Okay, I need to be honest upfront: sixteen hours is a LOT for me right now. That's like three weeks of nap times and car sessions, minimum. But here's the thing - I kept coming back. Sophie could be screaming about her sippy cup, Lucas could be asking why the sky is blue for the fortieth time, and I'd still be mentally back in 1430s England wondering what Henry VI was going to mess up next.
This is not my usual genre. I'm a rom-com girl. Give me a meet-cute and a guaranteed happy ending. Bridgerton: The Viscount Who Loved Me is way more my speed—historical setting but with actual romance and banter that makes me laugh out loud in the school pickup line. But my husband left this on our shared Audible account (he's going through a medieval phase, don't ask), and I figured why not. Sometimes you need a break from predictable, you know?
When History Actually Grabs You
So the Wars of the Roses. I vaguely remembered this from high school - something about red roses, white roses, Game of Thrones was based on it? Conn Iggulden makes it feel immediate in a way my AP History textbook never did. Henry VI is this gentle, pious king who probably should have been a monk instead of running a country. And Margaret of Anjou - the French bride everyone hates - she's actually fascinating. Strong women making impossible choices in a world that doesn't want them to have any power? Yeah, that hit different while I was folding laundry at midnight. That same theme of resilience in brutal circumstances shows up in Lepers of Molokai, though in a completely different historical context.
The pacing is slow. I won't lie. There are sections about political maneuvering that made me zone out a bit. But when things pick up - the Jack Cade rebellion, the court intrigue, the moments where you realize everything's about to fall apart - I found myself sitting in my car an extra ten minutes just to get to a stopping point. My neighbors probably think I'm having a breakdown. I'm not. I'm just really invested in 15th century English succession politics now.
John Curless Carried This Thing
Here's where I have to give credit. Sixteen hours of medieval England could be a slog with the wrong narrator. John Curless isn't the wrong narrator. His voice has this gravitas that makes you feel like you're being told something important. The pacing is steady - not rushed, which matters when you're trying to keep track of approximately forty-seven different lords and earls and dukes.
I did notice what some other listeners mentioned - the character voices can blend together a bit. Like, I sometimes had to rewind to figure out who was speaking. But honestly? That might be a me problem. I'm usually listening while also preventing a toddler from eating crayons. The fact that I could follow the main plot threads at all is pretty impressive.
The production quality is solid. Clean audio, no weird background noise. Car time approved, for sure.
Who Should Listen (And Who Should Skip)
If you want something meaty that makes your car time feel like actual adult enrichment instead of just hiding from your family - this works. Skip it if you need a quick comfort read or can't give it at least partial attention. Too many names and political alliances to track while fully distracted.
The Mom Verdict
Look, this isn't a quick comfort read. It's an investment. It's the kind of book that makes you feel slightly smarter for having finished it, which is nice when your daily intellectual stimulation is explaining why we don't put Legos in the toilet.
I finished it. That's high praise given my current life situation. And now I kind of want to listen to the next one? Which is wild because again, sixteen hours, and there are apparently like five more books in this series. My husband is thrilled. I'm questioning my life choices.
Sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. Sometimes you need a well-told story about power and ambition and people making terrible decisions for understandable reasons. Made me ugly-cry exactly once, during a scene I won't spoil. Worth it though.
My book club would probably love this. If I ever have time for book club again.
