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Unruly
- A History of England's Kings and Queens
- Narrated by: David Mitchell
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
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Unruly
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Publisher's Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
Discover who we are and how we got here by listening to comedian and student of history David Mitchell's UNRULY: A History of England's Kings and Queens - a thoughtful, funny exploration of the founding fathers and mothers of England, and subsequently Britain.
Think you know your kings and queens? Think again.
In UNRULY, David Mitchell explores how England's monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects' destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky sods who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear today in their portraits.
Taking us right back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn't exist), David tells the founding story of post-Roman England right up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It's a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, excessive beheadings, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and at least one total Cnut, as the population evolved from having their crops nicked by the thug with the largest armed gang to bowing and paying taxes to a divinely anointed king.
How this happened, who it happened to and why it matters in modern Britain are all questions David answers with brilliance, wit and the full erudition of a man who once studied history - and won't let it off the hook for the mess it's made.
A funny book about a serious subject, UNRULY is for anyone who has ever wondered how we got here - and who is to blame.
Read by David Mitchell.
What listeners say about Unruly
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-12-2023
A fun history of england
It’s refreshing to listen to history with all the authors biases plan to the audience. I got a bunch of entertaining and interesting knowledge about englands monarchs and got to know a bit about the author too. I really enjoyed this book!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Kingsvilletess
- 23-11-2023
Funniest, sweariest book on the English monarchy ever.
Absolutely loved this book and have recommended it widely. The metaphors and similies comparing the past to the present are fresh, hilarious and informative. I've read about these periods of history widely but still learned a lot and appreciated the different perspective and fresh insights.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 19-11-2023
highly recommend
I had seen a few bits of premotional material about this book and decided to give it a go, I was very happy that David narrated his book. all told it was a great listen!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- dave
- 17-11-2023
King David reigns
You are probably not here unless you are already a fan of David Mitchell. No disappoint awaits you in this comedic account.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Linda
- 22-04-2024
History made interesting and enjoyable
Great author with fresh insights into the history of the monarchy. His passion for the topic was obvious and the humour he wrote with made it engaging.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Arwen
- 07-11-2023
Too short!
Extremely funny and perfectly read. So glad David Mitchell didn’t let someone else read his work. Here’s hoping for more from him!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Grahame Woods
- 19-01-2024
Excellent
David Mitchell delivers again. Thoroughly enjoyed this - both educational and amusing. David’s delivery makes history personal and good fun.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Phil
- 19-10-2023
Fab
15 words, 15 words, 15 wo oo rds !
Plus some more words, or else no review.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Chris
- 19-02-2024
Quite simply the finest history of the English Monarchy ever written.
You'll laugh, you'll cry, it will change your life. Thank you David Mitchell for bringing history alive in such a unique manner.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-04-2024
Irreverently fascinating
I love the idea that in the end the Kings and Queens have dodgy legitimacy and are essentially self serving and power crazed. But then as an Australian I am a republican anyway
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