The Life of Thomas More

by Peter Ackroyd

Peter Ackroyd's The Life of Thomas More is a masterful reconstruction of the life and imagination of one of the most remarkable figures of history. Thomas More (1478-1535) was a renowned statesman; the author of a political fantasy that  gave a name to a literary genre and a worldview ( Utopia ); and, most famously, a Catholic martyr and saint.

Born into the professional classes, Thomas More applied his formidable intellect and well-placed connections to become the most powerful man in England, second only to the king. As much a work of history as a biography, The Life of Thomas More gives an unmatched portrait of the everyday, religious, and intellectual life of the early sixteenth century. In Ackroyd's hands, this renowned "man for all seasons" emerges in the fullness of his complex humanity; we see the unexpected side of his character--such as his preference for bawdy humor--as well as his indisputable moral courage.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Religion, Biography Memoir, Catholic, British Literature

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Peter Ackroyd CBE is an English novelist and biographer with a particular interest in the history and culture of London.

Peter Ackroyd's mother worked in the personnel department of an engineering firm, his father having left the family home when Ackroyd was a baby. He was reading newspapers by the age of 5 and, at 9, wrote a play about Guy Fawkes. Reputedly, he first realized he was gay at the age of 7.

Ackroyd was educated at St. Benedict's, Ealing and at Clare College, Cambridge, from which he graduated with a double first in English. In 1972, he was a Mellon Fellow at Yale University in the United States. The result of this fellowship was Ackroyd's Notes for a New Culture, written when he was only 22 and eventually published in 1976. The title, a playful echo of T. S. Eliot's Notes Towards the Definition of Culture (1948), was an early indication of Ackroyd's penchant for creatively exploring and reexamining the works of other London-based writers.

Ackroyd's literary career began with poetry, including such works as London Lickpenny (1973) and The Diversions of Purley (1987). He later moved into fiction and has become an acclaimed author, winning the 1998 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for the biography Thomas More and being shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1987.

Ackroyd worked at The Spectator magazine between 1973 and 1977 and became joint managing editor in 1978. In 1982 he published The Great Fire of London, his first novel. This novel deals with one of Ackroyd's great heroes, Charles Dickens, and is a reworking of Little Dorrit. The novel set the stage for the long sequence of novels Ackroyd has produced since, all of which deal in some way with the complex interaction of time and space, and what Ackroyd calls "the spirit of place". It is also the first in a sequence of novels of London, through which he traces the changing, but curiously consistent nature of the city. Often this theme is explored through the city's artists, and especially its writers.

Ackroyd has always shown a great interest in the city of London, and one of his best known works, London: The Biography, is an extensive and thorough discussion of London through the ages.

His fascination with London literary and artistic figures is also displayed in the sequence of biographies he has produced of Ezra Pound (1980), T. S. Eliot (1984), Charles Dickens (1990), William Blake (1995), Thomas More (1998), Chaucer (2004), William Shakespeare (2005), and J. M. W. Turner. The city itself stands astride all these works, as it does in the fiction.

From 2003 to 2005, Ackroyd wrote a six-book non-fiction series (Voyages Through Time), intended for readers as young as eight. This was his first work for children. The critically acclaimed series is an extensive narrative of key periods in world history.

Early in his career, Ackroyd was nominated a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1984 and, as well as producing fiction, biography and other literary works, is also a regular radio and television broadcaster and book critic.

In the New Year's honours list of 2003, Ackroyd was awarded the CBE.

