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Now is the Time
In this gripping novel, Melvyn Bragg brings an extraordinary episode in English history to fresh, urgent life.
At the end of May 1381, the fourteen-year-old King of England had reason to be fearful: the plague had returned, the royal coffers were empty and a draconian poll tax was being widely evaded. Yet Richard, bolstered by his powerful, admired mother, felt secure in his God-given right to reign.
Within two weeks, the unthinkable happened: a vast force of common people invaded London, led by a former soldier, Walter Tyler, and the radical preacher John Ball, demanding freedom, equality and the complete uprooting of the Church and state. They believed they were rescuing the King from his corrupt ministers, and that England had to be saved. And for three intense, violent days, it looked as if they would sweep all before them.
Now is the Time depicts the events of the Peasants' Revolt on both a grand and intimate scale, vividly portraying its central figures and telling an archetypal tale of an epic struggle between the powerful and the apparently powerless.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 2015
18 people are currently reading
578 people want to read
About the author
Melvyn Bragg
136 books141 followersMelvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, FRSL, FRTS (born 6 October 1939) is an English author, broadcaster and media personality who, aside from his many literary endeavours, is perhaps most recognised for his work on The South Bank Show.
Bragg is a prolific novelist and writer of non-fiction, and has written a number of television and film screenplays. Some of his early television work was in collaboration with Ken Russell, for whom he wrote the biographical dramas The Debussy Film (1965) and Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World (1967), as well as Russell's film about Tchaikovsky, The Music Lovers (1970). He is president of the National Academy of Writing. His 2008 novel, Remember Me is a largely autobiographical story.
He is also a Vice President of the Friends of the British Library, a charity set up to provide funding support to the British Library.
Bragg is a prolific novelist and writer of non-fiction, and has written a number of television and film screenplays. Some of his early television work was in collaboration with Ken Russell, for whom he wrote the biographical dramas The Debussy Film (1965) and Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World (1967), as well as Russell's film about Tchaikovsky, The Music Lovers (1970). He is president of the National Academy of Writing. His 2008 novel, Remember Me is a largely autobiographical story.
He is also a Vice President of the Friends of the British Library, a charity set up to provide funding support to the British Library.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
January 3, 2018
Absolutely superb. A contender for book of the year for me.
September 3, 2019
Found tone of writing really odd...
October 5, 2015
‘I will not kneel’
Melvyn Bragg’s latest novel is simply outstanding. A quietly polemical study of ‘haves and have-nots’ builds to a devastating climax, inevitable in its tragic outcomes.
This is a novel of the so-called Peasants Revolt of 1381. This episode of English history has traditionally been passed over with scarcely a glance in contrast to the colourful pageant of kings and queens. Contemporary sources emphasise the courage of the young king Richard II in the face of brutal, thuggish and violent rebels. While using the sources carefully Bragg presents a new interpretation. These rebels are not all peasants. Many are artisans, many educated, many from the mercantile classes of the newly rich. None of them, however, belong to the ruling Anglo-Norman nobility. What Bragg gives us, at times literally, is the voice of the people, a voice which opposes privilege and exploitation.
The narrative technique is artfully simple, for the bulk of the text carrying the reader along in shocking events of the three days of revolt. This story is exciting and bracing, like a rollercoaster ride, tumultuously focussing on a wide array of characters and events: the king’s mother, princess Joan, careful of privilege and wealth; the 14 year old king Richard, beloved of the people, who betrays their trust; his various advisors and supporters in all their flawed humanity; the remarkable Walter Tyler, soldier, reluctant leader whose abilities are tested and proven; John Ball, maverick priest, remembered for his rhyme, ‘When Adam delved and Eve span/who was then the gentleman?’.
Bragg says in his Afterward that the novel was 15 years in the writing; interesting as it seems so timely. Perhaps it has always been timely, just never properly told before. This is a novel of supreme artistry, deceptive in its narrative simplicity, wonderfully impressive and convincing in its humanity.
Melvyn Bragg’s latest novel is simply outstanding. A quietly polemical study of ‘haves and have-nots’ builds to a devastating climax, inevitable in its tragic outcomes.
This is a novel of the so-called Peasants Revolt of 1381. This episode of English history has traditionally been passed over with scarcely a glance in contrast to the colourful pageant of kings and queens. Contemporary sources emphasise the courage of the young king Richard II in the face of brutal, thuggish and violent rebels. While using the sources carefully Bragg presents a new interpretation. These rebels are not all peasants. Many are artisans, many educated, many from the mercantile classes of the newly rich. None of them, however, belong to the ruling Anglo-Norman nobility. What Bragg gives us, at times literally, is the voice of the people, a voice which opposes privilege and exploitation.
