The Shortest History of England

There’s a lot of ground to cover and James Hawes does it reasonably well. I liked the graphics and the maps; certainly the maps were very useful. I thought that the text was somewhat opinionated, especially as I reached the current time period. I would have preferred more objectivity. While the writing style is conversational, I did not find it as pleasing as the writing in “The Shortest History of China”. Overall, though, it was a worthwhile read. Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for the advance reader copy.

The title, "The Shortest History of England," perfectly describes what this book delivers. It is a short, crisp history of an incredibly complicated country. Hawes' writing is crisp but delivers a good deal of information. Some of the history told will ring familiar if you're a fan of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," believe it or not. There were elements that seemed short-changed, like World War I and II, as well as current history which have had significant global impact (nary a mention of Teresa May, as an example). Still, this was an informative, enjoyable. read. Thanks to NetGalley and the Experiment for the opportunity to read this advance copy. #NetGalley #TheShortestHistoryofEngland

Great overview for Anglophiles. I liked that Hawes framed events within one focus- south versus north, south versus everywhere else. This idea was new to me and the perspective helped me to understand history and current events a bit better.

Hawes really packed a lot of material into a neat little package. I found the pacing to be excellent, never lingering too long or drawing out a topic. It kept the extensive history of England flowing quickly and easily. It was very interesting and I think our Anglophile patrons will devour it.

Very much enjoyed the format of this title and the compact way it shared history over multiple centuries. It was readable and not overwhelming, but I also felt like I learned quite a bit.

Definitely curious about the other title by this author now, which always feels like a sign of a good book to me!

I love a good history book and this was one. It was concise and informative, This is great for people who want to learn about something but can not read a 1000 page book. Genius Idea.

I have a bias against reading history books because they are usually overly detailed and long. I had to marvel at Hawes' ability to communicate a significant amount of information in a succinct way while still relying on artifacts and primary sources, and enough visuals and textual variances to keep the mind from wandering.