Rating: 
Summary: An Elegant Little History
Review: In this short but well written narrative, Howarth paints moving portraits of King Edward the Confessor, Harold of England, William of Normandy, Earl Tostig, King Harald Hardrada, the people of England and other players in the Norman conquest. Howarth does not conceal his views, admitting at the outset that he "would have liked King Harold, heartily disliked King Edward the Confessor, felt sorry for Earl Tostig and terrified of Duke William, and found nothing whatever to say to King Harald Hardrada of Norway." This is history with a bit of passion, which makes it all the more enjoyable for the reader."1066" will also make you appreciate how hard it is to know anything about a time like the Middle Ages, when very few people could read and write and those who could were invariably working for whoever won the latest battle. It will also give a sense of how contingent history is, of how the world might have become a very different place if a few events had happened in a different order. As it was, William the Conqueror arrived at exactly the right time, while King Harold was at the other end of England crushing King Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. What would have happened if William's fleet had been destroyed in a storm, or if he had arrived in England in the summer of 1066, when King Harold was ready and able to meet him? We'll never know--King Harold and his army arrived at Hastings exhausted and depleted, and the rest, as they say, is history. Howarth approaches 1066 as if it were the stuff of a novel, and he has been criticized for doing so. I don't know whether Howarth is perfectly accurate, or whether his "spin" on the story is correct--but the same can be said of the most boring and heavily footnoted history that anyone cares to name. For those who enjoy history but also prize elegant and engaging storytelling, this book is a joy to read. If you like "1066," you will want to consider two other books: James Reston's "The Last Apocalpyse," a vivid description of life and strife in Europe at the turn of the first millennium; and Lacey and Danziger's "The Year 1000," which explains what life may have been like for a person living in England in that distant time.
Rating: 
Summary: There are better out there
Review: 1066: The Year of the Conquest is not a bad book, but it's not a very good one either. Howarth compiles a lot of reasonably well known facts and then constructs an almost novelistic narrative around them. While to my knowledge he did not misstate any points of fact, he does infuse his book with a healthy does of personal opinion not based in fact. This is fine if you're writing a 1066-based novel, but Howarth really does at times try to present his work as history. 1066: The Year of the Conquest is not a bad book to get your feet wet and introduce yourself to the people and events of 1066. However, if you're more interested in actual, historical scholarship on Hastings and the events surrounding it I would recommend "1066: The Year of The Three Battles" by Frank McLynn over at Amazon UK.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely wonderful
Review: I cannot really add anything to all the other rave reviews of this work of non-fiction which reads like a novel. I simply loved it. A fascination with all things medieval and English surely didn't hurt. There are, in addition to the masterful prose, many thought-provoking sentences which gave me pause. If I may quote one eye-opening statement found in the introduction: "Christian ethics were more a set of rules demanded by the church, and less an inborn habit of mind." And another, found on page 14, which, in these times, seems rather eerily pertinent. Howarth is describing the emergence of the English feudal system. "This evolution has often been called a loss of freedom, and so it was; but absolute freedom had come to be, as perhaps it has always been, a dangerous illusion. Its loss was really a gain: the acceptance of the duties and mutual support of a social system, the end of anarchy."
Rating:
Summary: Vivid characters & entertaining speculations
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and at the same time filled a huge gap in my historical knowledge. The colorful characters, amazing coincidences, and nitty-gritty everyday life are all brought to vivid life by Howarth's pen. You will not be bored for a second with this book. Howarth is not afraid to engage in speculation, and I found many of his ideas stimulating. One of his major speculations, though, is hard to go along with. If the papal decree against Harold had (as Howarth says) the effect of swelling the ranks of William's army with thousands of volunteers, it is inconceivable that nobody across the English channel had heard the news. The hypothesis that Harold's surprise at learning of the papal verdict affected his subsequent actions has great explanatory power; the problem is that it almost certainly isn't true. Nevertheless, Howarth makes you think and entertains you at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: English History That's Very Enjoyable
Review: What a nice surprise. I bought this book without an idea of what I was getting into. The price was right, and I thought that at 200 pages, it would go fast. Fast it went alright. Mr. Howarth is an author to add to the list of great history writers that can relate lots of information in a short amount of time, and be very entertaining while doing it. I have to tell you that I was very surprised at this book. It was just plan fun to read, and I enjoyed learning something while being entertained. The book is, as it says in the title, about the year 1066. Pretty simple, and that's the way it reads. The author describes life during that year, how people lived and survived. He does this with humor and down to earth writing style. I actually feel like I got to know these people. His descriptions are easy to visualize, and his conclusions are based on great deductive reasoning from printed sources as well as good old common sense. I feel that he has done a tremendous amount of research, not just in old libraries, but down on the docks, in the forests, and on the ocean. Job well done. And the people. William, Harold, Edward, the Godwins, the whole bunch is here, and they sound like regular folks that were major players in huge events that were just normal life for them. Their greater and lesser strengths are presented in easy readable forms, and behavior is very well understood with this information. Well done Mr. Howarth! I am truly surprised at how good this book is, and also very glad I read it. Next: Lord Nelson!!
