WHITEHALL The Street That Shaped a Nation

Whitehall, a street in London, became a figure of speech for the British government. Colin Brown’s history of Britain begins with the Tudor reign in the mid-sixteenth century and proceeds through the complexities of privy politics and state religion. Brown’s preoccupation with adding every honorific title becomes an annoying distraction as the complete attributions of every king, queen, duke, duchess, and lord impede the literary flow. His obsession with completeness even includes the dubious title “the illegitimate daughter of.” Narrator John Telfer’s British heritage suits the history’s large lexicon, and his theatrical cadence makes it sound Shakespearean. However, the tedious combination of too many assignations and hundreds of unfamiliar locations makes it difficult to digest this book in audio. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]