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The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England

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The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England

By: Antonia Fraser - editor
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
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Summary

This magnificent story of 1,000 years of English history is told through the lives and deeds of Kings and Queens, from the Normans to the Windsors. Understand how the power of the crown has changed as a result of both the character and ability of each monarch and evolving historical circumstances. Eight specialist contributors depict the whole spectrum of royal life in a succinct and fascinating way. Newly revised in 1998, this edition offers expanded coverage of the House of Windsor, including recent events that have greatly affected the Royal Family.

©1998 Antonia Fraser (P)1998 by The Audio Partners Publishing Corp. Europe Historical Medieval British History
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Got as far as Henry VIII (no new or remotely interesting insights were shed upon this greatly overtold story) when the increasing frequency of ”Joosting” got to me.

The reader is AWFUL.

Did nobody listen to this before release?

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A freebie on Audible, I picked this one up as an alternative to listening to my usual history podcasts to fall asleep to. I have read this before... in fact I think I only removed the physical copy from my bookshelf last year to donate to charity, so it was vaguely familiar, but equally I've read lots of the different books on this topic by various authors, as it's endlessly fascinating to me!

You can certainly tell this is an older audiobook because of the recording quality; it's clear and the narrator is very good, but the length in pauses between paragraphs is very long and there's a distinct crackly undertone to the sound. The narrator also pronounces certain words in an odd way, 'joust' being one example (I've only ever heard it said as "jowst", but she pronounces it like "juiced"). I get different strokes for different folks, but this did bug me a bit after a while.

The book is split into the usual dynastic groupings, with a different author taking on each period. While it is fairly detailed and yet concise, I do think it is a shame that Antonia Fraser didn't take this task on herself; she's a great historian in her own right and I think having her perspective one each ruler would be very interesting. As it is, it's a little bit all over the place; some authors focus more on the historic events, others the people, and each author seems to have a clear 'favourite' so you don't get a consistent approach to each examination.

The age of the book does also let it down. Initially published in 1975, this version has been updated to bring us up to 1999, but it's still comes across as rather traditional history. All if the featured authors are male (as far as I know), and the gender biases of the time do come through quire clearly in places; none of the Queens get a particularly glowing reception, and something about their chapters just seems 'off' to me when compared with the various Kings.

If nithing else, I can recommend this as good for those who struggle to fall asleep - in the nicest possible way, it did the job I asked it to - it's engaging enough that my brain wants to listen and understand rather than start whirring with all my worries, but it's not over-stimulating so sleep comes far more naturally. And it is worth a listen if you have an interest in the subject, but there are definitely better versions out there.

Good for falling asleep to.

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There are many inaccuracies. Elizabeth l was not the stepsister of Mary l, she was a half sister. Edward, son of Henry Vlll, was not born by Caesarean section. This medical procedure only appeared in medical books in 1600 and was considered dangerous until late 1900. Jane Seymour died of puerperal fever, not from post op trauma.
It’s a relatively easy listen but not to be quoted as fact.

Interesting enough but....

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Rather rushed history not surprising considering the timescale covered but spoiled by many inaccuracies such as Queen Jane having a Caesarean section.

The narration didn’t help with some bizarre pronunciations

Overall disappointing glad that it was a Plus Catalogue item so didn’t pay for it!

Whistle stop trip through history

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Wanda MaCaddon animates this story to make it both a light and critical account of the monarchy.

A very enjoyable listen!

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