An informative view of Wallace's Scotland.
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I found this book to be an informative and interesting account of the politics that existed in Scotland during Wallace's adult years. The account of the battles at Stirling Bridge and Falkirk were brief though concise enough to afford the non-historian an understanding of the tactics and failings of the commanders. The background information on Scotland at the end of the thirteenth century does much to support claims of an ambitious King Edward being checked in his dominance by a tenacious response by patriotic Scots.
What I found slightly disconcerting was the author's constant referal to a unauthorative verse written 200 years after the event, by a character named "Blind Harry", to explain and sometimes authenticate assumptions about Wallaces character and his motives.
Nonetheless, Peter Reese makes much effort, despite the obvious lack of eyewitness accounts of Wallace's life, to provide an objective and informative story of an obviously outstanding patriot and opportunistic military commander, who has contributed to the way Scots view their nationality since his emergence at the end of the thirteenth century.
A thoroughly enjoyable read for anyone looking for an uncomplicated Biography of this great man.
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