must in order to matter?
and you might think that a book written in the 70s, covering the middle ages, would be dry, but the writing in this book - seriously, wow, so evocative and funny and entertaining. don't get me wrong, this is still a behemoth to get through, and a slog at points, but the writing is indeed beautiful and it just sweeps me right into the middle ages, and when i extricate myself from the pages, grateful to be living in the here and now.
this isn't a coherent review - i could talk about how this book opened my eyes to medieval christianity and europe and warfare - but i can only talk about how it makes me feel. and that's the thing, i won't remember the names of the french kings that went mad, and the dukes that hated each other, but i will remember the awe of recognising a fundamental truth about being human across time, and i will remember the events covered in this book that brought me there.
This book was so great! I purposefully read it slowly so it would last. Meticulously researched but lightly written, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and surprisingly relevant to the modern day
A wonderfully detailed book about the 14th Century in Europe that included chivalry, castles, and crusades, but also the chaos of the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, the Black Prince, the flagellants, and the Great Schism. In her investigation of the 14th Century, Tuchman follows the life of Enguerrand de Coucy and uses his career as a French knight to organize her explanations of the politics of the age. Life was not easy in the 14th Century, especially if you were not part of the ruling class. Heavy taxation, endless warfare, plague, and social and economic upheavals were the norm and the endless struggle for power and influence was ceaseless. Books like this are why I majored in History and now teach it at the college level. However, if an overwhelming interest in history is not your primary focus, at 677 pages, this book may be more about the 14th Century than you ever wanted to know.
informative
slow-paced