I especially appreciated the ending where the author discussed specific changes that were results of the Reformation and the broader cultural changes they brought about - things that are still part of the culture today. Recommended.

This was a very well done book!
Peter Ackroyd does a really fantastic job at composing this story. He also kept it as simple to understand as possible while putting all that detail and work into the book.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re a fan of the Tudor dynasty.

Not as good as the FutureLearn course on the Tudors that I’m taking. Not particularly well written. Nice color plates. No maps. No time line.

The second volume in Ackroyd's planned multi-volume history of England, this one is successful so far as it manages not to get sucked entirely into the well-trodden soil of Henry VIII and his wives to the exclusion of far more interesting social and cultural upheaval during this fascinating era. Ackroyd paints a picture of the English Reformation alongside the backdrop of the explosion of thought and writing on religion in the rest of mainland Europe at the time. We also get a more detailed glimpse of Edward VI's reign that we usually do in the stampede to get from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. There is also plenty of court intrigue and primary source material from both the great thinkers of the day and the papers of the courtiers themselves under these various monarchs. Many of these figures have risen to some degree of notoriety in and of themselves, being interpreted in wildly different ways by various authors of fiction and screenwriters. To visit some of what these figures left behind in their own words is rewarding, as is Ackroyd's generally broader treatment of this period, stepping beyond the palace walls to take a wider view of the larger forces emerging to shape an entirely new era in England, Europe, and the New World.

Interesting, well written but I regret sources are not cited and some facts are given as such without any demonstration/explanation.

I was really into the subject and felt like I learned a lot about several aspects of each of the Tudor's reign. I enjoyed Ackroyd's telling of the history, the way he explored all sides and all possibilities. That said, I found this was sometimes organized strangely and that caused it to be oddly repetitive.

I am abandoning this book due to my busy schedule not letting me read this all, and I need to give it back to the friend who lent it to me. This meant I only read 62 pages.

This was a good summary, especially when I was first starting the Tudors section of my A-Level History course, so it helped me consolidate what I was learning. I also learnt a few facts that weren't taught on my course.

However, just like 'The Hitler Myth' it was hard to get my teeth into due to the immense amount of concentration I was forced to put in when reading it when absorbing all of the dense information.

If you have time read it alongside studying: it serves as an excellent summary plus it gives some unique information that you may not have learnt.