5 comments about King John (Yale English Monarchs Series).

1. I was a little hesitant about ordering this book at first for fear it would be dry and complicated. I was very happy to discover it was neither. It is well researched and well written. Warren gives you a good feel about the period and the challenges John faced. I even found myself asking "what would I have done in his place?" This book busted a few of the "Bad King John" myths as well as some of the "Good King Richard" ones. This is a very readable book provided you have an interest and a little knowledge about the period. If you are looking for a "Robin Hood" type story this isn't it. It's not a page turner but nor should it be. This is the story of a complex man during a complex time and Warren did a great job of bringing it to life without making it dull.



2. This book shows the "dastardly" King John of Robin Hood fame in a more realistic light. He is seen to be an enlightened ruler who reviewed the law courts and other English institutions and who truly, of all the previous Plantagenet kings, preferred England as his inheritance. He is not the cowed king who is seen to have signed the Magna Carta, but a king who was faced with the accumulatiom of misrule by previous Plantagnet rulers including his brother Richard the Lion Heart. This book does not hide the King's less likeable attributes, avarice, lustfullness, a bad temper, a vengeful nature, but then Richard Coeur de Leon had that too. This book shows that John was no worse than his predecessors. Read also "Eleanor of Aquitaine" by Alison Weir, which corroborates this book very well..



3. King John has the reputation as being the absolutely worse King England has ever had. Accused of lechery, murder, treason and much more, John is looked on as an absolute failure, and is warped out of all recognition as the bad Prince John of Robin Hood. The only bright spot in his reign is John's grant of the Magna Charta, which is looked on by many as the ultimate foundation stone upon which English and American freedoms rest.
   W.L. Warren, in this exhaustively researched book, paints a full picture of the life of this least successful of English kings. Dr. Warren points out that much of John's bad reputation results from writer's contrasting him with his brother, Richard the Lionheart.
   This book gives us the reality of King John. It doesn't excuse him. It does explain him.



4. An excellent history book, factual as a text book but reads like a novel. Hollywood could never dream up a life or character so complex.



5. In this excellent book, W. L. Warren attempts to rehabilitate the image of King John of England. Warren sees a gulf existing between the reality of John's reign and its popular perception. He writes, "It is a gulf that I have attempted in this book to bridge--reassessing the reign of King John in the light of the most recent research, and presenting it in a way that is, I hope, both readable and sound" (xi). In KING JOHN, Warren succeeds in this aim by producing an accessible text that illuminates the complex rule of John.
   
   Warren begins by analyzing the source materials and the biases that the sources contain. He explains how depending on which sources you believe, John was either an industrious and clever, yet flawed, monarch, or a foolish and wicked do-nothing king. Warren convincingly argues for the former portrait of John.
   
   John's reputation is much lower than that of his father and elder brother, but Warren's book shows that in many ways he was much like them. John was far from being the inept successor to great men. John had Henry and Richard's talent and energy, but he also had their heavy-handedness. John inherited a dire need for silver and an unstable political situation on the continent from his brother. These things coupled with John's inherent distrust of his barons robbed him of much of his continental territory. John's reign, however, was not merely one of failure. Though he didn't regain Normandy, he did consolidate power over Ireland and manage to frustrate Philip's seemingly realistic dreams of conquering England. Warren's portrayal of John is much more interesting than his reputation as the wicked king. KING JOHN is an excellent example of biography, both convincing and readable.

1 comments about The King's Wife: George IV and Mrs Fitzherbert.

1. marie never let any man make a victim out her.the prince of wale was a spoiled brat who fell more in love with her than she in him.she survived 2 husband befor prince of wales lost heart to her.she made sure she got a wedding ring own her finger even with her marriage to the prince being illegal in the eyes of the crown.in the end her place in prince life change she made sure her and her childern recieve money to live comfortable lives from the crown.

3 comments about Napoleon & Marie Louise: The Emperor's Second Wife.

1. As I had feared, its a bit dry. I wish that these historians who decide towrite a biography of a female political consort wouldnt rant on about how the woman and her great qualities were "Ignored By History" and then spend most of the book doing an in-depth analysis of the subjects husband, father, brothers and male friends with little mention of their subject, except a few token passage about what she was wearing at some important historical moment. It really is a most insulting irony. I mean, the main market out there is educated affluent women, buying these biographies because they want to read about the role of their gender in History, and hopefully relate to an historical tradition of female strength. The dust jacket will have solitary portraits of the woman herself, littered with phrases like: "finally X is restored to her former stature!" Then you buy the sodding book and its a roll call of every man who passed through a woman's life and what impressions they recorded.