The narrative technique is artfully simple, for the bulk of the text carrying the reader along in shocking events of the three days of revolt. This story is exciting and bracing, like a rollercoaster ride, tumultuously focussing on a wide array of characters and events: the king’s mother, princess Joan, careful of privilege and wealth; the 14 year old king Richard, beloved of the people, who betrays their trust; his various advisors and supporters in all their flawed humanity; the remarkable Walter Tyler, soldier, reluctant leader whose abilities are tested and proven; John Ball, maverick priest, remembered for his rhyme, ‘When Adam delved and Eve span/who was then the gentleman?’.
Bragg says in his Afterward that the novel was 15 years in the writing; interesting as it seems so timely. Perhaps it has always been timely, just never properly told before. This is a novel of supreme artistry, deceptive in its narrative simplicity, wonderfully impressive and convincing in its humanity.
January 14, 2018
I am a big fan of Melvyn Bragg's writing. I knew very little about the peasant's revolt and it's historical period before reading this book. It was a very engaging read combining historical accuracy with fleshed out characters such as Princess Joan and Wat Tyler. Thoroughly enjoyed!
January 17, 2016
I enjoyed this but ultimately it undersold an extraordinary moment in English history. I liked the attempt to include a female perspective in the shape of the royal Joan, Wat's daughter Joan and Johanna Ferrers, though they were portrayed firmly as supporting cast rather than prime movers
(compare with, say, Wolf Hall's portrayal of women).
Not sure about the portrayal of Joan as the reason why King Richard lost his sympathy with the peasants' cause, and his ability to see the disproportionate power and wealth of the Church, and became something of a vengeful sadist seeking his mother's approval. I liked the attempt to capture the momentouness of John Ball's 'I shall not kneel' moment, as a direct challenge to the divine right of kings which was not to be repeated until the English revolution. Overall, some rather prosaic prose undermined the impact of a potentially thrilling story.
(compare with, say, Wolf Hall's portrayal of women).
Not sure about the portrayal of Joan as the reason why King Richard lost his sympathy with the peasants' cause, and his ability to see the disproportionate power and wealth of the Church, and became something of a vengeful sadist seeking his mother's approval. I liked the attempt to capture the momentouness of John Ball's 'I shall not kneel' moment, as a direct challenge to the divine right of kings which was not to be repeated until the English revolution. Overall, some rather prosaic prose undermined the impact of a potentially thrilling story.
June 11, 2016
A fictionalised telling of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. It's actually a lot more interesting than it sounds. Bragg brings the main characters to life and makes their stories so believable. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this as I thought it would be just sort of okay.
January 1, 2016
Hard going, almost a history book. Didn't get very far.
August 12, 2018
Now is the Time is a novel about the so-called Peasants’ Revolt (more accurately known as the ‘Great Uprising’) of 1381 in which author Melvyn Bragg’s main focus is the rebel Wat Tyler, here depicted as a former soldier, the preacher John Ball and Joan of Kent, the mother of the fourteen-year-old king, Richard II.
I ended up really disliking this book. For a number of reasons, really.
The actual construction of the writing is okay. Everything is clear and understandable, the dialogue is fine (no “as you know, Bob…” clangers) and Bragg avoids doing info-dumping to get the reader up to speed on the historical context. However, the writing style never really gelled with me. It felt stiff and awkward, but not as though Bragg was trying too hard to be ‘historical’ that he came off as overly formal. Instead, there was an unnatural quality to his words and I never could believe the people or events he was writing about were real. It felt like writing that called attention to its own construction without being clever about it, or using it to give deeper insight to the story/themes/etc.
Part of this issue, I think, may be that the point-of-view was all over the place. Bragg initially begins a chapter or scene with the reader in the head of one character, only to drop into the heads of other characters present in the scene without a scene break. So, in a chapter, the POV of Wat Tyler might dominate, most of the action would be seen through his eyes, but we’d be dipping into the heads and thoughts of anyone else that might be present.
Another part that contributes to this is that a lot of the emotions of the story are very much given in exposition and summary. Bragg might avoid dumping historical information on the reader, but in terms of background, interior monologue, character motivations and reactions, oh, he just pours it all over the reader without respite. It’s hard to care about these characters when we don’t get to feel their frustrations, triumphs, shames, terrors, enthusiasm, revulsions, joys and sorrows, but instead get told they’re disappointed or ‘excitingly disturbed’.
This isn’t a very long novel and could have easily been longer – there’s certainly enough behind this book and the historical event to make for an epic novel. But then, if this was a longer book written in the same style, I’d probably throw it out the window.
One of the things that’s cropped up in the reviews I read for this book is the focus on female characters, of which there are three notable ones. I didn’t actually find it that amazing. In fact, it’s pretty small potatoes to me – great, you wrote three women into this story who were already there, do you want a gold star? Maybe try writing them as actual people, then.
