AmyM

[Rating is probably closer to 3.5]I am greatly interested in history and ancient cultures, but unfortunately it can be a hard topic to tackle in terms of good reading material. Such books tend to get too densely populated with dates and figures that I have trouble wrapping my head around the actual information. I'll give credit to Hibbert for compiling his book in a concise and readily understandable manner--it took only a few sittings for me to complete the book. This was a good introductory book to England's history, one that gives you a taste of all the different eras without divulging too much beyond that so don't expect to learn a great amount of thorough details. I was bothered by Hibbert's portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, he didn't seem to get so agitated with any of the male monarchs and came across as a bit sexist. I certainly hope that isn't the case here, but it came across that way. It was an interesting read, and I have more of an idea of which particular eras I'd like to research further. I'd be wary of him writing about either of those monarchs again though.