Member Reviews
Great for those who have an interest in military history or the Hundred Years War specifically. How the war and sieges were done. |
My degree is in history with a particular focus on the Black Prince,. I really enjoyed this book, it was well written, accessible and clearly researched. An excellent addition to my library, thank you. I highly recommend this one. |
Reviewer 151918
I am not English or French. My lack of detailed education in the era and events Mr. Hoskins talks about means that I either have to look elsewhere for the information to complete each paragraph, or to stop reading. I found the book disorganized and full of awkward sentences too so I quit. |
This was a delightful read. I loved how much information there was. The author was very thorough. I like that the book was easy to read and I was able to read it quickly. Since I did not know much about King Jean II and the Black Prince it was very informative. |
I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! My knowledge about the Hundred Years' War is limited since I'm not always interested in military campaigns. But, I liked the idea of examining two main players in the battles, the Black Prince and Jean II. It was interesting to see them played off each other and the different choices that they made. However, the focus on the actual military battles and technology used didn't draw me in as much as I would have liked. I enjoyed the chapters focusing on the two men, but I didn't love the rest. Still an interesting read, just not the focus I prefer when reading about historical figures. |
If you're looking for a narrative non-fiction, the kind I usually prefer, this is probably not the book for you. The author is a military man and writes for a like-minded audience. I found his writing a little clunky, missing the smooth and engaging narration that I prefer in my histories. Having said that, however, the book is loaded with detail about these two commanders fighting against each other and the Hundred Years' War. Hoskins starts off with background on Edward, the Black Prince, and King Jean II, a background that would be necessary to understand as he moves into the next half of the book in which he details the generalship and leadership of each commander, and compares the two. He leads into that part of the book with some discussion on Sun Tzu and broader leadership principles, which I found really interesting. This may not have been the right book for me, but for a reader of detailed military history, this might be a perfect fit. |








