Rate this book

Thomas Becket: Warrior, Priest, Rebel (2012)

by John Guy(Favorite Author)

3.94 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1400069076 (ISBN13: 9781400069071)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Random House

review 1: Fantastically written biography of Becket. My own knowledge of this time is limited to the texts I have read about Eleanor of Aquitaine and in those Becket is not a major player, because she is the focus instead of Henry. I learned just as much about Henry here as I did Becket, and their relationship. Excellent read, though Guy purports that they were not as close as legend and myth would have us believe. On the contrary he, perhaps unintentionally, gives evidence that say they in fact were. By all accounts, Henry was a 'tyrant' - a word Guy is VERY fond of in describing him. For someone who has the characteristics to be called a tyrant, it would seem that given his behavior and outlook, he and Thomas Becket really were as close as history has previously put forth - simply... more because he was as close as he could be to anyone, given his nasty temperament.
review 2: I liked the way the book was written, easy to read while still working in the relevant facts and dates that are necessary for any biography. It feels a bit light in spots, would like more info at various points, but by the end of the book you realize that is not the intention of this book. In the end I would say an easy to read overview of the person Thomas Becket but one that, for me, serves as a primer that would make me want to search out some more academic works. less

Download links for: Thomas Becket: Warrior, Priest, Rebel

Advertising