Elegant, crisp prose and an immensely readable history; the first time I've really understood the schism between popes or the impact (economically and socially) of the Black Death beyond "ewww, gross." She is one of my favorite historians and a brilliant writer. Put it this way -- it was easier to adapt a chapter of this book for use in class than it was the textbook. The only problem is that the book is so dense and filled with characters and historical information that I lost track occasionally of what was actually being discussed, but I tend not to retain what I'm reading, and this book took me a couple of months. She also occasionally offers throw-away lines to describe historical events outside the scope of the book as if readers should all know them intimately on our own; I don't, and was left both intruiged and frustrated.
Grade: B
Originally posted 2006
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