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charlotteyveta 's review for:
A terrific fast-paced read. The author has a narrative touch which brings to life the complex characters and events of a thousand years ago and more. The period of history which is covered is vastly complicated, with tumultuous events happening in almost every part of the known world, and this book is a worthy attempt to cover them all. Because of this, the author had to keep hopping around in time periods to make sure the context for each individual event was covered thoroughly. I was beginning to get a little confused as to the order of events, until I discovered the timeline at the end of the book, which helped no end.
It has to be said that this is narrative history (having said that, this book has a lot of analysis within it - a lot more than can be said for other 'popular'* works of history). As such, it necessarily takes an introductory approach to the events and glazes over some details. However, to cover the history of Europe (and beyond) from the end of the Roman Empire up to the Crusades in 400 pages, you would expect some things to be left out. If you already know much about this period of history, there won't be much here that is new to you. However, the skilled way in which Holland ties the multiple incidents into one investigation into the adolescence of Christianity, while still keeping the narration simple and readable, certainly makes this a worthwhile addition to any medievalist's library.
*I hate the word 'popular' in this context, as it is so often used derogatively and anobbishly to label history aimed at general readers rather than academics. However, apart from narrative history, I don't know another word to simply denote a work of history which chiefly aims to be readable by everyone rather than only for peers of the author.
It has to be said that this is narrative history (having said that, this book has a lot of analysis within it - a lot more than can be said for other 'popular'* works of history). As such, it necessarily takes an introductory approach to the events and glazes over some details. However, to cover the history of Europe (and beyond) from the end of the Roman Empire up to the Crusades in 400 pages, you would expect some things to be left out. If you already know much about this period of history, there won't be much here that is new to you. However, the skilled way in which Holland ties the multiple incidents into one investigation into the adolescence of Christianity, while still keeping the narration simple and readable, certainly makes this a worthwhile addition to any medievalist's library.
*I hate the word 'popular' in this context, as it is so often used derogatively and anobbishly to label history aimed at general readers rather than academics. However, apart from narrative history, I don't know another word to simply denote a work of history which chiefly aims to be readable by everyone rather than only for peers of the author.