Two of these three women are supporting characters that seem to exist solely to gaze at Wat Tyler in superlative admiration. One of them (Joan, Tyler’s daughter) is brutally raped, but I’m not sure what the point of it was. I suspect it’s something as shallow as “well, it’s just historically accurate that women would be raped in this situation!!”* because the text doesn’t do anything with it beyond wallowing in Joan’s feelings of shame and degradation, usually to the tune of how her father will react and how she is unworthy of being his daughter now. Now, this does make sense in terms of her character – her sole characterisation up to this point has been 1% “I’m just as a good as a boy!” (oh god this has never been ground-breaking or feminist) and 99% “my father, Wat Tyler, is SO awesome!” – but it’s just… why, why would you write the character like that and have her rape being about how it’ll affect her father (whose sole reaction is a moment of “I’m going to kill her rapists” before he gets distracted)?
The only thing that I felt vaguely thankful for in Bragg’s treatment is that the rape itself isn’t described in graphic detail. But if he had to have her raped (and he absolutely didn’t), couldn’t he do something with it that isn’t “oh god I’m spoiled goods now, how will this man feel about my degraded self now?” It certainly doesn’t seem that hard to me.
The third significant female character is Joan of Kent, the Princess of Wales and mother of the king, Richard II. Historically, we know that this Joan was present at the revolt in London, but her actual role, thoughts and feelings about the rebellion are unknown. In Bragg’s hands, she has become the most significant female character in the story, there to primarily guide the king in his actions and act as the face of the nobility, more concerned with preserving their luxury than the suffering of the common people. Per Bragg’s author note, he sees that she “represented the force of riches and entitlement of the day more vividly and rootedly [sic] than anyone else”. Which leaves me feeling uncomfortable – it feels like Bragg has expanded Joan’s role in the revolt solely to make her the avatar for the greedy, grasping and cruel nobility. There are plenty of other male characters that could fulfil that role and their attitudes have the bonus of being, you know, a matter of historical record.
Bragg’s treatment of Richard II is also pretty weird, mainly because he thinks Richard II was Joffrey from Game of Thrones. Initially, Richard is characterised as deeply narcissistic, living in his own fantasy world, but then he turns into a sick, sadistic figure, who we’re told “became a connoisseur” of executions, often feeling “excitedly disturbed” by watching men beheaded and hanged and “enjoying [these] sensations”. First of all, yuck.
Secondly, it’s really odd reading this take on Richard II not long after reading Juliet Barker’s England, Arise: The People, the King and the Great Revolt of 1381 (published a year before Now is the Time) which posits that Richard did sympathise with the rebels and agreed with their cause, but was overruled and silenced by his council and parliament. He was, after all, a fourteen year old boy in 1381, and his powers as king was curtailed and controlled at this time.
Furthermore, Bragg’s characterisation feels not only inaccurate but does a disservice to the real man who was no doubt difficult, but definitely not a real-life version of Joffrey. The book even seems to make weird contortions to make this characterisation happen – it initially comes out of nowhere (but the book thinks character development is dumping exposition all over the head of the reader) and then, despite how Bragg has Richard being all “vengeance, yay! executions, hurrah!” he turns around and refuses to let John of Gaunt in on the revenge business (probably because that’s indisputable historical record). Furthermore, while Richard II did attend the executions in Essex, there’s no evidence he was sitting there getting a boner over them while his servants recorded gruesome details for him to wank off over later.
(I’m sorry, this really annoyed me.)
And while Bragg lingers on the atrocities he portrays the nobility committing, portraying them as sick individuals who get off on decapitations and blood spurting, he tends to just mention the atrocities committed by the rebels before swiftly ignoring them. The sole exception is the rape scene mentioned above, which is more about how the victim thinks her father will be so ashamed of her.
Yeah, I know, the nobility are the true evil but there is room for a bit of complexity here and the rebels were hardly innocent, pure beings who never did anything wrong.
In conclusion: ugh.
* According to Wikipedia, one account says that Wat Tyler’s daughter was sexually assaulted by tax collectors which inspired him to rebel. Thus, there is some historical basis for this plot detail, but my issues with how Bragg handled this remain. Furthermore, if Bragg’s purpose in including this rape scene was to reflect historical reality, how come the account that Joan of Kent was sexually assaulted by the rebels gets no traction?
I ended up really disliking this book. For a number of reasons, really.
