Great Tales from English History, Vol 2: Joan of Arc, the Princes in the Tower, Bloody Mary, Oliver Cromwell, Sir Isaac Newton & More by Robert Lacey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second volume (of three I think) of the author’s series of “Great Tales from English History” and I can safely say that if you liked the first volume, you’ll like this one. The author’s emphasis is on history as a series of connected narratives, and he really focuses on story telling. I think he does a good job.

This volume covers the time from the reign of Richard II to the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and so encompasses things like the War of the Roses, Henry VIII, The English Reformation, the Spanish Armada, Lady Jane Grey and the English Civil War to name a few. As in the first volume, each story is presented individually, though they are in chronological order. Because the time span is shorter than in the previous volume, the stories are more interconnected.

While this is probably not suitable for a serious student of English history, it’s a well-written and easy to read introduction to some of the more interesting parts of English history. And I recommend it.