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Title: Disappointing
Review: In his introduction Manchester admits that he is not an expert in the history of the period and goes on to prove it in the rest of the book. He is getting older and it shows with his fascination with the more seedy aspects of 15th century sexuality (some of his sources are less than reliable). He also does not give a balanced picture of the belief system of the common people. His understanding of the Catholoic church of the period is shallow: as in other areas, he only views things from the perspective of an late 20th century American, with all the assumptions and baggage that that entails, rather than understanding his subject from the inside out and in its own time and place. He does try to enliven his subject with well-crafted prose, and seems to have a genuine regard for some of his subjects. If you want a book on this period, you would do better to go elsewhere.
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