The actual construction of the writing is okay. Everything is clear and understandable, the dialogue is fine (no “as you know, Bob…” clangers) and Bragg avoids doing info-dumping to get the reader up to speed on the historical context. However, the writing style never really gelled with me. It felt stiff and awkward, but not as though Bragg was trying too hard to be ‘historical’ that he came off as overly formal. Instead, there was an unnatural quality to his words and I never could believe the people or events he was writing about were real. It felt like writing that called attention to its own construction without being clever about it, or using it to give deeper insight to the story/themes/etc.
Part of this issue, I think, may be that the point-of-view was all over the place. Bragg initially begins a chapter or scene with the reader in the head of one character, only to drop into the heads of other characters present in the scene without a scene break. So, in a chapter, the POV of Wat Tyler might dominate, most of the action would be seen through his eyes, but we’d be dipping into the heads and thoughts of anyone else that might be present.
Another part that contributes to this is that a lot of the emotions of the story are very much given in exposition and summary. Bragg might avoid dumping historical information on the reader, but in terms of background, interior monologue, character motivations and reactions, oh, he just pours it all over the reader without respite. It’s hard to care about these characters when we don’t get to feel their frustrations, triumphs, shames, terrors, enthusiasm, revulsions, joys and sorrows, but instead get told they’re disappointed or ‘excitingly disturbed’.
This isn’t a very long novel and could have easily been longer – there’s certainly enough behind this book and the historical event to make for an epic novel. But then, if this was a longer book written in the same style, I’d probably throw it out the window.
One of the things that’s cropped up in the reviews I read for this book is the focus on female characters, of which there are three notable ones. I didn’t actually find it that amazing. In fact, it’s pretty small potatoes to me – great, you wrote three women into this story who were already there, do you want a gold star? Maybe try writing them as actual people, then.
Two of these three women are supporting characters that seem to exist solely to gaze at Wat Tyler in superlative admiration. One of them (Joan, Tyler’s daughter) is brutally raped, but I’m not sure what the point of it was. I suspect it’s something as shallow as “well, it’s just historically accurate that women would be raped in this situation!!”* because the text doesn’t do anything with it beyond wallowing in Joan’s feelings of shame and degradation, usually to the tune of how her father will react and how she is unworthy of being his daughter now. Now, this does make sense in terms of her character – her sole characterisation up to this point has been 1% “I’m just as a good as a boy!” (oh god this has never been ground-breaking or feminist) and 99% “my father, Wat Tyler, is SO awesome!” – but it’s just… why, why would you write the character like that and have her rape being about how it’ll affect her father (whose sole reaction is a moment of “I’m going to kill her rapists” before he gets distracted)?
The only thing that I felt vaguely thankful for in Bragg’s treatment is that the rape itself isn’t described in graphic detail. But if he had to have her raped (and he absolutely didn’t), couldn’t he do something with it that isn’t “oh god I’m spoiled goods now, how will this man feel about my degraded self now?” It certainly doesn’t seem that hard to me.
The third significant female character is Joan of Kent, the Princess of Wales and mother of the king, Richard II. Historically, we know that this Joan was present at the revolt in London, but her actual role, thoughts and feelings about the rebellion are unknown. In Bragg’s hands, she has become the most significant female character in the story, there to primarily guide the king in his actions and act as the face of the nobility, more concerned with preserving their luxury than the suffering of the common people. Per Bragg’s author note, he sees that she “represented the force of riches and entitlement of the day more vividly and rootedly [sic] than anyone else”. Which leaves me feeling uncomfortable – it feels like Bragg has expanded Joan’s role in the revolt solely to make her the avatar for the greedy, grasping and cruel nobility. There are plenty of other male characters that could fulfil that role and their attitudes have the bonus of being, you know, a matter of historical record.
Bragg’s treatment of Richard II is also pretty weird, mainly because he thinks Richard II was Joffrey from Game of Thrones. Initially, Richard is characterised as deeply narcissistic, living in his own fantasy world, but then he turns into a sick, sadistic figure, who we’re told “became a connoisseur” of executions, often feeling “excitedly disturbed” by watching men beheaded and hanged and “enjoying [these] sensations”. First of all, yuck.
Secondly, it’s really odd reading this take on Richard II not long after reading Juliet Barker’s England, Arise: The People, the King and the Great Revolt of 1381 (published a year before Now is the Time) which posits that Richard did sympathise with the rebels and agreed with their cause, but was overruled and silenced by his council and parliament. He was, after all, a fourteen year old boy in 1381, and his powers as king was curtailed and controlled at this time.
Furthermore, Bragg’s characterisation feels not only inaccurate but does a disservice to the real man who was no doubt difficult, but definitely not a real-life version of Joffrey. The book even seems to make weird contortions to make this characterisation happen – it initially comes out of nowhere (but the book thinks character development is dumping exposition all over the head of the reader) and then, despite how Bragg has Richard being all “vengeance, yay! executions, hurrah!” he turns around and refuses to let John of Gaunt in on the revenge business (probably because that’s indisputable historical record). Furthermore, while Richard II did attend the executions in Essex, there’s no evidence he was sitting there getting a boner over them while his servants recorded gruesome details for him to wank off over later.
