Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

For most of my adult life, I have been interested in learning about the medieval era. I've been frustrated by the books I have read in the past because I either could not keep track of all the unfamiliar names and places thrown at me, or because they spoke only of political events and gave no information about what it was like to "be alive" back then. This book is the best I have read for allowing me to wrap my arms around the Middle Ages. The first and final chapters cover the political history in brief summary. It is written for the layman and does not assume that you already know your Pippen's from your Louis'. It broadly sketches the major events that occurred and why they were important, and it also tells why the Middle Ages differed from what came earlier (Antiquity) and what followed later (Early Modern era). The intervening chapters (the bulk of the book) describes each of the different social groups (nobility, peasantry, clergy, merchants, etc) and what it would have been like to have lived as a member of each class. It also describes the major institutions and how they functioned (Church, kingship, demesnes, free cities). Finally, the book gives a lot of solid and interesting information about medieval art, letters, and architecture. Those who are fairly advanced in knowledge about the Middle Ages will probably find little in this work that they don't already know. It is, after all, a relatively short book that covers almost 1,000 years in short, broad strokes. However, for those like me, who are interested in the period but really don't know much about it, this book is a wonderful place to begin your study.