👑👑👑👑👑 5/5 Crowns – David Mitchell telling me the history of England’s monarchs, what’s not to love?!
Format: Audiobook (Spotify)
Read: July 2024
I didn’t know I needed David Mitchell to give me a potted history of the monarchy, but I did and this was flipping brilliant.
Has David reached National Treasure status? He must have right? He will always be Mark Corrigan off of Peep Show to me, but he’s also the highlight of I ever watch Would I Lie To You? And has there ever been a celebrity marriage that makes more sense than Victoria Coren and David Mitchell? I would love to know what they’re like as parents!
It turns out one of the things David has in common with Mark is a love of history. But we’re not doing Business Secrets of the Pharaohs! This is a history of the rulers of England up until Elizabeth II (after that King James I was ruler of Scotland and England). From the little we know of the thugs who controlled the numerous kingdoms in the mists of time pre-Roman Invasion, through the dark and middle aged when the ruler was just the biggest brute around before ceremonies, crowns and God were brought into the mix with the idea of divine right.
There are plenty of asides, and fun to be had at the mad sounding names of the past (he does not let King Cnut go by unremarked), how helpless the people of the Dark Ages were without the Romans, and the contrarian nature of historians.
I highly recommend getting this on audio because it’s really like you’re sitting down with David over a drink. And, astonishingly, this is the first audiobook I’ve listened to on normal speed! Usually I have to use 1.2 or 1.5 speed but not with David!
I will listen to this again one day because my memory is too bad to remember any of this, so I can enjoy it all over again! I listen to it on Spotify but I’m going to buy it now.
Even if you don’t care about history, if you enjoyed David’s vibe and comedy then I highly recommend it.
REVIEW SUMMARY
I LIKED
- Written in David’s voice and narrated by him it’s just like he is telling me all this over dinner or drinks.
- Funny, light hearted and with lots of irreverant asides.
- It made me think about some areas of history I know next to nothing about, like the time of the Roman occupation and the proceeding Dark Ages.
- The first audiobook I have not had to speed up!
- Definitely one I will buy to keep and listen to again.
