It took me far too long to finish this book. A very interesting, well researched look at the work the passing seasons brought in the year 1000.

Although some small sections hit stereotypes or now dated areas of research, it was still well worth the read, and I learned many new facts. ( )

Intriguing topic, focus on why white male hard work has made England such a wonderful country, and English a global language ( )

12/2/22

This book was a delightful surprise--a melodically written ode to the life of the everyman and everywoman of England in the year 1000. I was beguiled by Danziger and Lacey's use of illustrations from an ancient calendar (the oldest surviving one in English history) created at the Canterbury cathedral in 1020 -- the Julius Work Calendar -- to highlight the variegated elements of life for ordinary people at the turn of the first millennium after Christ. Each chapter regales with tales of planting, sowing, and harvest time, private lives and public controversies, battles, and family life, inspired by the featured illustration for each month of the calendar.

There is a certain magic in being able to portray quotidian history such that it shrinks the generations between reader and subject. I found this to be the case here. My key takeaway is that these people were smarter, more innovative, heartier, and more capable than conventional wisdom would suggest. I imagine that sitting down to eat with some of them would be a fascinating and inspiring experience, for the hardships they had to endure in that epoch were enormous compared with the creature comforts we enjoy today. An informative, charming, insightful, quick read. I recommend it. ( )

The title and subtitle pretty much tell you what you need to know about the book. Except they mean what was life like in the year 1000 in Britain. Still, it was pretty interesting. ( )