The Life of Thomas More

Rating:
Summary: A Biography, Not A Character Study
Review: "The Life Of Thomas More" introduces the reader, not only to his life story, but also to the world of the Upper Class Englishman of his day. A life long Londoner, More earned his way into a rarefied world of legends. Henry VIII was his patron turned persecutor, Erasmus was his friend and St. John Fisher was his co-martyr.

In his early life, More lived a life of sanctity, but displayed traits which would not suggest a saintly temperament. Working his way into high office in what was then Catholic England, More was confronted by the early infiltration of the Protestant movement. A strong supporter of the Church of Rome, More aggressively worked to suppress the rising heresy.

More's religious fervor, which initially put him in good stead, became a handicap when Henry VIII chose to divorce and remarry. His religious consistency then led his patrons to turn on him. His efforts to avoid taking a stand on the issues of the King's divorce and remarriage and papal supremacy ultimately failed to save his life. Recognizing his fate, More made his last testimonies at his trial and in prison to supplement his prior writings such as "Utopia".

Although this book does well at relating More's outstanding life and public career it fails to give the reader a feel for the man. Upon completion of the book, I felt that I knew about Thomas More, but did not feel that I knew him. I am glad that I read it, but I had hoped for more.

Rating:
Summary: A Biography, Not A Character Study
Review: "The Life Of Thomas More" introduces the reader, not only to his life story, but also to the world of the Upper Class Englishman of his day. A life long Londoner, More earned his way into a rarefied world of legends. Henry VIII was his patron turned persecutor, Erasmus was his friend and St. John Fisher was his co-martyr.

In his early life, More lived a life of sanctity, but displayed traits which would not suggest a saintly temperament. Working his way into high office in what was then Catholic England, More was confronted by the early infiltration of the Protestant movement. A strong supporter of the Church of Rome, More aggressively worked to suppress the rising heresy.

More's religious fervor, which initially put him in good stead, became a handicap when Henry VIII chose to divorce and remarry. His religious consistency then led his patrons to turn on him. His efforts to avoid taking a stand on the issues of the King's divorce and remarriage and papal supremacy ultimately failed to save his life. Recognizing his fate, More made his last testimonies at his trial and in prison to supplement his prior writings such as "Utopia".

Although this book does well at relating More's outstanding life and public career it fails to give the reader a feel for the man. Upon completion of the book, I felt that I knew about Thomas More, but did not feel that I knew him. I am glad that I read it, but I had hoped for more.

Rating:
Summary: "A Magnificent Read...Completes More in Context of His Time"
Review: Akroyd's work places Thomas More in context of the social, polictical, economical, eccelsiastical, and humanistic milieu of the sixteenth century Catholic England "More" knew. Other biographers are a bit more anachronistic in dealing with More's world and end up conjuring a sixteenth century "they" understand instead...Akroyd is far from this. Akroyd gives a vivid account of More's surroundings - his schools, were he lived, the churches and charter houses he frequented, and Catholic England in general. This doesn't suprise me since Akroyd is a Londoner himself. He also paints a wonderful picture of the piety pre-reformation England was akin to and describes the "common faith" all Londoner's held without trying to stigmatize anything and everything possible as other authors who write their histories out a reformation lense tend to do. So I found a More properly placed in his time and surroundings free from unecessary predjudice and critical pomp with a certain twist that surfaces More's personality and conscience in an age of importance and transition.

Rating:
Summary: "A Magnificent Read...Completes More in Context of His Time"
Review: Akroyd's work places Thomas More in context of the social, polictical, economical, eccelsiastical, and humanistic milieu of the sixteenth century Catholic England "More" knew. Other biographers are a bit more anachronistic in dealing with More's world and end up conjuring a sixteenth century "they" understand instead...Akroyd is far from this. Akroyd gives a vivid account of More's surroundings - his schools, were he lived, the churches and charter houses he frequented, and Catholic England in general. This doesn't suprise me since Akroyd is a Londoner himself. He also paints a wonderful picture of the piety pre-reformation England was akin to and describes the "common faith" all Londoner's held without trying to stigmatize anything and everything possible as other authors who write their histories out a reformation lense tend to do. So I found a More properly placed in his time and surroundings free from unecessary predjudice and critical pomp with a certain twist that surfaces More's personality and conscience in an age of importance and transition.

