Sunday, April 5, 2009

A Dark History: The Kings and Queens of Europe by Brenda Ralph Lewis


"This is not a book for the faint-hearted. It took a strong stomach to write it. It could require another to read it." - Brenda Ralph Lewis


Mass murders of virgins. Burning people alive at the stake. Debauchery. Insanity. Incest. These are the tragedies that some of European monarchs that Ms. Lewis mentioned in her book. I can't say that I enjoyed this book because some parts were so difficult to read. However, it is a well-written book with illustrations.


I normally don't read horror books, but I love history so much that I ended up buying this. It also helped that I got it at a great bargain from Barnes and Nobles. I thought the book might be an interesting addition to my history book collection. Although I skipped (and later returned) some of the beginning chapters due to its content, the end of the book wasn't all too bad. At least I was able to keep my dinner.


All in all, I did like the author's writing approach because it felt like she was right there telling me the story. Due to its subject matter, I don't think this is history book that everyone would like to read. but if you like shocking and intriguing stories, then this book is for you.

2 comments:

  1. Looks a little scary... but intriguing at the same time. I'll file in my head under "maybe." Thanks for the review!

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  2. Your welcome, I Heart Monster. You're right. It is a very interesting book. Brenda Ralph Lewis also wrote King and Queens of England and Dark History: The Popes: Vice, Murder, and Corruption in the Vatican. I will probably add it to my book collection too.

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