What the heck was this book trying to be?

It did provide some insights into some of the misconceptions about the time period, but I fear it perpetuated many more by relying on anecdotes and conclusions that rested on shaking foundations. First there was the parentage of Elizabeth. Then there was the well-fed peasant - based on a single excavation site. Then there was the "we use leeches now after certain very specific surgeries, therefore medieval doctors were on to something!" conclusion. There was the monk who tried to fly, broke his legs, and "set flight back 900 years". I guess my biggest gripe here is anecdotes are not evidence and big bibliographies are not extensive research in and of themselves. Any conclusion drawn from the two leaves me skeptical at best.

There was little in the way of 'a view into the life of' and a whole lot of politics (which to be fair, does greatly shape the overall life of a general citizen). I felt that the first half of the book tried to give us that view, but by the second half devolved into political rants masked as history.

I found the writing style to be dry, and while it had some wit, it had nothing in the way of humour. Of course, the sketchy evidence probably had something to do with my mood.

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Created Dec 01, 2019 at 5:49pm • Submit your own review...