   I did NOT buy this book to read exclusively about Napoleon and Leopold of Austria. I took Western Civ for that years ago. I bought this book to read about a French Empress that my Western Civ text devoted a mere two lines to, only to discover that Palmer had done very little more than that, preferring to witter on about the complexity of Napoleons character and the military significance of the towns where Marie-Louise incidentally bought a frock.

   The worst part about it is that Palmer is a very good historian, with an eye to detail. Its frustrating to realize that if he had really been interested in writing a book about Napoleons second wife, he could have done an excellent job. It is both well written and informative.




2. Reading this history, I had hoped to gain a broader insight into the character of Marie Louise. But the author only reinforced my first impressions of her as a shallow, frivolous woman whose only claim to fame was her marriage to Napoleon.
   Palmer wastes the first third of the book in rehashing the political situation in Europe and detailing Napoleon's rise to power. These things could have been skimmed over with more focus on the imperial marriage as the title suggests. I have read numerous histories on Napoleon and Palmer leaves out details about this second marriage that would have been interesting to the uninformed reader.
   Her depth of love for Napoleon during their marriage was a pleasant surprise but only reemphasized the shame of her desertion when he fell from glory.
   Louise was influenced by the men around her and seldom acted on her own initiative. Palmer excuses her indiscretions with the fact of her youth. There have been younger women in history who demonstrated far more courage and intelligence in times of crises. Louise did what the men close to her wanted her to do. Her father insisted she never see Napoleon again after his defeat and she placidly obeyed. As Duchess of Parma she was happy to leave governing to her lover. She found such things 'tedious'.
   It's impossible to feel sympathy for this young woman who, Palmer emphasizes, made a political sacrifice in 1810 by marrying Napoleon, a man who elevated her to Empress, indulged and loved her, and gave her a status she didn't deserve.
   Only interested in musical evenings and surrounding herself with attentive men, Marie Louse remained superficial to the end.



3. I have to agree with the earlier two reviews that this book isn't really about Marie-Louise. It rather focuses on the personalities and events surrounding Austrian dealings with Napoleonic France. Napoleon of course comes out as the dominant personality of the age. However, Count Metternich and Emperor Francis I are also brilliantly sketched in, the latter especially in his dealings with his daughter. Surprisingly, I found this coverage to be the main strength of the book as the writer clearly has an excellent grasp of the flow of events and writes with a clear narrative style.
   Thankfully, the writer minimises the overly sentimental quotes from Marie-Louise's diaries and also the unnecessary gossips about her amorous affairs.
   Marie-Louise is really a walk-on character, to pivot the story and to give the book an interesting title. She could not have been better presented.

No comments about Royal Families and Palaces of Gujarat.

No comments about The Life And Times of Louisa, Queen of Prussia With an Introductory Sketch of Prussian History.

2 comments about Invitation to a Royal Weddiing: Edward and Sophie, June 19, 1999.

1. I have checked this book out so many times at my local libary I just may have to get a copy of this book for my own personal collection! the author has done other books about the wedding of Charles and Diana and Andrew and Sarah . They were very good books, yet this one is the absolute best one of them all! the stories about the couple are terrific, the pictures are senstional! a grand book to read if you are a fan of the royal family! highly recommened!



2. I've got it, there's a lot of information (historical and biographical) here but I wasn't bowled over by it. The most valuable part may be the Sophie material that it contains, she hasn't been abused the way Diana was.

No comments about Royal Scandals.

2 comments about Edward the Confessor (English Monarchs).

1. Though the subject of this book may seem a bit daunting and even boring, I promise you that Frank Barlow has done a fabulous job. He has brought to life the enigmatic and somewhat obscure lives of the most important Englishmen of the late 11th century: Edward the Confessor, Earl Godwin, Edith Godwin's daughter, King Harold II, Swegn Godwinson, and Tostig Godwinson. A must-read.



2. Wow - this man knows his history! If you are a serious historian interested in Edward the Confessor - this is your Bible! The reading is extremely dry - don't think you'll find more here than the facts, but there are facts galore! Barlow begins with an indepth look at Edward's background and the background of the political situation in England. He ends with the impact of Edward during the reign of Henry III and covers literally EVERYTHING in between. Then for good measure, he adds nearly another 100 pages of appendicies, time lines, maps, tables and illustrations. I'm very impressed with the author's knowledge of the subject. I only hold back that last "star" because I regret that the author didn't make it a bit more "friendly" to read. It is dry and moves slowly and is not probably a book that would generate interest in Edward the Confessor so much as it is a book to verify facts for those already interested. I personally prefer history and historical fiction that can introduce a reader to a subject and make them want to read more. I'm afraid that his work will be too daunting to many and makes Edward sound extremely dull - which he truly was not.

No comments about I'll Tell the Jokes Arthur.

No comments about The Making of King James II.