Purkiss has drawn on comtemporary accounts of this complex period to show the (often devastating) impact on real people from their own point of view and in their own words. Very different from a traditional top-down history, she gives a variety of perspectives to make the subject come alive. There are many excellent books on the Civil War, but this one stands out. Excellent.
Having seen a dramatisation on the TV, I wanted to read a book about the English Civil War. A book that would tell me the facts about what happened during that period of English History. This book gives all sorts of details about the little people living through this difficult time and takes a painfully long time to get down to details. I wanted to know the facts and having read a decent chunk of the book, I am now getting bored of reading more trivia. I bought the book on-line so I didn't get an opportunity to leaf through it first. Buyer beware...
