The Disappointed Idealist

The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III by Andrew Roberts My rating: 4 of 5 stars Although the book covers the entire reign of George III, it pays particular attention to the American Revolution. The book has three parts: 1. George's youth, influences, his reign up to the Revolution. 2. The Revolution, described in particular detail. 3. The end of the reign after the Revolution. The first part feels like a buildup meant to explain George's behaviour during the Revolution. You get introduced to his parents, his education, people who influenced his early upbringing. Much of it in the context of what he did later on in life. Part 2 occupies the largest part of the book (despite the fact that we are talking only about a sixth of George's total reign). It has the benefit of an approach that is different to what you would learn in school. Traditional historiography teaches the American Revolution as a heroic effort to escape British tyranny. The book gi

Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story of Brexit by Craig Oliver My rating: 3 of 5 stars The book is written like a journal, which sometimes can mean events are not presented as linked together. I found myself a few times having to go back to recheck the chain of events. David Cameron is presented in a very positive light and clearly the author has a very good opinion of him. I am not entirely sure it is justified. The part I appreciated the most was the realistic presentation of the bafflement of the Remain campaign in regards to the lengths the Leave campaign was willing to go to and the false information that was being spread around in the name of Leave. I think this is the sort of bafflement that remains to this day in regards to many other topics, which are being pushed around with aggressiveness and shared in the name of "free speech". This is the challenge of today's era of social media and Brexit was just one of the first visible examples. View all my reviews

Elizabeth Woodville: Mother of the Princes in the Tower by David Baldwin My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a well written book on a historical character that, due to recent books and TV Shows, has regained a certain notoriety among the commonfolk. It is a good start if you don't know anything about Elizabeth - as I feel that it manages to cover everything without getting too lost in the details, but also without getting to essay-like. It paints a generally positive picture of her, but it does not refrain from mentioning the less honourable sides of her story. It manages to stay somewhat neutral in the most controversial part of Elizabeth's story - the Princes in the Tower. I appreciate the fact that it does not defend Richard III's more ruthless actions but also does not automatically assume him guilty of killing the Princes. In fact, this book is one of the very few that actually take the Duke of Buckingham seriously as an alternative suspect. This is a particular aspect

Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI by Lauren Johnson My rating: 4 of 5 stars It all began with an all-conquering father, who died before he had to face too much struggle to keep what was conquered and some bickering uncles who fought for power and sacrificed the boy king in the process. History is not kind to kind people. Henry VI was a kind man, but a bad king - quite in a similar fashion to Charles I, Louis XVI and Nicholas II, who all were said to be loving, family men and still somehow ended up executed by the people they were meant to rule. Henry VI was a kind man, but a bad king in a similar way in which Edward IV was lecher, but a successful ruler. The antithesis between Henry and his usurper is evident all throughout this book. As is the antithesis between Henry and all the people who fought to keep him in a position of power that he probably would have been better off without. The book starts by saying that it all could have been avoidable and that everything that

I have no hope of anyone reading this on an active basis, but I have randomly visited this blog to realize it's been two years since I've written anything on it. These two years are almost the exact equivalent to the day of the time that's passed since I moved to a new house - for the first time a house, with a yard, instead of an apartment. It's a beautiful experience but, boy, it keeps you busy.  So here are some conclusions I've drawn since I've started living here: 1. Living in a house is an ongoing work. Even if I had all the time in the world, it would still probably take years to do all the things I want to do around the house and yard. As things are right now, where I have a job and a child to take care of, it will never be done.  2. Especially with the whole COVID-19 crisis that we are still in the middle of, having a yard is wonderful. I have the possibility to breathe fresh air without having to pack for a trip. I was fortunate to find a house in an a

Sex Lives of the Kings & Queens of England: An Irreverent Expose of the Monarchs from Henry VIII to the Present Day by Nigel Cawthorne My rating: 1 of 5 stars Not entirely accurate. Gossip oriented to the point that even monarchs like Edward VI and Jane Grey (dead in their teens) were included. View all my reviews