The Life of Thomas More, Peter Ackroyd
The Life of Thomas More, Peter Ackroyd
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The Life of Thomas More

Author: Peter Ackroyd

Narrator: Frederick Davidson

Unabridged: 18 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/01/2007

Categories: Nonfiction, Religion


Synopsis

Thomas More (14781535) was a renowned statesman; the author of a political treatise, Utopia; and, most famously, a Catholic martyr and saint. Born into the professional classes, Thomas More applied his formidable intellect and wellplaced connections to become the most powerful man in England, second only to the king.In reconstructing the life of Thomas More, Peter Ackroyd provides an unmatched portrait of the everyday, religious, and intellectual life of the early sixteenth century. More emerges in the fullness of his complex humanity, with unexpected characteristics and indisputable moral courage.

About Peter Ackroyd

Peter Ackroyd is an award-winning historian, biographer, novelist, poet, and broadcaster. He is the author of the acclaimed non-fiction bestsellers London: The Biography, Thames: Sacred River, and London Under; biographies of figures including Charles Dickens, William Blake, Charlie Chaplin, and Alfred Hitchcock; and a multi-volume history of England. He has won the Whitbread Biography Award, the Royal Society of Literature's William Heinemann Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award, and the South Bank Prize for Literature. He holds a CBE for services to literature.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Paul on December 06, 2020

Thomas More has always been a favorite historical figure of mine. Most especially because of the play/movie "A Man for All Seasons." He his portrayed as an intelligent, courageous Lord Chancellor of England who stands up against the machinations of King Henry VIII (who wanted to divorce his wife and......more

Goodreads review by A.K. on December 01, 2020

Peter Ackroyd's book, The Life of Thomas More, was one of the best biographies I have ever read. It was clear, detailed, unbiased and full of information I never knew about the saint, the times, and the major players in that epoch in history. I was very impressed with Mr. Ackroyd's grasp of the spec......more

Goodreads review by Gregg on March 08, 2009

Informative and easy to read. Ackroyd keeps the original spelling of Renaissance times, which is a little irritating, but that aside, I totally got wrapped up in his recounting of More's rise in the court of the English government, and subsequent fall from grace through King Henry's split with the c......more

Goodreads review by Colleen on March 27, 2023

The reason I docked this book two stars is the fact that Ackroyd used far too much old English in the book. It makes sense to use quotes in the original vernacular when it is appropriate but the book is riddled with it which would be no problem for scholars of that era with a familiarity with the la......more

Goodreads review by Helen on February 07, 2019

Like his biography of Charles Dickens, Peter Ackroyd brings the flawed but complex personality of Sir Thomas More to life. An impeccably researched book, just to read the extensive bibliography Ackroyd lists at the back of the book inspires a sense of awe ! A fascinating story which fleshes out the......more