Rating:
Summary: This is an absolute masterpiece
Review: Anyone with even the faintest interest in English history will thorougly enjoy Ackroyd's biography of Thomas More. The author's obvious erudition is never intrusive. His description of London at the time often reads like a modern guide book and his accounts of More's frienships, with Erasmus among others, are fascinating. Mr.Ackroyd should write one book a month like this one !

Rating:
Summary: A flawed but great biography of a flawed but great man
Review: As a lawyer and Catholic convert, Thomas More is my patron saint and one of my heroes. As anyone who has read or seen "A Man for All Seasons" knows, More was martyred by Henry VIII for refusing to support the English Reformation. More's critics delight in the supposed irony that More was executed for his beliefs in the same way as certain Protestants were executed on More's orders when he was Chancellor of England. In the modern age, when toleration is regarded as the chief virtue, More's stance is easy to dismiss as illiberal and medieval. Yet, to his credit, Ackroyd does not fall into the modernist trap. Historical figures must be judged by reference to the standards of their day and the "permanent things," but not by modern sensibilities. Ackroyd therefore presents More as a man of his times. It was a complex time amd More was a complex man.

I honestly wish I liked this biography better. I find Ackroyd's prose to be dense and heavy going. Especially annoying is his frequent use of quotations that he fails to render in modern English. Fifteenth century English is almost a different language than 21st century English and many of the quotations arealmost unintelligible. Granted, a scholarly work of history should not take liberties with translation. But this is a narrative history for a generalist audience, which appropriately has laxer standards.

Having said that, I still recommend Ackroyd's biography and am very glad I finally finished it. One comes away impressed with More's humanity, and inspired by his example. More had flaws beyond his supposed intolerance...as Ackroyd demonstrates, for example, More loved bawdy humor. Yet, when push came to shove, More demonstrated great moral courage. It is an inspiring story. I just wish it were told better.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most elegant biographies I've ever read!
Review: As a voracious biography reader I have never come across a more loving, generous, and fascinating biography than this one by Peter Ackroyd. The book is resplendent with tales of life in the latter part of the middle ages. It is not only a biography but a cornucopia of interesting facts about this period of history. The author shows a remarkable ability to take you from the Christian baptism of Thomas More all the way to his death as a martyr under the brutish reign of King Henry the VIII. One of the most stunning, prolific, polished biographies I have ever read in my life! I highly recommend this one for anyone interested in history and in the life of Thomas More.

Rating:
Summary: Provides detailed information about More's professional life
Review: I acquired this book while working in Australia. I was skeptical at first about yet another book on More, the original "Man For All Seasons," but this one adds considerable information that readers who are interested in More's life will appreciate. It is "heavier" reading in some ways than Richard Marius' biography, Thomas More (my personal favorite of the lot.) But this new book is scholarly, well presented, authoritative, and seems extremely well researched. It should be read by everyone who is interested in More the saint as well as More the man.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Pick It Up
Review: I couldn't pick this book up -- by which I mean to say that I found it slow, dull, and curiously undramatic given the drama that Thomas More lived. In part, I think this is due to the author's astonishing breadth of detail and historical accuracy. I think this is a marvelous book to know the nuances of More's life and period in history, but -- make no mistake -- it's a very, very slow read. It's almost as if the author deliberately chose, at every point, to deemphasize story and dramatic interest. For those short on time and/or without prior exposure to the life of More, I think it may be best to start elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Each chapter was wonderfully complete.
Review: I crawled through this book on my hands and knees. Ackroyd's dense sentences full of flavour and charm sucked me down into the middle of More's culture of Catholism and regency. I am not a scholar, just a reader who built tremendous respect for Ackroyd's ability to handle psychological complexity. More's struggle with duality as Ackroyd presents it, has all the tension and benchmarks of lives being lived in the late 20th century. Each chapter is wonderfully complete.