The White Ship By Charles Spencer. 4 out of 5

Read by Chris, October 2020

Great read.

Well worth waiting for this one to come out, Spencer tells the story of the white ship disaster beautifully.

Getting to know Robert Curthose and William Rufus was something I both looked forward to and, was slightly surprised to find in this book. Spencer adds a wonderful amount of detail to the inter-family squabbling of the late 11th century, a period with little written records and primary sources. I’m glad that the first half of the book focuses on Henry as both a member of his family and, as king of England. Spencer has a fantastic way of making you ether love or hate a character, showing their human sides in a way that other authors of this period fail to do.

The White Ship disaster is explained better and in more detail than any other book i’ve read on the subject, considering its such an important part of the early history of both England and France, I’m surprised it took this long for a book I really enjoyed reading to be written.

The book shows the dark side of Norman England, the excesses of its rulers and the tentative nature of the succession and I loved how characters such as Stephen of Blois (future King Stephen) were introduced, furthering my dislike of the guy. The addition of Stephen and how close he came to being part of the afore mentioned disaster is a great way of indirectly continuing the story without actually doing so. Hinting at the potential for Anarchy if William was to die, was a great way to write this book.

Follow me on Goodreads for more reviews!