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Royle's account is a compelling reconstruction of two of the most turbulent decades in British history. (SUNDAY TIMES )
Royle's magnificent history cannot be mistaken for anything other than a tour de force. (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )
Royle makes excellent use of primary sources, and, being a good historian, he throws everything into the battles (BBC History Magazine )
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If you're Irish (as I am) you are taught in school that during the English civil war Cromwell came over to Ireland and killed as many people as he could (just because they were Catholic and Irish) - we were taught very little else about this period.
I haven't read anything by Trevor Royle before, but after this I will certainly look him up again. When I saw this book in my local bookshop I thought that it was a devious marketing ploy to get people in Ireland and Scotland to buy this book about the English Civil War. This war truely involved all three countries and Royle expertly combines the this theme with his narrative.
Cromwell is treated sympathetically, while the Charles I is treated as a stubborn monarch unable to come to terms with the fact that he did not have a divine right to rule all his subjects as he saw fit.
The writing style is very easy for the amateur historian/reader to read. Some of the quotations from writers of the time are obviously difficult, but Royle adds useful explanations where necessary.
Though the book is about three kingdoms, Ireland features less than the other two. From an Irish viewpoint, there could be more about the Confederation of Kilkenny, the Plantations, Owen Roe O'Neill, etc - but overall no complaints about balance.
Irish, Scots, and English will all enjoy this book (Welsh too!). My only criticisim is that while the book is about the period 1638-1660, it does not end in 1660. Rather it continues up until 1690 and even describes the opening shots of the American War of Independence.
For me, the book should have stopped with the restoration of Charles II. Royle is such a superb writer and researcher that another book covering the period 1661-1715 would have been better. The post 1660 material in the current book is dealt with rapidly and less satisfactorily than what went before. I have deducted a star for this.
I particularly liked the opening into the early life of Charles as a boy through to his kingship, with emphasis on his belief, and of course his faith in that belief which brought matters with Parliament to a head leading to King Charles raising his banner and his subsequent execution, and thus the most significant turning point in British history.
I found it at times to be breathtaking and utterly compelling. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know the whys and wherefores without becoming bogged down in academic studies.
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