confusing!

very detailed but presents a confusing picture of empire. not helped by poor and over dramatic reading.

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5 people found this helpful

Good, however...

The story and the writing is engaging but like others have said the narrator is a bit of an oddball. But, give it time, he grows on you

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1 person found this helpful

Great content, weak narration

Terrible narrator with weirdly aggressive way of pronouncing German names and terms. The book itself is very interesting,but difficult to listen to.

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Bad narator and not really suited for audiobook

Any additional comments?

Two problems:
- Narator sounds artificial like from an action movie trailer.
- Lots of jumping between names and one period to another, it's hard to keep track if you are not closely familiar with history of HRE.

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7 people found this helpful

A comprehensive history of the HRE.

What three words best describe Napoleon Ryan’s performance?

I have no idea why the narrator insists on pronouncing some words very rapidly in a mock German accent, as if he is a cartoon general. It's really frustrating when these are titles of characters and institutions as it makes it hard to understand some fairly complex German.

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5 people found this helpful

Probably better to read than to listen

Really fascinating and well narrated audiobook, lots of well researched information with well balanced interpretations and conclusions. However I would prefer to have read it physically I think. Because of how hard it is to flick back and forth, I find more linear history audiobooks easier to listen to, whereas this one was arranged by themes, and timelines were hard to follow at times. Still, a good book overall, well worth investing some hours into!

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5 people found this helpful

Great history, dire narration

This is a detailed and compelling history of the Holy Roman Empire, ruined by truly terrible narration. It's so bad it would be funny, except you've spent money on a performance that would shame a 12 year old's drama recital. Do yourself and favour and buy the actual book - you just can't get into it otherwise

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4 people found this helpful

A Life’s Labour of Love

It is clear to me that Peter H. Wilson has spent decades studying the Holy Roman Empire (HRE), Germans and Central Europe as this book could not be written without it. His knowledge, research and studying has thus allowed me to gain an insight into this complex collection of states. The task to write about the HRE, is colossus and daunting and there is in fact no easy way to tell 1000 years of history through one book. I feel Wilson has managed this the best he can and as such this book is a great achievement. However, it is no a ‘masterpiece’ there are issues, but as with most critics I cannot provide a complete solution. Perhaps there is none.

The book follows a thematic approach and is not a narrative history, so if that is what you are searching for, this is not for you. Wilson dives into themes, starting classically with what the ‘Holy’, ‘Roman’ and ‘Empire’ parts meant. I actually think Voltaire’s quote ‘it was in no way Holy, nor Roman nor an Empire’ quite lazy and not witty. He tells us the importance of Charlemagne, who is actually more important than I realised and as such I will look to read more on him. He tells us how it worked, how the Emperors were elected, the state was decentralised, the relationship between the church and Pope, how dukes (initially military leaders) and counts (‘kings friend’) developed. It’s relationship with Italy and later the Habsburgs. Ultimately he shows how it ended in the Napoleonic Wars. He dispels the popular myth that no one cared as he argues there was widespread shock amongst its former subjects.

What was most interesting was Wilson’s analysis of how the HRE was seen afterwards, with nostalgia and also difficulty for nationalists. Then again as justification and a pre curser for the German Empire, Third Reich (a term Hitler actually banned from using) and then in the European Union. Ultimately the empire was a success having lasted so long and providing so many rights to its citizens. The early modern period is widely seen as a weak epoch, managing decline. Either way it’s legacy lives on in Europe today and has to be one of the most interesting factions in history.

I am grateful to this book as it has hugely helped my understanding of pre 1806 Central Europe. However, I would not read it cover to cover and would rather use it as a reference book. As I stated above there are issues with this. The thematic approach does work and I feel one walks away with understanding the bureaucracy, the structure and the management. But the history is less clear. How it began and developed is harder to take away. The book also jumps around in time periods to explain certain elements, which does work, it again can be hard to follow. Like I said to tell 1000 years of history is no easy task and a simple narrative would also not work. So ultimately Wilson has probably provided the best solution. I now can’t wait for his Blood and Iron book.

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The Holy Roman Empire

This is essentially the 1000 years plus history of the Holy Roman Empire which as we are told is not Roman, not an Empire and not Holy! I don't think this was a good choice for an audio book for me. It is a great story but there are many unfamiliar places and names that need a bit of delving into to provide context. Not even the pause button would be good as it disrupts the listening. I would read this book due to the mass of information rather than listen

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Not a narrative survey.

This is not what I had expected: it’s historiography rather than the narrative survey I hoped for and for that reason I am abandoning the book.
Surely if you’re dealing with a major chunk of Europe comprising many cultures, over a period of more than a millennium it is just a little lazy and irresponsible merely to dip in and out of the story with airy opinions; how can such an approach be safe from unsubstantiated statements , and based on what?
Perhaps, if you have a degree in the history of the ‘empire’ you may find this approach satisfactory but for someone in search of a detailed and co-ordinated survey the book is a disappointment. In 34 hours I should have thought the author would have had sufficient time to do that. I think there is an arrogance about the author’s approach, whether Otis fashionable or not and I do not recommend it for an informed and interested reader.
The reading itself is competent but, to my experienced ear, just a tad stilted.

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