(I’m sorry, this really annoyed me.)
And while Bragg lingers on the atrocities he portrays the nobility committing, portraying them as sick individuals who get off on decapitations and blood spurting, he tends to just mention the atrocities committed by the rebels before swiftly ignoring them. The sole exception is the rape scene mentioned above, which is more about how the victim thinks her father will be so ashamed of her.
Yeah, I know, the nobility are the true evil but there is room for a bit of complexity here and the rebels were hardly innocent, pure beings who never did anything wrong.
In conclusion: ugh.
* According to Wikipedia, one account says that Wat Tyler’s daughter was sexually assaulted by tax collectors which inspired him to rebel. Thus, there is some historical basis for this plot detail, but my issues with how Bragg handled this remain. Furthermore, if Bragg’s purpose in including this rape scene was to reflect historical reality, how come the account that Joan of Kent was sexually assaulted by the rebels gets no traction?
May 2, 2021
I have vague knowledge of the time period this book is set in so I knew what was going to happen but I still enjoyed the book. I thought that considering historical fiction is one of the hardest genres to write, the author did well. I enjoyed all the details and the writing was good but the characters weren't as rounded as I'd like and I didn't really connect with any of them. It was a little bit tell and no show as creative writing teachers would say. Still, I thought it was good all in all and I would read more from this author.
March 9, 2024
A bit of a different type of story and different pace being based on somewhat historical accounts. A very sad tale in English history but one definitely worth telling.
Read
May 15, 2021I’ve been meaning to finish this for over a year and it just doesn’t grab me, I like the idea but Melvin braggs style isn’t for me. It feels quite dated. Some nice passages though.
October 4, 2019
Interesting look at an event which is often only noted by a paragraph or two in history books.
I had to fish out those books to remind myself of Richard's demise.
I enjoyed this but had to skim read some bits. Some of the writing style was very "old school' but the story is fascinating and alarming, especially in these times when the British Parliament is so troubled and 'English honour' seems to be at stake.
Pleased I read it, pleased I finished a book which at times bored me by its style.
I had to fish out those books to remind myself of Richard's demise.
I enjoyed this but had to skim read some bits. Some of the writing style was very "old school' but the story is fascinating and alarming, especially in these times when the British Parliament is so troubled and 'English honour' seems to be at stake.
Pleased I read it, pleased I finished a book which at times bored me by its style.
August 25, 2018
Bragg notes at the end of this book that the so-called "Peasants Revolt" is often ignored when teaching English history. Indeed, the only time I ever heard about it was reading "The Very Bloody History of Britain" when I was about 11 or 12. You don't learn about it in school, you don't see books about it, you don't see documentaries about it. It's as if no-one wants to tell us ordinary working-class people that in the 14th century, ordinary, working class people once staged one of the biggest protests England has ever seen. It's as if they think we'd get ideas...
Bragg brings this neglected aspect of history to life, following Walter "Wat" Tyler as he becomes involved in the struggle against oppressive taxes, oppressive laws and a social structure that sees the poorest effectively treated as slaves. Meanwhile, the wealthy hoard everything to themselves and a man who wants church services to be done in English is branded a heretic.
I liked the fact that the book doesn't rush through events - we are given time to get to know our characters (on both sides) and understand where each of them is coming from. We understand the situation of the "Commons" as well as the blinkered privilege of the royals, aristocrats and archbishops. In a heavily religious age where plague outbreaks are routine, there are conflicting views: some people see the plague as God's punishment for those who won't share their wealth, while the wealthy believe it is God's will that they have that wealth and power.
We may not have bubonic plague outbreaks in 21st century England or be as deeply religious, but versions of those same arguments are still going on today. This novel shows us how things turned out in the 14th century while providing plenty of food for thought for our present times.
I've awarded the book 4 stars, but there was one thing I didn't like, namely (disturbing content warning)
Apart from that, it's a good, interesting book
Bragg brings this neglected aspect of history to life, following Walter "Wat" Tyler as he becomes involved in the struggle against oppressive taxes, oppressive laws and a social structure that sees the poorest effectively treated as slaves. Meanwhile, the wealthy hoard everything to themselves and a man who wants church services to be done in English is branded a heretic.
I liked the fact that the book doesn't rush through events - we are given time to get to know our characters (on both sides) and understand where each of them is coming from. We understand the situation of the "Commons" as well as the blinkered privilege of the royals, aristocrats and archbishops. In a heavily religious age where plague outbreaks are routine, there are conflicting views: some people see the plague as God's punishment for those who won't share their wealth, while the wealthy believe it is God's will that they have that wealth and power.
