Amusing and Insightful
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I've never read any other Tim Moore, but I must say that this book did not keep me wanting from laughs... admittedly not the 'out-loud' kind, but each page kept me continuously and noticeably amused--it's calmly funny throughout, and extremely enjoyable to read.
As for the content itself--hilarious; I have never seen (or rather, read) such a tangle of living history. The narrative moves quickly along a long and mishap-strewn path, avoiding many conceits of living history but also conveying lots of useful history and insights into the world of its re-enactment. A huge range of stuff here, and interesting for anyone who has even a passing interest in what the world of re-creation is like.
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Unfortunate choice of subject matter,
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The new, post-Bryson generation of humourous travel writers have carved a niche by creating journeys for themselves rather than engaging in mere reportage. Amongst these writers, Moore has always stood out in that his books have always been been about some existing social phenonema, rather than riding around New Zealand with a fridge full of tennis racquets on the back of a scooter in order to see what happens, or whatever.
Previously, this has worked well: His mission to interview failed Eurovision contestants in 'Nul Points' unearthed a wealth of fascinating cultural information, for instance.
However, in this book he enters the world of historical reenactment societies and their members - who most of us would dismiss as obsessive, socially dysfunctional misfits - only to find that they're all obsessive, socially dysfunctional misfits, and there isn't that much else to say about them. You can see between the lines that he realises this by about halfway through the book, where any kind of analysis falls away into weak jokes about codpieces and the like. I think it's a book he would have abandoned trying to write if he had had the choice. He's still a very funny writer, but this isn't a particularly rewarding read.
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Photos would be nice
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Certainly better than the aptly named 'Nul Points'. Seven historical recreations described in a generally amusing style, though the book does become a little repetitive. The Swiss 1474, and Kentwell 1578 descriptions are the most amusing and informative, because they have the strongest storylines. The two American chapters come across as the weakest, maybe because of overkill by then. What I felt the book really needed was some photos of the characters and places we were reading about.
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Cracking read!
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One of Tim's best books to date.
Explores the odd world of historical re-enacting from the inside and manages to be truthful and funny without being to excessively look-at-the-weirdos-aren't-I-clever.
Loved it. Buy it.
PS If you're thinking of joining a re-enactment group this is definitely a must.
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A sad drop in form
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I love early Tim Moore and I count French Revolutions as one of my favourite books of all time. However the last three volumes have all been progressively less and less funny.
I worry that the density of his early works humour, with a good quip on every other line, has mined out his seam of humour.
Time to try another genre perhaps?
This book is mildly entrtaining at best even though the targets are eminently easy to parody.
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