Although this sounded like a good read, I was unable to get into it. It was really dense and may not have been right for me right now.

This book spans from the Boer War and Queen Victoria’s death through to Diana, Princess of Wales’ death in 1997. It is a busy and sometimes overwhelming century in English history. Certain figures, like Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher stick out, but for the longest time it was a blur to me. Innovation focuses on politics and society rather than royals (despite the cover), so I found that it balanced out my modern royal history really well. If you aren’t familiar with English political parties, I would say 2-3 minutes of quick reading is all you need to follow this book. It is so rare to find comprehensive books that don’t feel like they’ve been assigned for a secondary school or university course, and Ackroyd’s book is anything but a textbook.

If you are a dedicated reader of Ackroyd’s History series or want to know more about England in the twentieth century, Innovation is the perfect book for you.

Well written history of England from Queen Victoria to Princess Diana. I enjoyed reading this book especially the section on culture.Found the book really informative will be recommending.#netgalley #St.martinspress

Innovation covers England history from the time of queen Victoria's death until the death of princess Diana in 1997. Really doesn't mention the royal family that much. Just enough so you relate what's going in the royal family to what's going on in England. This is the first book I've read by Peter Ackroyd. I am looking for to reading the previous books In this series.

I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher and/or author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

This history of 20th century England is accessible and comprehensive, but comes across as almost antiseptic. The recitation of facts seems competent enough, but there's little life in the text. That may be due to the fact that these eras have been dramatized in Downton Abbey, the Crown, and countless films and therefore dry prose cannot help but pale in comparison.

The sections about life and culture were more interesting than the political discussions but there was a curious unevenness to what was discussed. I swear there were more words devoted to Lonnie Donnegan than the Holocaust.

This format probably worked much better for earlier eras for which sources and histories are much more scarce. It's not unreadable, exactly, just...uninspiring.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.