We may not have bubonic plague outbreaks in 21st century England or be as deeply religious, but versions of those same arguments are still going on today. This novel shows us how things turned out in the 14th century while providing plenty of food for thought for our present times.
I've awarded the book 4 stars, but there was one thing I didn't like, namely (disturbing content warning)
Apart from that, it's a good, interesting book
August 30, 2023
I greatly admire Melvyn Bragg's work, and as host of In Our Time he shows himself to be as close to a Renaissance Man as anyone could hope to be these days, but on the strength of this he isn't a novelist.
A historical novel needs to be more than a dramatized account of events. Take A Place of Greater Safety -- no, that's unfair because Mantel has a lot more detail to work with; a better comparison is The Gladiators . Koestler uses the life of Spartacus to tell a story, he doesn't just tell the story of Spartacus's life. Now is the Time is written like a modern thriller, ie mostly on the surface and when it pokes into a character's inner life it does so superficially. The characters never come fully to life and the world of the 14th century here feels like a theme park rather than a manifest reality.
The Peasants' Revolt is a fascinating chapter in English history and I wish Bragg had written about it as nonfiction, which might have played more to his strengths. His depiction of Tyler, for example, might be accurate but for the purposes of fiction it's inadequate. A novel would require him to be more interesting, fatally flawed in some way, more psychologically complex. Something more universal and important than trusting the King too much and buckling at the crucial moment.
I have to quibble about the constant "firing" of arrows (it should be "shooting") and I tripped over the use of batten (as in fastened) as an intransitive verb: "battened to the spot", but there are no obvious typos, which is very rare in a modern book.
A historical novel needs to be more than a dramatized account of events. Take A Place of Greater Safety -- no, that's unfair because Mantel has a lot more detail to work with; a better comparison is The Gladiators . Koestler uses the life of Spartacus to tell a story, he doesn't just tell the story of Spartacus's life. Now is the Time is written like a modern thriller, ie mostly on the surface and when it pokes into a character's inner life it does so superficially. The characters never come fully to life and the world of the 14th century here feels like a theme park rather than a manifest reality.
The Peasants' Revolt is a fascinating chapter in English history and I wish Bragg had written about it as nonfiction, which might have played more to his strengths. His depiction of Tyler, for example, might be accurate but for the purposes of fiction it's inadequate. A novel would require him to be more interesting, fatally flawed in some way, more psychologically complex. Something more universal and important than trusting the King too much and buckling at the crucial moment.
I have to quibble about the constant "firing" of arrows (it should be "shooting") and I tripped over the use of batten (as in fastened) as an intransitive verb: "battened to the spot", but there are no obvious typos, which is very rare in a modern book.
December 28, 2017
I suffer from a guilt-ridden ambivalence toward Bragg’s narrative approach. I so wanted to love this book into a 5-star review.
First, the praise: I love that Bragg chose to tell this story. It’s a fascinating moment in history that reminds us how much (and how little) our social worlds have changed since 1381. The portrait of the sociolinguistic context was perfect and can serve as a insightful reflection of power in modern diglossia. (This is particularly fascinating since most of us have a difficult time imagining English with the short end of the stick.)
BUT… I can’t help but feel that Bragg tried to accomplish too much in 350 pages. I wish that he had simply committed to fewer aspects of the revolt and its major players. The storytelling felt crowded with actors and motives, which left little time for settling in with any single character. Point of view shifts often and the pages are flooded with names that I have already forgotten since their last mention. Imagine an entire season of Game of Thrones (plus all the relevant background information) packed into a single episode or two.
Read the full review here: https://fortheloveofthestory.com/2017...
First, the praise: I love that Bragg chose to tell this story. It’s a fascinating moment in history that reminds us how much (and how little) our social worlds have changed since 1381. The portrait of the sociolinguistic context was perfect and can serve as a insightful reflection of power in modern diglossia. (This is particularly fascinating since most of us have a difficult time imagining English with the short end of the stick.)
BUT… I can’t help but feel that Bragg tried to accomplish too much in 350 pages. I wish that he had simply committed to fewer aspects of the revolt and its major players. The storytelling felt crowded with actors and motives, which left little time for settling in with any single character. Point of view shifts often and the pages are flooded with names that I have already forgotten since their last mention. Imagine an entire season of Game of Thrones (plus all the relevant background information) packed into a single episode or two.
Read the full review here: https://fortheloveofthestory.com/2017...
