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Rating: 
Summary: Informative, but not exactly captivating
Review: Since I was going to study abroad for a semester in England, I figured I'd read up on the history.
Below are my specific opinions, but in summary, it's a decent book if you want to brush up on English history and not be weighed down with it.
The good:
-The book is short despite England's LONG history.
-It's comprehensive. Not only does it talk about England's monarchial and wartime history, it also includes major writers, artists, and thinkers.
-It has a rather fine index that includes, but isn't limited to, monarchs, major battles, and cathedrals.
The bad:
-The writing's poor. Not only does the author use incorrect grammar, he uses it blandly. Whereas I normally would finish a 300 page book in a day, this took me a week.
-The book's short. Now, I know I put this in the good category, but it also works against the book. Since it's so condensed, the author glosses over some interesting bits. The War of the Roses is cut down to a page; it's never mentioned why the Boer Orange Free State was named as such.
-It's confusing. Since hundreds of years of history are condensed into just a few pages, new names appear in every sentence, and it's hard to keep up.
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