The Blazing World
A New History of Revolutionary England
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The Blazing World
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Narrated by:
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Oliver Hembrough
About this listen
Bloomsbury presents The Blazing World by Jonathan Healey, read by Oliver Hembrough.
A WATERSTONES, TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST AND NEW YORKER BOOK OF THE YEAR
A major new history of England's turbulent seventeenth century and how it marked the birth of a new world
'This is a wonderful book, exhaustively researched, vigorously argued and teeming with the furious joy of seventeenth-century life' The Times
'A brilliant, bloody account of England's most dramatic century . . . Thrilling' Telegraph
The seventeenth century began as the English suddenly found themselves ruled by a Scotsman, and ended in the shadow of an invasion by the Dutch. Under James I, the country suffered terrorism and witch panics. Under his son Charles, state and society collapsed into civil war, to be followed by an army coup and regicide. For a short time – for the only time in history – England was a republic. There were bitter struggles over faith and no boundaries to politics. In the coffee shops and alehouses of plague-ridden London, new ideas were forged that were angry, populist and almost impossible for monarchs to control.
Despite the radical changes that transformed England, few today understand the story of this revolutionary age. Leaders like Oliver Cromwell, Charles II, and William of Orange have been reduced to caricatures, while major turning points like the Civil War and the Glorious Revolution have become shrouded in myth and misunderstanding. Yet the seventeenth century has never been more relevant. The British constitution is once again being contested, and we face a culture war reminiscent of when the Roundheads fought the Cavaliers.
From raw politics to religious divisions, civil wars to witch trials, plague to press freedoms, The Blazing World is the story of a strange but fascinating century, told in sparkling detail. Drawing on vast archives, Jonathan Healey refreshes our understanding of public figures while simultaneously taking us into the lives of ordinary people to illuminate a revolutionary society that forged a new world.
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What listeners say about The Blazing World
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. A. Watson
- 17-03-24
Foundations of our crumbling order explained
So much of relevance to current times. Told well and brilliantly read. Huge cast of characters, many will stay with you as so neatly made distinct. Interesting speculation on what might have been as well as what was.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Farah Mendlesohn
- 21-02-23
Too short
Only thing wrong with this book is that I need volume 2, to Culloden.
Full of interesting snippets; reminds us what a right shit Charles II was underneath the joviality; and most fascinating is the tracing of careers from the 1620s to the 1690s. I think most of us just don't realise how many Commonwealth men and women found places in the Stuart and Orange regimes.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Matthew
- 20-09-23
A revolutionary history
A sumptuous history of the 17th c delivered in a novelistic style and crammed with plum rich characters. Paced like a thriller the momentum builds to a glorious climax. Nice work Dr H.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sue
- 20-11-24
Extraordinary!!
I seldom write reviews, but this book is, without doubt, the very finest on its subject that it’s ever been my pleasure to read. Can’t recommend it highly enough to those among us fascinated by the English Civil Wars. By trade, I teach Classical Studies and Archaeology but have several tangential areas that I like to study - the joy of knowledge for its own sake - in what spare time my perfect job allows me.
I think the advantage of this volume is that it takes in the whole world-turned-upside-down century, giving the reader the view of the whole picture as opposed to just the snapshot of the Civil Wars in and of themselves. If you’re already interested in the Civil Wars, it will give you the purview of the Before and the After, always an advantage, but also tells us how the ordinary populace of England (Scotland and Ireland) looked at the less-than-peaceful England they had known previously. If you are just interested in finding out, a beginner with an itch to scratch, you will not do better than this beautiful book to get you started on your journey.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- veyza
- 07-03-23
Thorough and informative
A blow by blow account of the English Civil war and Commonwealth, their origins, aftermath and lasting significance. Recommended.
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3 people 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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- Anna
- 07-11-23
Astounding
Healey’s attention to detail and perspective brings us the 17th century in a new light. Hembrough’s reading is superb.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fred
- 22-05-23
Interesting book with austere narration
A genuinely interesting book. Unfortunately, the austere narration took the shine off it. Worth putting up with though.
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4 people 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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- Damian M. Cummins
- 03-03-23
Excellent book
Excellent book. I appreciated being given the full context for the period leading up to the Civil War. I was disappointed about the narrator’s woefully poor pronunciation of Irish place names, especially Drogheda. It’s a regular occurrence for English narrators to mispronounce Irish place names but given that they were being mentioned primarily in the context of Cromwellian massacres was annoying.
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3 people 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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- Jessica
- 20-01-24
Interesting and new perspectives
Loved this updated view on this period. Written and delivered in an engaging way. I enjoyed it so much, that I have now listened to it twice!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Charles Fredrik Webb
- 23-01-24
Fantastic!
A fantastic history of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, taking it to a logical conclusion with the Hanoverians. Most histories of the period finish with the Restoration of Charles I, but that always feel like skipping the final chapter. The characters are brought to life, and finally, someone gives Rainsborough and John Lambert the space they need.
My minor quibble would be that events in Scotland are glossed over.
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