Rating:
Summary: Solid and Quick History
Review: The author has written a very solid and interesting history of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Although the book is short (200 pages), he gets a lot in. Particularly interesting are the descriptions of the life of your average villager and the social structures of the English and Normans. This look at the era's "every man" gives a depth of perspective to the significant political events that would spring from that year. Enough history and background is given to produce what seems to be a very satisfactory and full account of why William decided on this most perilous of adventures. It is also the story of how and why Harold and the English were smitten in battle and later in spirit. So demoralized were they that the English leadership gave up the realm to a comparatively few foreign invaders who were stranded far from home with winter approaching. The author does a very good job of focusing on the many pieces of the story. I was not aware that William carried the banner and the blessing of the Pope with him to Hastings -- a fact that the author makes a convincing case of in terms of it's psychological effect on Harold and the English gentry. In fact, he credits this aspect of the story with being crucial to Harold's position during the battle and the willingness of much of England to assign some role to God in the defeat of their king. Because this story is so old, much is left to conjecture or at least competing accounts. The author does a good job of pointing out these elusive facts and in building a case for what he sees as the most likely or plausible happenings. He always points out when he is engaging in deduction so that the reader is aware of what is known and what is assumed. Most of these situations are well deduced from the evidence presented in the book and I found myself in agreement with the author's presentation of the most likely set of facts, given what we know of the actors. This is a great story. The book covers the reign and death of Edward the Confessor, the place of the Godwin's (including Harold) during this period, William's rise and reason for thinking he had a claim on the crown and the Norsemen's injection into the story. What a fascinating piece of history. Luck played a big part in William's landing, and eventual success. As the author tells it, almost everything broke his way and against Harold. This book will fascinate and educate.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful little history
Review: David Howarth has proven himself to be the master of the 200-page history. I read his The Sledge Patrol, which is a terrific story in itself, and bought 1066: The Year of the Conquest soon after. Howarth brings us what we might have learned in school but have long since forgotten (at least I have). His histories are melodic, packed with facts and personalities, and blessedly short. If you want to read more about a subject, buy a definitive history, but Howarth's books are great primers. 1066 tells us about Europe (well, England, Normandy, and Norway) at the dawn of the second AD millennium. He begins with the view of that world through the eyes of a tiny village near Hastings: how they lived, worked, and died. He effortlessly moves into the background of the Battle of Hastings and thrills us for the rest of the book with tales of Harold Hardrada and William the Conqueror and Kings Edward and Harold and, of course, the Battle of Hastings. This and Howarth's other books should be required reading in high schools and universities, and for anyone who wants to find out what the world was like before they were born.
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Summary: The Indefinitive Victory
Review: I received a gorgeous text entirely devoted to the Bayeux Tapestry. It is the oldest tapestry that really isn't even a tapestry, but that's for another review. What matters is what the ancient work of art depicts - the Norman Conquest. There were two men who wanted to rule bad enough to battle it out. One of them was the promised/sworn heir, the other was the one who swore to the other's legitimacy, but later denied it. Thus, there was great dissension and then a very bloody battle. The victor was a foreigner who knew nothing about sailing, but nevertheless managed to lead his men across tempestuous seas in impressive boats filled with weaponry and horses. A victor who assimilated himself with English ways, therefore redefining the very meaning of a victory. Howarth examines the events leading up to this momentous war. From the life of the English commoners who were happy with their rural existences, to the royals in their impressive castles, the wits and military brawn of two lands blaze a trail through the pages of this succinct book. If you're up to it, study the tapestry images along with it ('The Bayeux Tapestry: Monument to a Norman Triumph'). It gives a slightly biased view, but it's the only view we have and it's magnificent!
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderfully enlightening work on one very important year
Review: There is much to this book - especially for the layman - that introduces new concepts and certainly enlightens one on the era of 1066. David introduces us to the battle through the eyes of commoners in a small village - then leads us through to the events surrounding the eventual invasion of Britain by the Normans. The only issue I had was the fact that David "jumped" a few times around between commoners and the nobles - but it happens too infrequently for it to be annoying A Thoroughly good read - lots of excitement and very educational.
Rating:
Summary: COMMON SENSE HISTORY
Review: I had to read this book for my history class and to my suprise its one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. Howarth does a GREAT job of telling the story of the year of the conquest starting from Jan 1st 1066, to new years eve of that same year, and how it was to live in England as a countryside commoner as well as royalty. He does what other historians dont...he uses common sense and not guess work! This a great book to read about one of the crucial turning points of western European history, and why Duke William won over King Harold. Read it.
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