Kings and Queens of Great Britain: Every Question Answered

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

Hugely comprehensive guide to the monarchy, starting with my favorites, the Wessex Kings, up through Elizabeth II. I find I'm not as interested in the monarchs to rule after James I, but it was still readable none the less.

There were facts here and there I'd not read before - such as Henry VII beating Henry VIII when he was angry - and I'm not sure are truly accurate. I've read more of the Tudors than any other dynasty, surely I'd remember a future tyrant getting his ears boxes by his increasingly conservative father?

All in all, there was nothing actually new to me, but I found it entertaining anyway. I especially enjoyed the end section that contained several governments going back to the time of Alfred. I love reading items like this in their original wording, the old old old English, so to speak. Recommended for anyone interested in the history of the English throne.

Additionally:

Whenever I read books like this that cover topics or people I know quite a bit about, I find it comforting. People have asked how I can read about the same people, places, and things over and over. Here is why: first, different authors have different perspectives, and may also have access to different sources (I guess if they want to be especially sneaky). The other reason might sound silly, but it is almost like catching up with an old friend who is retelling a story that I have already heard one hundred times. But still I listen (read), because it is a story I enjoy so much. This is exactly why I ca and will read every scrap of material I can get my hands on about Eleanor of Aquitaine.