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A review by inlilac
Medieval Bodies: Life and Death in the Middle Ages by Jack Hartnell
informative
medium-paced
3.0
A gorgeously designed book I had been looking forward to reading, but it never moved beyond a "look at this cool thing" intro-level survey.
Decent choice for someone who hasn't read a recent (~last 20 years) medieval history, but the choice of a subject-matter theme (the body) without a clear thesis made it read like a supremely forgettable cabinet of curiosities: fun and nicely assembled, but lacking in coherent synthesis of information. People familiar with the era are likely to be familiar with many of the anecdotes, too.
Decent choice for someone who hasn't read a recent (~last 20 years) medieval history, but the choice of a subject-matter theme (the body) without a clear thesis made it read like a supremely forgettable cabinet of curiosities: fun and nicely assembled, but lacking in coherent synthesis of information. People familiar with the era are likely to be familiar with many of the anecdotes, too.