Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Atria Books #partner, for the finished copy of The Palace in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster ALC
Published: December 5, 2023
Summary:
The popular and “scrupulous historian” (Daily Mail, London) Gareth Russell presents five hundred years of British history—from King Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth II—as seen through the doorways of the exquisite Hampton Court Palace.
Architecturally breathtaking and rich in splendid art and décor, Hampton Court Palace has been the stage of some of the most important events in British history, such as the commissioning of King James’s version of the Bible, the staging of many of Shakespeare’s plays, and Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation ball.
Accessible, engaging, and unputdownable, The Palace takes us into every room in the castle, revealing the ups and downs of royal history and illustrating what was at play politically, socially, and economically at the time. An engaging and charming history book that is perfect for fans of Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory, and Andrew Lownie, The Palace makes you feel as if you were in the room as history was made.
My thoughts:
As soon as I saw this book, I knew I had to request it. I have long been a fan of British Monarchy ever since discovering Philippa Greggory’s Tudor books. This book gave such insight into Hampton Court Palace and I found myself completely captivated!
I loved how this book gave us such an insider look into all the many people who lived at the palace, some I was quite familiar with after reading so many books on the Tudors, and some I hadn’t heard of. This is why I love reading books like this – I always learn something new and it always sends me down the rabbit hole of my own research, leaving me wanting to know even more. This book isn’t about the architecture of the palace, but about the people and events that happened there and that is what made it so fascinating. While all true, it was written in such an engaging style that it made for such an enjoyable read, especially for someone who is really into this type of stuff.
This is the first book I’ve read by Gareth Russell and I will for sure be checking out what else he has written. If you are at all interested in royal history, I highly recommend checking this book out!
Audio thoughts:
I paired the audio with the print version, which I tend to do with nonfiction and it worked very well here. The narrator, John Telfer, was great and I found myself completely captivated all the way through.
Purchasing from the link below supports independent bookstores and my blog!
