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A review by nathanjhunt
James II (Penguin Monarchs): The Last Catholic King by David Womersley
informative
medium-paced
3.25
This was my 13th book finished in 2024.
To start with, I want to say that I did like the contents of the book, but I didn't like the style of it.
I found the author frequently used the longest and most convoluted way of framing a question or a sentence. This was very hard to engage with at times, and caused me to not follow on occasions.
One thing that I found a little off-putting was the way the author uses a lot of lengthy quotes, instead of incorporating them into a paragraph to explain the point he's making.
I do have a fair amount of background knowledge on the restoration era and the monarchs either side of James II, and that helped a lot. I think one would struggle a bit without that knowledge, as the author doesn't do much to explain details of historical events before and after James' reign.
To start with, I want to say that I did like the contents of the book, but I didn't like the style of it.
I found the author frequently used the longest and most convoluted way of framing a question or a sentence. This was very hard to engage with at times, and caused me to not follow on occasions.
One thing that I found a little off-putting was the way the author uses a lot of lengthy quotes, instead of incorporating them into a paragraph to explain the point he's making.
I do have a fair amount of background knowledge on the restoration era and the monarchs either side of James II, and that helped a lot. I think one would struggle a bit without that knowledge, as the author doesn't do much to explain details of historical events before and after James' reign.