Medieval Lives: Eight Charismatic Men and Women of the Middle Ages by Norman F. Cantor

Medieval Lives: Eight Charismatic Men and Women of the Middle Ages Reviews

• 
  Ian McHugh

  This book is something that I would not normally have read. This book is about a period of History that, despite being a History nerd, I have only limited knowledge of. This is a lovely book that I enjoyed immensely.
  
  Norman Cantor constructs imagined tales and conversations between eight figures of Medieval historical importance and in the process tells more about the period, the changing ideas and attitudes, and the lives of the folk covered than any 'history book' could hope to achieve. In addition it's all done with a 'readability' that I found utterly pleasurable.
  
  In the beginning I found the construct of the stories slightly contrived but as I went from person to person I got used to the tone and content and relaxed into the enjoyment of the lessons of Medieval History that Professor Cantor was giving me.
  
  As a teacher, I'll certainly use extracts from this book to enliven my Medieval lessons, and to illustrate often difficult philosophical, ideological, and religious arguments from the period.
  
  A change from what I am used to but I will be much more willing to take on "historical fiction" as a consequence. My gratitude Mr. Cantor.
• 
  Bandit

  Lives of prominent historical figures of the Middle Ages told through discourses, conversations and debates with their contemporaries. The literary equivalent of history channel dramatic reenactments. I don't have as much interest in the era, but I love history and wanted to have a fairly well rounded self education in it. This book however didn't really work for me, specifically the format didn't really work for me. I would have preferred traditional biographies. It was educational, certainly, but too plodding of a read at times, not quite as exciting as history ought to be.
• 
  Daniel Kukwa

  The only Norman Cantor book of history that (to date) doesn't meet with my approval. He tries something different here: creating dialogue and presenting the information about his subjects as fictional debates between his chosen characters and their friends/enemies/rivals. It's a bold attempt at something different, but it doesn't succeed, for a number of reasons.
  
  First of all, Mr. Cantor doesn't have an ear for natural dialogue; this approach calls for someone like Phillipa Gregory, and the end result feels like reams of info-dumping worthy of Sir Basil Exposition. The second problem is that it occasionally degenerates into scenes straight out of a prime-time soap opera, especially when sneaking modern sensibilities and word-play into the mix. The Eleanor of Aquitaine section is a partcularly egregious example. Finally, there are a few surprising historical errors that stand out: (1) Eleanor outlived Richard I and died during the reign of John, not in 1194 as stated; (2) the kings of France, barring a handful of exceptions, were always crowned in Reims, not Orleans as stated in the Duke of Bedford chapter.
  
  I'll give this credit for being an interesting experiment...but in my opinion, it falls rather flat.
  
• 
  Alvin

  Cantor plops readers right in the middle of the power struggles and controversies that defined the middle ages by presenting his subjects a characters and making them debate their opinions. This does a good job of making their theological and political positions comprehensible to modern readers, but also leads to some jarringly unnatural expository dialogue. Still... a good read for medieval history buffs.
• 
  Yve Stone-chase

  Highly recommend. covers 8 different people of the middle ages
• 
  Michelle

  It took a bit for me to get used to how the author writes about each person, but I did get used to it and I did enjoy it. I was expecting and probably would have preferred the format historians typically write in, but hats off to him for being creative. In the end, you get what you put into it, I think.
• 
  Lynn Dee

  Recently I had become interested in the Middle Ages and was looking for a good book to provide an overview. I found this book at the library and really enjoyed it. The author's style puts you in the same room with these historical figures, overhearing their disputes and discussions.
• 
  Maggie

  one of my favorites! such a treasury of ideas and perspectives.
• 
  Deena

  Finished as in quit. This book is decidedly crap.
• 
  Fredrick Danysh

  Cantor attempts to describe how Europeans lived during the Middle Ages.
• 
  Nina

  have hardback
• 
  Amy

  Dry, dry, dry. Interesting people, but dull presentation