Stuart Seymour
- 4
- reviews
- 54
- helpful votes
- 26
- ratings
-
The Isles
- A History
- By: Norman Davies
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 124
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 80
Here is the best-selling and controversial history of the British Isles, including Ireland, from the author of Europe: A History. Emphasizing long-standing European connections and positing a possible break-up of the United Kingdom, this agenda-setting work is destined to become a classic.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good if you know what you're getting
- By David on 09-12-10
- The Isles
- A History
- By: Norman Davies
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
Davies is good, some of his choices here aren't
Reviewed: 06-27-20
I've been a Davies' fan for years and I generally appreciate his somewhat idiosyncratic approach to history. But his angles are sometimes too obvious and occasionally pointlessly peevish.
Such is the case with referring to medieval British monarchs with their French names. Yes, Norman, we get it - Henry II spoke French and was certainly called Henri in his lifetime. But they are monarchs of an English-speaking nation that has primarily spoken English for over 600 years and your English-reading and (in this case) listening audience aren't benefited by having to play along with the petty pedantry of figuring out that Jean sans Terre is John Lackland and so forth.
Detracts significantly from the aural experience of an otherwise engaging work.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Pax Romana
- War, Peace, and Conquest in the Roman World
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 503
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 447
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 444
Pax Romana examines how the Romans came to control so much of the world and asks whether traditionally favorable images of the Roman peace are true. Goldsworthy vividly recounts the rebellions of the conquered and examines why they broke out, why most failed, and how they became exceedingly rare. He reveals that hostility was just one reaction to the arrival of Rome and that from the outset, conquered peoples collaborated, formed alliances, and joined invaders, causing resistance movements to fade away.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
2 stars if youve read goldsworthy; 2.5 or 3 if not
- By fm2 on 10-21-16
- Pax Romana
- War, Peace, and Conquest in the Roman World
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
Excellent work but narrative structure not ideal
Reviewed: 07-24-18
For audio. The way it jumps around outside of chronology isn't optimal for listening purposes
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Heart of Europe
- A History of the Holy Roman Empire
- By: Peter H. Wilson
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 34 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 349
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 308
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 305
The Holy Roman Empire lasted 1,000 years, far longer than ancient Rome. Yet this formidable dominion never inspired the awe of its predecessor. Voltaire quipped that it was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire. Yet as Peter H. Wilson shows, the Holy Roman Empire tells a millennial story of Europe better than the histories of individual nation-states.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Mixed feelings on this one.
- By Stuart Seymour on 09-19-17
- Heart of Europe
- A History of the Holy Roman Empire
- By: Peter H. Wilson
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
Mixed feelings on this one.
Reviewed: 09-19-17
I enjoy the material, and the work is solid overall. But there are occasional lazy swipes at parallel history that undermined my confidence in the scholarship. One specific example, his brief discussion of Empress Matilda of England massively oversimplifies the facts and the context of her conflict with Stephen of Blois, saying effectively "Matilda defeated her enemies in England" - which just isn't the case. Matilda's son eventually fought to a negotiated conclusion of this early English civil war, but her enemies were not "defeated" and to the extent that they were, she had already left.
Not to go over-granular, but this is one example of several where things happening on the margins of the HRE are reduced in ways that distort the relevant history.
I also didn't love the narration, but that's often a matter of taste.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
46 people found this helpful
-
In the Shadow of the Sword
- The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire
- By: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 711
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 623
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 616
The evolution of the Arab empire is one of the supreme narratives of ancient history, a story dazzlingly rich in drama, character, and achievement. In this exciting and sweeping history - the third in his trilogy of books on the ancient world - Tom Holland describes how the Arabs emerged to carve out a stupefyingly vast dominion in a matter of decades, overcoming seemingly insuperable odds to create an imperial civilization.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Misleading title
- By Edd Huetteman on 04-08-16
- In the Shadow of the Sword
- The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire
- By: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
Intriguing story, somewhat annoying narration
Reviewed: 08-05-17
The narrator tries to invest too much cuteness in every phrase, and plays the emphasis on clever wording too hard. It makes for annoyed listening
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful