A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons

Brief Histories

By: Geoffrey Hindley

Narrated by: Eleanor David

Starting AD 400 (around the time of their invasion of England) and running through to the 1100s (the 'Aftermath'), historian Geoffrey Hindley shows the Anglo-Saxons as formative in the history not only of England but also of Europe. The society inspired by the warrior world of the Old English poem Beowulf saw England become the world's first nation state and Europe's first country to conduct affairs in its own language, and Bede and Boniface of Wessex establish the dating convention we still use today. Including all the latest research, this is a fascinating assessment of a vital historical period.

About the author: Geoffrey Hindley is an acclaimed Medievalist. His many books include The Shaping of Europe, Saladin: a Biography, The Book of Magna Carta, and A Brief History of the Crusades.

©2013 Geoffrey Hindley (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"This is an excellent assessment of a vital historical epoch from one of our most respected medievalists" ( Good Book Guide, July 1, 2006)

Get a map.

I love the history but this is a book where locations and generations. Move around so fast your head will spin.

Hard to follow for the uninitiated.

Eleanor Davis is excellent! the material is hard to follow though without some background on the events of and preceding 1066

Great overview

Really enjoyed the history. It honestly made me wonder if this is the main source that Bernard Cornwell used for his Saxon series. So much seems lifted right from these pages.

I was amused that the reader used ancient Latin pronunciation rather than medieval, which would have been more appropriate. And why Latinize English words? “Carolingian” should use a soft ‘g’ just as if it were an English word—because it is! Also, I think she could have listened to Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf to at least get an approximation of correct Old English pronunciation. Some serious butchery there. 😂

interesting

Very interesting telling of a group of people who are familiar but not known in modern times

A Fair Narrative Saved By Good Narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Possibly. If the friend had an earnest desire to learn more about Anglo-Saxon England, then yes, I would recommend it to them. I would not recommend it to someone as their first exposure to the subject matter.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Well, any good student of history knows who the Anglo-Saxon Age ends... and it's OK to blame it on the Normans.

Have you listened to any of Eleanor David’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narration was excellent. While the narrative lagged at points, Eleanor David's narration made to possible to continue through these rather 'dry' points.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reactions to report.

Any additional comments?

All in all the book was fair to good. Geoffrey Hindley is an author with good credentials on the subject matter to be sure, which makes it disappointing that he belabored the telling of this history with chronologies and lineages to the point it becames almost painful to the listener. As a study of the period, the book is academically solid and well-researched. This last point is the reason for an overall rating of 4 stars.