Negative Positive
Title: Family in the Dark Ages
Review: An excellent work about a time about which little is really known. Frances and Joseph Gies manage to make fascinating what was a grim time for everybody. The book describes the form marriage had in different periods of the middle ages and what family life was like, complete with scandals and the biographies of several people of the time to provide background. The pervasive influence of the Catholic Church and what it meant at a time when it was the only international Law is shown in detail. The hardship both noble and peasant endured, the uncertainty of life and the bizarre ways(to us)families organized themselves to survive are clearly shown to provide us with a window into the times.The contracts aging parents wrote with their children surprised me more than learning how short-lived noble dynasties were. This is a book for those who want to learn some history and don't want to endure some dull text book.
Is the review positive or negative? 