Now Is The Time
Bragg, MelvynThe Peasant's Revolt of 1381 bears all the hallmarks of contemporary headlines: taxes, property rights, violence and the abuse of power. Renegade priest John Ball and a former soldier Walter Tyler lead thousands of ordinary men and women to march on London where they are initially placated by the boy-king Richard II.
This eerily plausible and sometimes shocking account of the most popular uprising in England, is impressively detailed and brings to life a much neglected episode of history. [Larger font]
Pages
356
356
Year
2015
2015
Reviews
08-01-2024
Not an easy read - parts were turgid and brutal. It set the scene for the time, and we learned a lot about the social fabric of England in the 1300s. Entitlement and privilege vs. serfdom.
08-01-2024
Produced great discussion although a mixed response. Excellent book notes. The title reflected how little has changed today.
08-01-2024
Mixed feelings about this book. Some really enjoyed it and thought it quite credible. We all learnt some historical facts which we'd forgotten about, and some thought it really well-written and crafted.
17-11-2022
We were all unaware of the historical event this novel centres on. It was brilliantly written and a great education.
23-08-2022
Incredible variety in scores. "Well-written", "flowery", "inconsistencies", "too detailed", "too long".... to the extreme opposite of "hard to put down"! We enjoyed this period of history, and learnt quite a bit.
26-03-2020
Definitely our least favourite book so far. (Or maybe it was just because we were reading it as the COVID-19 crisis unfolded!) Most struggled to get into it and finish and found it hard going. Only one member enjoyed it.
12-12-2019
Some found the first few chapters hard going, but enjoyed it as it progressed. We learned a lot about the Peasants' Revolt, and found the YouTube link useful. A frequent comment was that huge inequalities in society still persist, and we wonder where they may lead.
12-12-2019
Interesting read - we hadn't known a lot of the history and several were inspired to do more research.
12-12-2019
Most enjoyed - it provided a real feel for the time, and highlighted differences between the privileged and the 'peasants'. Very enlightening about a little known piece of history.
11-10-2019
A good use of historical facts used in this novel. Very good use of vocabulary which formed a "picture in the mind". You could feel and smell the crowds in London. It was gruesome towards the end.
20-03-2019
Mixed reviews from our group. A slow start. Interesting historical period we knew little about. We all sided with the peasants.