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Review
‘Rich, vivid and passionate…a moving, lyrical and principled piece of writing…Purkiss has a gift for evocation.’ Independent
‘You begin to get close to what it would have been like to live through the nine momentous years from 1640 to 1649…it would be hard to imagine anything more irresistible than this rich layer cake of a book, crammed with the stories and the voices that make history human.’ Guardian
‘Purkiss has an eye for the narrative vignette that can illuminate the age.’ Sunday Times
‘Wonderful…Purkiss offers a sumptuous portrait gallery of the men and women who lived, wrote and died during this turbulent period…A joyous read.’ Daily Telegraph
‘Narrative history at its best: gripping, heartfelt, complex.’ Mail on Sunday
‘This book vigorously brings the horror and humanity of the conflict to life.’ Financial Times
‘Light in touch, though grounded in an enormous wealth of documentary material this “people's history” shows how England’s men and women coped with quite extraordinary times.’ Scotsman
‘Worthy and engaging, full of entertaining nuggests.’ Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph
‘A seductive and gripping narrative that gives insight into humanity and into life.’ Guardian
‘Her vivid descriptions of the key battles at Marston Moor and Naseby are shocking and terrifying in their graphic detail of the suffering inflicted by canon, musket and pike…“The English Civil War” is a substantial book, elegantly written, meticulous in its detail and scrupulous in the sympathetic attention it pays to the voices it records.’ Literary Review
Guardian
'A seductive and gripping narrative that gives insight into
humanity and into life.'
humanity and into life.'
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First Sentence
One night in 1712, a man named Thomas Neville lay dying in his own bed, surrounded by family and friends. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
One night in 1712, a man named Thomas Neville lay dying in his own bed, surrounded by family and friends. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I think this is an excellent book and, unlike a lot of recent history, eminently readable. The insights it provides into what is already a much-written-about period are enlightening and often surprising. It is not a history of battles, nor is it my favourite account of the politics of the period (that has to be Christopher Hill's "The World Turned Upside Down"), but as an account of the effects of the period on the British peoples it breaks new ground in popular history. It is probably as well to have a little prior knowledge of the period to extract maximum pleasure from the book, but even the good old Pelican History can provide this ("England In The 17th Century" - Maurice Ashley)
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed reading this - it's popular history well done, for the general reader but assuming the right level of knowledge. Lots of interesting stuff about women in the civil war, daily life, and so on. But I did find the book somewhat slanted towards the Royalists and hostile towards the various other sides. In a way it reads like a riposte to Christopher Hill's claim that the Civil War was England's revolution - so the Levellers, and the Diggers, were conservative, backward-looking radicals; the 'godly' puritans were indeed joyless Calvinistic Taliban, and so on. She's good on the Clubmen though, and one can't help feeling some identification with them - especially now, at election time.
And considering how important religion is to the story, I'd have liked the distinctions between the various denominations and factions set out clearly in one place, rather than scattered through the text for the reader to pick up and assemble themselves. Still, a good book - and a salutary warning for anyone who thinks that revolutions and civil wars are fun.
And considering how important religion is to the story, I'd have liked the distinctions between the various denominations and factions set out clearly in one place, rather than scattered through the text for the reader to pick up and assemble themselves. Still, a good book - and a salutary warning for anyone who thinks that revolutions and civil wars are fun.
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm shocked to see this book receive such a poor rating. It's one of the best history books I've ever read. The reader who complains about the coverage given to women is missing the point. This is, as the title says, a people's history - and people includes women and children, not just the men whose exploits are usually chronicled. There are any number of books about the generals and politicians, but Purkiss's mission is to describe what the war was like for those who lived through it, whether or not they were involved in the fighting or political power-struggles. Hence we get chapters on children, food, art, iconoclasm, the banning of Christmas etc - though she's also excellent on the well-known figures like Charles I, Cromwell and Milton. I found it a gripping read, superbly written and often very funny. This is her account of the latest fashionable play at Charles's court: "It was about love. It was about faith. It was about four hours longer than the audience was used to."
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Recommended for both introductory level and also ECW enthusiasts
Great book for both people wanting to be introduced to the topic and also enthusiasts with prior knowledge. I love the hard back version and the font size is very readable.
Published 5 months ago by HRH989
An interesting read
This book covers the whole Civil War period, using plenty of primary sources, many written by ordinary people. The smaller details are often fascinating. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ed
Disappointingly incoherent
John Jacobs' review below is spot on. I knew little about the civil war before reading this, and not much more afterwards. Read more
Published 9 months ago by markinblack
Hmm...
Being a chap who has read many a book about the period that this publication addresses, I feel fairly qualified to comment. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. Adrian Holloway
'to acquire an honest name or an honourable grave'
Such were the words of Bevil Grenville in a letter he wrote in 1638 before setting out to join Charles I's campaign against the Scots. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Didier
Excellent- but a reader might require some prior knowledge.
I was given this book as a gift and initially my heart sank upon reading the sub-title- 'A people's history'. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Phil
Too many trees, not enough wood.
I was hoping for an account of the Civil Wars from the point of view of those taking part, as hinted at by the subtitle A People's History. Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2009 by J. Jacobs
A worthwhile read for people interested in the period
The books covers the English Civil War, the events leading up to it and some of its immediate aftermath, but from the perspective of the ordinary people (rather than the kings and... Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2009 by Bwana Kobe
Readable, engaging, and insightful
A wonderfully comprehensive review of the period that includes areas that would normally be missed in traditional top-down approaches, such as the experience for ordinary soliders,... Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2008 by Sophie
The people's war
An Australian has written the best book I have read on our civil war. She tells the story using the accounts and histories of people great and small involved in the most... Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2008 by G. J. Weeks
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