October 13, 2020
Melvyn Bragg writes like a dream. So gifted particularly when describing the inner emotions of characters , the lists of words which carry you along. You are swept up. He is also good at giving you snapshots of characters so Princess Joan surrounded by her heavy jewels is the image that stays with you for the whole course of the story - unnecessary , vast wealth held dear by the elite with no feeling for the poor, at all.
I'm no monarchist so the ghastly inhumanity of the Royal court just appalled me.
Given my strong beliefs, I found the inevitability of the ending , a grinding-down throughout. When life is a bit grim anyway, it is perhaps wisest to read something happy-ever-after!
Like many others, I 'm pretty sure I was never taught about this episode of British history at school - for some reason the British education system has always wanted to skate over the failings of our institutions. I'm glad that Melvyn kept going, but I do wonder if he was also ground-down by the story and its modern-day equivalents in Tianeman Sq and Tahir Sq.
I'm no monarchist so the ghastly inhumanity of the Royal court just appalled me.
Given my strong beliefs, I found the inevitability of the ending , a grinding-down throughout. When life is a bit grim anyway, it is perhaps wisest to read something happy-ever-after!
Like many others, I 'm pretty sure I was never taught about this episode of British history at school - for some reason the British education system has always wanted to skate over the failings of our institutions. I'm glad that Melvyn kept going, but I do wonder if he was also ground-down by the story and its modern-day equivalents in Tianeman Sq and Tahir Sq.
November 22, 2016
This is an account of the popular revolt of 1381 led by The King's soldier, Wat Tyler and an evangelical priest, John Ball. Tired of a corrupt Church and state, ground down by the imposed serfdom of the Norman rule and broken by the draconian poll tax, the common people rebel. Their numbers swell rapidly. They are marched to London where they take the city they have come to despise, execute
the Archbishop and free all the prisoners. There follows a general free-for-all of rioting, pillaging and murder. They make a series of demands of the young King Richard II and it seems, very nearly succeed in their aims.
This novel has a lot of historical detail and is clearly well-researched. Where it works best for me is where the characters are given more personal details as with Princess Joan or where more dialogue is used as during the final trial and execution of John Ball.
the Archbishop and free all the prisoners. There follows a general free-for-all of rioting, pillaging and murder. They make a series of demands of the young King Richard II and it seems, very nearly succeed in their aims.
This novel has a lot of historical detail and is clearly well-researched. Where it works best for me is where the characters are given more personal details as with Princess Joan or where more dialogue is used as during the final trial and execution of John Ball.
September 18, 2017
A beautifully written telling of the uprising of June 1381, the so called peasants' revolt. The story switches from Walter Tyler and John Ball, the soldier and man of God, to King Richard, his mother Joan and his councillors as the action builds. You get a real feeling of the groundswell as the True Commons flock to Tyler and march on London.
The characters are well drawn and totally believable, so while this is only an interpretation, it is utterly compelling. The story rattles along and is just so readable - exciting, moving, shocking in turn but staying convincing. You get a real feel for the London of the day and the gulf between the haves and have nots.
If you like historical fiction then this is highly recommended.
The characters are well drawn and totally believable, so while this is only an interpretation, it is utterly compelling. The story rattles along and is just so readable - exciting, moving, shocking in turn but staying convincing. You get a real feel for the London of the day and the gulf between the haves and have nots.
If you like historical fiction then this is highly recommended.
December 30, 2022
An excellent piece of fiction based closely on the facts and what a story.There is no suspense in the bare outline of facts but Melvyn Bragg still manages to give the story suspense as he delved into the inner thoughts and words of the main characters on both sides.He brings such a momentous people’s rebellion to life and into a prominence that most histories pass over quickly.It’s not a romantic history fiction but a serious piece of imagined investigation into an important but ignored story.So it’s for lovers of serious historical fiction and well worth a read.The names of Wat Tyler,John Ball and Jack Straw need to be remembered for their desire to free people from the unjust rule of “their better”.This book does that.
December 29, 2021
Now is the Time takes place during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, after the imposition of a harsh poll tax inordinately harming the agricultural laborers and urban working class, following years of deaths from the plague. King Richard II was a young teenager at the time.
It was not an easy read due to the intensity and brutality of the circumstances, and some historians might disagree with the author's characterizations. While a few of the characters were portrayed as understanding the plight of the peasants, it's almost unbelievable how self-absorbed, treacherous and cruel many of those in power could be.
It was not an easy read due to the intensity and brutality of the circumstances, and some historians might disagree with the author's characterizations. While a few of the characters were portrayed as understanding the plight of the peasants, it's almost unbelievable how self-absorbed, treacherous and cruel many of those in power could be.
