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verdunbeach 's review for:
A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
by Barbara W. Tuchman
There is altogether too much information packed into A Distant Mirror. The reader is left struggling with recalling the motives and relationships of a large cast of characters, as well as sometimes exceptionally detailed descriptions of 14th century life. Frankly, it causes significant non-fiction reading fatigue, something Tuchman entirely avoided in [b:The Guns of August|40779082|The Guns of August|Barbara W. Tuchman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531263026l/40779082._SY75_.jpg|1884932] perhaps thanks to it's more recent historical setting & relatable context.
Nonetheless, Tuchman has an incredible ability to create a cohesive narrative despite covering an era so far in the past and for which the historical record is even more spotty than for several Ancient cultures. Along with the occasional but regular pearls of insight about 14th century life this is what keeps you pushing on to the end. But it does not overcome the repetitiveness of the constant motifs Tuchman dives into with agonizing detail of religious strife, haphazard harsh taxation, the failing knightly culture and general lawlessness.
Nonetheless, Tuchman has an incredible ability to create a cohesive narrative despite covering an era so far in the past and for which the historical record is even more spotty than for several Ancient cultures. Along with the occasional but regular pearls of insight about 14th century life this is what keeps you pushing on to the end. But it does not overcome the repetitiveness of the constant motifs Tuchman dives into with agonizing detail of religious strife, haphazard harsh taxation, the failing knightly culture and general lawlessness.