Reviews

[Peiman E iran · Rating 1 out of 5]

‎دوستانِ گرانقدر، <توماس مور> از آن دسته از مبلّغان دینی و مسیحی است که هوادارانِ وی، او را فیلسوف قلمداد کرده اند و با گذشتِ زمان، متأسفانه مردم از رویِ ناآگاهی او را به اشتباه در دستهٔ فیلسوفان و اندیشمندان، جای داده اند
‎توماس مور در سالِ 1478 میلادی و در یک خانوادهٔ کاملاً مذهبی و ثروتمند، در انگلستان به دنیا آمد و پدرش یک قاضیِ مذهبی بود.... در عصرِ رنسانس که به نوعی عصرِ شکوفاییِ اندیشه بود، توماس مور و امثالِ وی، کماکان در باتلاقِ خرافات و موهوماتِ مذهبی و دینی، دست و پا میزدند و دیگران را نیز به درونِ این باتلاق می کشیدند و راه را به رویِ پیشرفتِ دانش، بسته بودند... توماس مور، تحصیلاتش را در مدارسی که شباهت به حوزه هایِ علمیه داشت، ادامه داد... این مدارس دارایِ حجره ها و اتاقک هایِ کوچکی بود که در هر کدام از آنها چهار نفر را می چپاندند و آنها بطورِ فشرده، مطالعه میکردند و درس هایِ دینی می آموختند...مور نزدیک به پنج سال نیز در صومعه، مراحلِ رسیدن به درجهٔ قاضی شرعی و مذهبی شدن را گذراند.. سپس سالها وقت صرفِ نوشتنِ کتابی سرشار از موهوماتِ دینی و مذهبی به نامِ "اوتوپیا" نمود و در همان دوران، <هنری هشتم> پادشاهِ انگستان، به سفارشِ پاپ، او را به مقامِ صدر اعظمیِ خویش، برگزید... امّا نکتهٔ اصلی اینجا بود که هنری هشتم، به موهومات و خرافاتِ دینی، اعتقاد نداشت و جمعی از اندیشمندان را در دربارِ خویش جمع کرده بود و از آنها مشورت میگرفت و یکی از کتابهایی که او برایِ مملکت داری از آن پیروی میکرد، کتابِ "شهریار" نوشتهٔ ماکیاول بود و از اندیشه هایِ ماکیاولی بسیار بهره میبرد و اندک ارزشی برایِ خزعبلاتی که توماس مور در کتابِ "اوتوپیا" نوشته بود، قائل نبود و همین موضوع باعثِ حسادتِ توماس مور، شده بود
‎توماس مور و پاپ، رابطه ای تنگاتنگ با <ملکه کاترین> همسرِ هنری هشتم داشتند و بدین وسیله در امورِ حکومتی دخالت میکردند و از طرفی ملکه کاترین از نظرِ مالی، آنها و کلیسایِ کاتولیک را حمایت میکرد و بدین وسیله و با کمکِ ملکه کاترین، خرافات و موهومات مذهبی و اندیشه هایِ بیمار و ویروسیِ کلیسا، راهِ خود را در دربار و همچنین در میانِ مردمِ ساده و زودباور، باز کرده بود و متعصبانِ نادان و بیخردِ کاتولیک همچون توماس مور، بیش از پیش توانسته بودند تا خردِ مردم انگلستان را، فاسد کنند
‎هنری هشتم، در اقدامی تیزهوشانه تصمیم گرفت تا از کاترین جدا شده و با <آن بلین> ازدواج کند .. امّا توماس مور که با رفتنِ کاترین و از دست دادنِ قدرتِ سابقش به عنوانِ ملکهٔ انگلستان، مواضعِ خود و کلیسا را در خطر میدید، آنچنان گستاخ شده بود که به پادشاه گفت: ما جانشین هایِ خداوند صلاح شما را بهتر میدانیم و این ازدواج و جداشدن از ملکه کاترین را صلاح نمیدانیم... امّا پادشاه و مشاورینش که این روحانیِ روباه و فریبکار را شناخته