A review by shellydennison
The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I's Dream by Charles Spencer

adventurous informative medium-paced

3.5

The title might lead you to think that the book focuses on the sinking of the White Ship, when the events of that night only really get a chapter. It's a straightforward narrative history of how England was ruled from the conquest to the accession of Henry II, using the drowning of Henry I's heir as the pivot point, as without it, the royal line would have looked very different. The focus is on the royals and nobility, there's not much here for readers interested in the lives of ordinary people and how they might have been impacted by the ensuing civil war etc. I'd have liked some of that kind of material but despite that it's well written and moved along at a good pace. A family tree or two might have been helpful for keeping the relationships clear in my head.