Good Books

[ChristyVoltron]

My husband and I are cruising from Southampton to Southampton in August. Does anyone have any recommendations about good books to read to prepare for the trip about the history of England, Scotland, Ireland? They obviously don't have to be all in the same book. But I like to get a feel for the history before we travel. Also any recommendations for travel books?

[Alaskanb]

It sounds as though you are cruising around the British Isles…..?

Please tell us what type of book you enjoy reading as you have asked a huge question.The Eyewitness travel guides usually have a history section in their books that is very readable. http://www.amazon.com/DK-Eyewitness-Travel-Guide-Britain/dp/1465411488/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1399403648&sr=8-4&keywords=Great+Britain+travel+guides

After that I would focus on the areas around your ports of call.

[ChristyVoltron]

Yes, I am looking for books about the British Isles. I don't want the books to be too scholarly but to give us a general sense of the areas we will be visiting and its history. A friend recommended Outlander as a possible book for Scotland. And I will look into the travel guides you suggest. Thanks!

[Bojangles]

I agree , even though it is fiction there is a lot of history in them. Besides Diane gabledon is a good story, all her books are very good reading.

[Pet Nit Noy]

My husband and I are cruising from Southampton to Southampton in August. Does anyone have any recommendations about good books to read to prepare for the trip about the history of England, Scotland, Ireland? They obviously don't have to be all in the same book. But I like to get a feel for the history before we travel. Also any recommendations for travel books?

 

Citizens of London is about London during the years before the US' entry into WWII. It focuses on both Londoners and the Americans living there who pushed Roosevelt to overcome his hesitancy about entering the conflict. The book is about a very serious subject, but the author, Lynne Olson, writes so effectively that the reading moves along as if reading a novel. I can't recall any other non-fiction book that had the feel of a page-turner, like Olson's book.

 

I suspect you've gotten lots of recommendation for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Plus one for that marvelous book. Guernsey is the only part of England that was occupied by the Germans during WWII and this novel, written as a collection of letters, tells that story.

 

Not a book, but see if you can find The Wind That Shakes the Barley On Demand/Netflix/Red Box. This is a powerful film about the Irish Rebellion. Here's what Amazon has to say about the film: "Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, this gripping drama by Ken Loach (Raining Stones) is set during the early days of the Irish Republican Army, when British occupation of the Irish radicalized many a citizen and caused some to take up arms. Cillian Murphy plays Damien, a medical student on his way to London when he witnesses a couple of atrocities committed by British troops. Instead of becoming a doctor, he turns into a leading and respected figure in an IRA division led by his brother, Teddy (Padraic Delaney). The film provides some fascinating historical insight into the nascent resistance movement as it was in 1920, and Loach brilliantly conveys the profound emotional transition young men had to make to become saboteurs and killers. Loach's realistic style is absolutely mesmerizing, with many scenes built around the dynamics of large groups: contentious meetings, torture sessions, battles, celebrations, and the like. One has the sense of history as a pool of energy, and one also develops a kind of Renoiresque appreciation for the fact that different people on opposing sides of a life-or-death issue have their reasons for believing what they believe. As the story moves along, subtle shifts in the perspectives of men and women who had once agreed to be absolute in their fight for freedom results in a tragic yet understandable schism among Irish patriots. The final half-hour of The Wind That Shakes the Barley says a lot about how the Irish, including people who had known one another all their lives, turned their wrath on one another for so many decades. This is an outstanding film, featuring the best performance yet by Murphy (Red Eye)."

Edited May 6, 2014 by Pet Nit Noy

[Alaskanb]

http://www.amazon.com/Sarum-Novel-England-Edward-Rutherfurd-ebook/dp/B005IEGUDY/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1J93HBK7C1HXKAQEJ8BW

Sarum by Edward Rutherford

 

and if you can locate a copy "1066 and all that" a very humorous look at British history

Edited May 6, 2014 by Alaskanb

[ChristyVoltron]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I really appreciate it. I did read the Guernsey book and LOVED it. I'd better get reading!!

[Alaskanb]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I really appreciate it. I did read the Guernsey book and LOVED it. I'd better get reading!!

What ports are you visiting --that may give us an idea of what to recommend.

[LovesToRead]

We're also doing a British Isles cruise this summer. For that reason, I was happy to stumble upon Letters from Skye, by Jessica Brockmole. Although I wouldn't consider it great literature, the engrossing story gave me a sense of the Isle of Skye and Edinburgh, two ports that we'll visit. Happy reading and have a wonderful cruise!

[QueScaisJe]

I'm reading A Year In The Life Of William Shakespeare: 1599 as this is the 450th anniversary of his birth. Great historical background of the Elizabethan era, as well as Shakespeare's life and times. Highly recommended.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Guernsey is the only part of England that was occupied by the Germans during WWII and this novel, written as a collection of letters, tells that story.

 

 

Jersey was also occupied, but neither Guernsey nor Jersey are part of England, or indeed the United Kingdom. They are Crown dependencies with a rather complicated constitutional relationship with the UK (dating back to decisions made in the 13th century and the Queen's alter ego as the Duke of Normandy :))

 

And that illustrates the issue for this interesting question, which I'm surprised doesn't come up more often. Britain (or perhaps more accurately the British Isles) has a 5000 year human history, 2000 years of which is recorded history; it is a complicated tale of different peoples; of alliances and countries that come and go; of kings and queens and civil wars; and an empire that dominated the world. The modern construct of a United Kingdom, but a divided island of Ireland with an independent Irish state, is recent in historical terms and by no means typical of most of the history (nor indeed necessarily enduring, with a forthcoming vote on Scottish independence).

 

For a general, scholarly (but easy to read) overview I would recommend Simon Schama's History of Britain (which is in three parts) - or indeed the associated BBC series, which is available on DVD. For a shorter, breezier read to orientate yourself there is a British History for Dummies book. If you happen to be spending time in London, Peter Ackroyd's London: The Biography is brilliant, but not a narrative history.

[SteveH2508]

http://www.amazon.com/Sarum-Novel-England-Edward-Rutherfurd-ebook/dp/B005IEGUDY/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1J93HBK7C1HXKAQEJ8BW

Sarum by Edward Rutherford

 

and if you can locate a copy "1066 and all that" a very humorous look at British history

 

Edward Rutherford has also written one called London.

[4774Papa]

The best that I have read are

 

Winston Churchill's "History of the English Speaking Peoples"

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/History-English-Speaking-Peoples-Revolution-Democracies/dp/0880294272

 

Also, the History of Britain by Simon Schama

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=history%20of%20britain%20schama&sprefix=history+of+brit%2Cstripbooks%2C250

 

These are multi-volume sets and will take some time to read.

 

Schama has a DVD on the subject

http://www.amazon.com/Simon-Schama-History-Britain-Special/dp/B003K025Z0/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1399565178&sr=1-1&keywords=history+of+britain+schama

[orchestrapal]

It' a Shakespeare year in the London theatre and there will be many choices to see these plays as they were meant to be performed. Don't miss a chance to see and hear wonderful actors that are not trying to put on British accents as we have to suffer through in the US. Have a look at. Www. Londontheatre.co.uk