بودند، به قولِ معروف برایِ سخنان و اظهارِ نظرِ گستاخانهٔ این موجودِ بیخرد و سواستفاده گر، تره هم خورد نکرد و به آن اهمیت نداد... همه چیز به خوبی پیش میرفت و پادشاه از کاترین جدا شد و با <آن بلین> ازدواج کرد... پادشاه برایِ مراسمِ ازدواج و مراسمِ تاجگذاری، توماس مور را به مراسم دعوت نمود.. امّا توماس مور، دعوتِ پادشاه را رد کرد و گفت: ما این ازدواج را از نظرِ دینی، شرعی ندانسته و این بر خلافِ نظرِ کلیسا و پاپ میباشد.... اینبار، کاسهٔ صبرِ هنری هشتم، لبریز شد و دستورِ دستگیری و زندانی شدنِ این موجودِ گستاخ را که کاسهٔ داغ تر از آش شده بود را صادر نمود تا در زمانی مناسب، دادگاهی شود
‎زمانی که دادگاه برگزار شد، رأی دادگاه اینچنین بود که: برایِ آنکه درسِ عبرتی برای دیگران باشد، او را به یکی از روش هایی که دادگاه هایِ تفتیش عقاید و کلیسا، انسانهایِ اندیشمند و خردمند را وحشیانه اعدام میکردند، به سزایِ عملش برسانیم و قرار بر این شد تا وی را به بالا کشیده و در حالی که زنده است و جان دارد، بدنش را به چهار بخش، تکه تکه کنند.... امّا هنری هشتم، دلش به حالِ او سوخت و دستور داد تا او را زجرکُش نکرده و تنها سرش را از بدن جدا کنند... در پایانِ دادگاه، توماس مور، رو به قاضیانِ دادگاه کرد و بازهم از موهومات و خزعبلاتِ دینی، برایِ آنها سخن راند و گفت: در این دنیا، شما صاحبِ رأی بودید و به محکومیتِ من نظر دادید، امّا در بهشت، همه با شادی با یکدیگر روبرو میشویم و به رستگاریِ جاوید، نائل میگردیم!!.... به هر حال نه تنها توماس مور، بلکه مسیحیانِ دیگر نیز، اعتقاد دارند جایِ تمامیِ پیروانِ عیسی مسیح که غسلِ تعمید داده شده اند، در بهشتِ موهوم و خیالیِ ادیانِ ابراهیمی یا همان ادیانِ سامی، میباشد!!!!! سرانجام، روزِ اعدامِ توماس مور، فرا رسید و هنگامی که گردنش را به رویِ تخته گذاشتند، گفت: خواهش میکنم، ریشم را از رویِ تخته بردارم، زیرا ریشِ من، مرتکبِ خیانتی نسبت به پادشاه نشده است ...... آنگاه جلّاد، سرِ او را از بدن جدا کرد و وی را به هلاکت رساند و مردم را از دخالت ها و سخنانِ خطرناک و متعصبانه و نابخردانهٔ دینی و مذهبیِ وی، رهایی بخشید ... امّا پس از سالها، پیروانِ کلیسا، با تحریف و دروغ پردازی، توماس مور را به عنوانِ فیلسوف به مردم زمانشان و حتی به آیندگان، معرفی کردند.. در صورتیکه بارها و بارها و در ریویهایِ دیگر نیز، برایِ شما خردگرایان و دوستانِ هوشی وار نوشته ام که فلسفه و خردِ انسانی، هیچ ارتباطی با موهومات و خزعبلاتِ دینی و مذهبی و مبلّغانِ دروغ پرداز و تحریفگرِ آنها، نداشته و ندارد ... دین و مذهب و خرافات و موهومات، نقطهٔ مقابل و در تضادِ با خرد و فلسفه و دانش بوده و همچنان نیز همینگونه میباشد
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‎امیدوارم این ریویو در جهتِ آگاهیِ فرزندانِ ایران زمین، مفید بوده باشه
‎<پیروز باشید و ایرانی>

