The Battle of Hastings

The Fall of Anglo-Saxon England

By: Harriet Harvey Wood

Narrated by: Robin Rowan

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A compelling and contrary account of the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066, the most famous day in English history.

Harriet Harvey Woods fascinating and accessible book will change forever our view of the Norman conquest of England. Although the prevailing view is that the invaders brought culture and enlightenment to England, Harvey Wood argues that the Normans aggressive and illegal attack actually destroyed a highly developed civilization with long-established political institutions and sophisticated art forms.

The Battle of Hastings explores the background and lead-up to the invasion as well as the motives of the leading players, the state of warfare in England and Normandy in 1066, and the battle itself. King Harold ought to have won the battle of Hastings and enjoyed a peaceful and enlightened reign; The Battle of Hastings shows that the result could just as easily have gone the other way. This gripping book reveals how and why England came to be defeated on October 14, 1066, and what the country lost as a result.

©2009 Harriet Harvey Wood (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Excellent Historical Piece

This was an excellent Historical Account of an important Historical Event. It provides the necessary background for one to digest the true history of Anglo-Saxon and Norman History.

OK, but might be better read, than listened to

I found Robin Rowan's narration difficult to listen to. Part of this is due to my hearing, but the annoying aspect was the rhythm of her speech, which sounded staged and artificial, making it difficult to take the book in. In terms of content, Wood' book is a good, albeit biased in sympathy of the Anglo-Saxons, overview of the history surrounding the Battle of Hastings. I particularly liked the context she sketches in for 1066. Her handling of sources, however, became very odd near the end, where she began relying on sources that earlier she had criticized as being unreliable--and doing so without offering a justification or her reasoning for why those sources could be relied on that instance. Overall, it left me doubting her handling of the rest of her source material.

Sound quality is very poor

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

The book and the information it contains is fairly good. Very good detail and interesting retelling of the events leading up to Hastings. But the sound quality is very poor. The sound keeps fading out. The narrator is okay but a bit monotone, making it hard to keep the details straight. Mostly though the fading sound is what has made this hard to listen to. Pronunciation is also a bit off. Bruges is not pronounced with an s.

Would you be willing to try another book from Harriet Harvey Wood? Why or why not?

Maybe, depends on the subject

What didn’t you like about Robin Rowan’s performance?

Mispronunciation of some words such as Bruges, a monotone and seeming boredom with the text. The sound quality was VERY poor. It keeps fading out and in.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Detail was good and I would probably by the print to try again

The worst

If you don't have a working knowledge of this event forget about it. Events and people are hard to follow.
I learned much more about this battle from "The History of Britan"