The Restless Republic
Britain Without a Crown
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The Restless Republic
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Narrated by:
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Lucy Tregear
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By:
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Anna Keay
About this listen
THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 WINNER OF THE POL ROGER DUFF COOPER PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE
Eleven years when Britain had no king.
In 1649 Britain was engulfed by revolution.
On a raw January afternoon, the Stuart king, Charles I, was executed for treason. Within weeks the English monarchy had been abolished and the ‘useless and dangerous’ House of Lords discarded. The people, it was announced, were now the sovereign force in the land. What this meant, and where it would lead, no one knew.
The Restless Republic is the story of the extraordinary decade that followed. It takes as its guides the people who lived through those years. Among them is Anna Trapnel, the daughter of a Deptford shipwright whose visions transfixed the nation. John Bradshaw, the Cheshire lawyer who found himself trying the King. Marchamont Nedham, the irrepressible newspaper man and puppet master of propaganda. Gerrard Winstanley, who strove for a Utopia of common ownership where no one went hungry. William Petty, the precocious scientist whose mapping of Ireland prefaced the dispossession of tens of thousands. And the indomitable Countess of Derby who defended to the last the final Royalist stronghold on the Isle of Man.
The Restless Republic ranges from London to Leith, Cornwall to Connacht, from the corridors of power to the common fields and hillsides. Gathering her cast of trembling visionaries and banished royalists, dextrous mandarins and bewildered bystanders, Anna Keay brings to vivid life the most extraordinary and experimental decade in Britain’s history. It is the story of how these tempestuous years set the British Isles on a new course, and of what happened when a conservative people tried revolution.
©2022 Anna Keay (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
‘Her narrative brims with life, colour, humour and humanity … A dazzling achievement, and I loved every page’ Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times
‘In this ceaselessly fascinating account of one of the most epochal events in the country’s history, the deserved winner of the Pol Roger Duff Cooper prize, Anna Keay skilfully delves beneath the well-worn cliches about the Commonwealth and brings a time of quiet, uncertain and ultimately fruitless revolution to vivid life. It is hard to imagine a better examination of the Protectorat’ Alexander Larman, Observer
‘This is an exceptional book about an exceptional time … meticulously researched and deftly drawn character studies … A triumph’ John Adamson, author of The Noble Revolt
‘An exceptional feat of imaginative engagement. Never have the kingless years been made so vivid, and never has vividness contributed so much to the understanding of them. Keay has brought off an ingenious literary experiment… An entrancing achievement’ Blair Worden, TLS
‘Wonderful…. Tells the story of how the British and Irish people came to be who they are’ Clive Myrie
‘Deft, confident, deeply learned and provocative’ Rory Stewart
‘[A] vivid panorama … Keay conjures up with nuance and panache the single most fascinating decade in the history of Britain and Ireland, revealing it to be at once weirdly ancient and strangely modern’ Paul Lay, The Times
‘Keay offers us a world turned upside down; but also a world made real. That’s a remarkable achievement’ Adrian Tinniswood, Sunday Telegraph *****
‘Readers both expert and casual will revel in seeing this period brought to noisy, brash, colourful [life] by the skilled pen of a natural storyteller’ Aspects of History
What listeners say about The Restless Republic
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
- Amazon Customer
- 30-06-22
Brings history to life
Rolls forward in beautiful prose storytelling, giving effortless insights into both the day to day lives and loves of the main actors as well as the turbulent movements of the spirit of the age.
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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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- Pat Glennon
- 10-02-24
Exceptionally researched and written
The book is one of the best history books I have listened to in recent years. The author has such an original approach, delving into the lives of an assortment of characters in a way that propels the narrative forward and enriches our understanding of the times far beyond what is offered in a traditional history.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- TonyG
- 08-08-24
Well written, well read
A fascinating story that is profoundly relevant to any interested Brit, and with curious parallels to today’s divided society.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 05-12-22
Brilliant
Incredibly listenable, such a great narrative told in a novel and interesting way. Couldn’t recommend it more. A fantastic book for anyone even remotely interested in the period.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Muzak
- 03-10-23
Neglected history brought to life.
This book provides great insight into a period of history that is so unjustly ignored. Incredible figures inhabit this landscape of cruelty and chaos when the seeds of modern Britain were sown. Thoroughly recommend.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- dave
- 23-05-22
Hard read if you are Irish
The book is a great informer of events, can't fault for details, especially positive is the part played by the women of the day (they get a true voice here). But fundamentally it's a dead narrative, from 1662 history just moves on on its merry course into the future. It fails to tell where we are now and why, it's description of a purely English event and Ireland and Scotland are pariperhy is a fundamental failing of historical narrative. It tends to see the major characters in a positive light, how can there be no bad people in power if extremely bad things happened? There was a reason for the extreme violence in Ireland, not just Cromwell but also the the acceptance of it (no act of oblivion for supporters of the crown in Ireland). Book fails in that simplest of things, the truth, in that what it consignes to the historical past is still with us today (24/05/22 English domestic politics still at play in the Irish Protocol) - But still a great listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Turty
- 14-06-23
The civil war and interregnum seen through different eyes
A fascinating account of the civil war and interregnum from the perspective of individuals who I had not come across before. The account of William Petty and his ingenuity and ability to survive particularly appealed to
me.
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- Anonymous User
- 12-03-22
very interesting
found this book surprisingly good, as good as any fictional book. Interesting glimpses into all sorts of people.
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4 people found this helpful
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- JDRS
- 02-09-23
Thoroughly recommended
Telling the story of the British republic through the lives of the individuals who experienced it made for an engrossing tale. I feel I have a clearer picture of life in the 1650s and a great insight into the many ways people adapt to the new and live through volatile times. A useful picture for our world today. The ultimate triumph of compromise and the middle way was a heartening conclusion.
The narrator was excellent. I could (and did) listen to Lucy Tregaron for hours on end.
I hope Anna Keay writes many more books. On this experience, I’d read every one.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amit
- 28-06-23
A great achievement
The story of a remarkable time in history told remarkably well. Very well sketched out characters who are all too human. It’s amazing how despite these events happening almost four hundred years ago, the people and their issues are deeply relatable. All of this is enhanced by the excellent narration.
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