August 23, 2019
This is a bit of a strange book. It sort of falls halfway between a historical novel and a history book. The plot moves at a clipping pace and Bragg captures well the sense of momentum that the peasants revolt had. The inclusion of Princess Joan is also a welcome addition . Due to this clipping pace the characterisation suffers. There are a lot of side characters that simply feel like notes in a history book and Bragg struggles to show the internal workings of the main characters often factually stating what happened rather than show any great human insight.
January 22, 2020
For an academic Melvyn Bragg has a remarkable way of getting in to the heart of the characters involved. In Now is the Time he has combined a cast of mostly real and a handful of imagined characters to create a world that echoes our own today.
His novel looks skillfully at both sides of the conflict, although with a stronger favour toward the peasant class, his interpretation of Tyler and his family and the contrast with Richard and his mother Joan brings the whole cataclysmic events of those few days into a personal focus that has you gripped from the outset.
His novel looks skillfully at both sides of the conflict, although with a stronger favour toward the peasant class, his interpretation of Tyler and his family and the contrast with Richard and his mother Joan brings the whole cataclysmic events of those few days into a personal focus that has you gripped from the outset.
August 8, 2020
Clearly a well researched novel from a reliable writer about an interesting period in history. This is an accomplished retelling of the ‘peasant’s revolt’ (inverted commas because are they really peasants? And can it be classed as a revolt when the king wins) from the point of view of Tyler, Straw, Ball, Richard, Joan (both Kings mother and Tyler’s daughter)and Johanna. However, there is something about Bragg’s style that reads like non-fiction. Also, the omniscient narrator with so many perspectives meant that as a reader, I didn’t really connect with any of them.
April 3, 2018
Took a while to get into this one but it was so rewarding to keep the faith. Faith indeed plays an important role in the book.
It's the tale of the so called Peasants revolt (name given much later) which was a brief but important challenge to the status quo in 1381 England.
There is no guessing whose side Bragg is on but he shines a light on what has been dismissed as a footnote in history but more deserving of a chapter or in Bragg's case a book!
Thoroughly recommended.
It's the tale of the so called Peasants revolt (name given much later) which was a brief but important challenge to the status quo in 1381 England.
There is no guessing whose side Bragg is on but he shines a light on what has been dismissed as a footnote in history but more deserving of a chapter or in Bragg's case a book!
Thoroughly recommended.
August 29, 2020
A little bit laboured in places, this novel explores the gruesome peasants’ revolt of 1381. Anger, bitterness, hunger all combine into a violent uprising, culminating in brutal thuggery in London in the pursuit of equality.
Melvyn Bragg draws out personalities from limited historical sources, imagines the influences of family and counsel and strongly shows the disparity between serfs and lords existing at that time, even down to language.
Superb, bloody, disturbing.
Melvyn Bragg draws out personalities from limited historical sources, imagines the influences of family and counsel and strongly shows the disparity between serfs and lords existing at that time, even down to language.
Superb, bloody, disturbing.
October 2, 2020
Purchase Now is the Time here for just $10!
Bragg delves deep into 14th century history for this novel about the Peasants Revolt. A thrilling read, that Bragg has meticulously researched, so even people who don't usually read historical fiction will find a winner in Now is the Time.
Elisa - The Book Grocer
Bragg delves deep into 14th century history for this novel about the Peasants Revolt. A thrilling read, that Bragg has meticulously researched, so even people who don't usually read historical fiction will find a winner in Now is the Time.
Elisa - The Book Grocer
February 17, 2024
A good read
I enjoyed this book, but there again it's hard not to enjoy the eloquent erudition of Melvyn.
At times it could have moved a bit quicker, there is a fair bit of padding to add colour and atmosphere, but it's still a good read.
A grim, violent and sad ending, but what do expect if you go against the ruling classes. A warning to Brexiteers about what their "betters" have in store for them perhaps.
I enjoyed this book, but there again it's hard not to enjoy the eloquent erudition of Melvyn.
At times it could have moved a bit quicker, there is a fair bit of padding to add colour and atmosphere, but it's still a good read.
A grim, violent and sad ending, but what do expect if you go against the ruling classes. A warning to Brexiteers about what their "betters" have in store for them perhaps.
September 5, 2019
Set during the High Middle Ages in England, this novel tells the story of a real-life peasants' rebellion. The book is well-written overall, but a little hard to follow. Each chapter is told by a different narrator, and the narrators are often unnamed, so it was hard to tell exactly who was who and what was happening.
December 27, 2017
An interesting take on the Pheasants Revolt of 1381 a period of history often overlooked. The book provided me with a truth based fictional story that brings to life a period of history without the challenges of wading through dry historical documents.
February 4, 2023
I enjoyed this, especially cross checking the history and learning more about the people and events. However, the novel itself feels a little thin - the characters and their own stories aren't developed enough to really make a connection with them.
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