Think you know the kings and queens of England? Think again.
In UNRULY, David Mitchell explores how England's monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects' destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky sods who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear today in their portraits.
Taking us right back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn't exist), David tells the founding story of post-Roman England right up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It's a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, excessive beheadings, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and at least one total Cnut, as the population evolved from having their crops nicked by the thug with the largest armed gang to bowing and paying taxes to a divinely anointed king.
How this happened, who it happened to and why it matters in modern Britain are all questions David answers with brilliance, wit and the full erudition of a man who once studied history - and won't let it off the hook for the mess it's made.
A funny book about a serious subject, UNRULY is for anyone who has ever wondered how we got here - and who is to blame.
Audiobook, 11 hours, 39 minutes
Read by David Mitchell.
Published September 28, 2023
by Penguin Audio
3.5/5 stars
I’ll admit I didn’t know who David Mitchell was when I picked this one up. It turns out he’s a well-known British comedian. That explains a lot, because what I expected to be a straightforward history lesson turned out to be a whole lot funnier (and stranger) than I bargained for.
Unruly takes a romp (his words, not mine) through the kings and queens of England, from the early days of the monarchy right up to Elizabeth I. As someone who loves history, and hopes one day to read through the line-up, that had me interested. What I wasn’t expecting was the comedy. Mitchell loves poking fun at the monarchs’ odd names, their bodily functions and some rather bizarre ways they met their end.
I listened to the audio book with Mitchell giving a dry, wry delivery. There was no need to ramp up the speed, he did that himself. At first the humour was a pleasant surprise, but after a while I found it got in the way. With so many jokes and so much satire, I often found myself distracted from the actual history, and I came away remembering the punchlines and other bizarre facts along the way.
If you enjoy English history and love a heavy dose of humour with your facts, this could be a fun listen. If you’re mainly after the history itself, you may find the jokes get in the way. All in all an entertaining listen though.
My audio book obtained through my KOBO subscription.