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never really like Thomas More. He always seemed a bit hard headed, stubborn, bordering on cruel. At least, in what I've read about him and seen in the movies. It is to Ackroyd's credit that he makes More human. I don't like him, but I respect him.

Ackroyd goes a long way into taking a closer look at More's marriage. He makes Alice More into more than a shrew. Ackroyd also place More in time and place. He looks at the influence of society and religion. He is careful too keep away from the idea of a saint's life, and his More is very human.

Ackroyd shows us More's humor (more sexual and dirty than you would think) as well as his love for his family. I wish I had read this before reading Utopia. Ackroyd's reading of that More tract is in depth and gives the book a new dimension.

This isn't a quick read, but it is an easy read. However, if you are unfamiliar with Henry VIII and his great matter, you might want to read a little about that first. Ackroyd presumes that his reader knows about that.

[Patrick O'Hannigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought on first reading this biography some years ago that it was less gripping that it could have been, given the stature of the man that it is about, but I find on re-reading the book that my first assessment was wrong. What I had called tedious then is what I would now call atmospheric and impressively detailed. Peter Ackroyd knows sixteenth-century London inside and out. One of the virtues of this biography is that it places Thomas More in his proper context, as a man who all his adult life upheld the prerogatives of the law and the Church as he understood them.

That Thomas More's life intersects those of such larger-than-life figures as Martin Luther, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, and (of course) King Henry VIII is a boon to skillful biographers, and Ackroyd also has insights to share about More's peers, not to mention the impetus for and course of the Protestant Reformation in England.

While some of the excerpts from More's writing slowed down my own reading because spelling at the time had not been standardized, it was great fun to learn how much More actually bequeathed even to language, by crafting or documenting expressions like "dead as a doornail." More even followed the medieval practice of employing a household Fool who was himself clever enough to use lines like "Chancellor More is chancellor no more."

It is no easy thing to make virtue accessible without belittling it, which is why saints are tricky to write about. Fortunately, Ackroyd has a firm grasp of what it means to be "in the world but not of it," and his work here does justice to England's most famous lawyer.

[Paul Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 marry Anne Boleyn, against the Pope's desires.) All of this is true. Thomas More was all of this. BUT, and pardon the pun, but he was also MORE than this. Or should I say LESS? He was also defender of the Catholic Church to the point where he vilified, tried and burned at least dozens of people at the stake for heresy. These so-called heresies were often for nothing more than owning banned books by reformers such as Martin Luther or William Tyndale. Thus "Saint" Thomas More was guilty of the greatest act of hypocrisy. He defended himself against the the king, using "conscience" and reasoning, yet he would not allow others to practice according to their own conscience. He was blinded by his own dogmatic beliefs and traditions, and like all men, he possessed both virtues and vices. The book itself was straightforward, well researched and well explained. And I appreciated that the author neither glorified nor disparaged his subject.

[Andrea M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long and tedious in some ways but very interesting. Adult reading. I liked how he was so opposed to materialism that he gave his daughter a necklace of peas rather than pearls to teach her a lesson. Watch the movie "A Man for All Seasons."

[A.K. Frailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 specific skills in which Thomas More was fluent. I learned a lot from this book, but I never felt talked down to - rather spoken to as someone who could slip into the country and century as easily as Thomas himself. There were some shocking aspects to More's life - some I wish I didn't know, but yet am glad were not hidden from me. He was not always a saint and certain aspects of his personality repelled me, but the alteration in him from a successful young lawyer to a martyred saint was breathtaking. I took my time with this book and I am glad I did for there is a lot to absorb.

[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 church. Plenty of nuggets of which I was unaware (among the many words More introduced into the vernacular: paradox, and fact), and plenty of lines culled from More's correspondence used in various dramatizations ("A Man for All Seasons," and "The Tudors" use them plenty). More was indeed remarkable. A man who died out of adherence to his faith, true, but also, in Ackroyd's approach, a man who died for the sake of the law as well. Fascinating.

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ackroyd is good on More’s London and Christian humanist circle. Does he show that More’s oppressive intolerance was even more appalling than that which had him killed?

[Helen Felgate · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 character of More and gave me some understanding of the theology and traditions of the Catholic Church during the reformation which led More to act the way he did (he was guilty of bringing many so called "heretics" to a cruel end) and led ultimately to his downfall. I struggled initially with some of the medieval language quoted verbatim but towards the end I found the flow to it (a bit like when initially accustoming oneself to the language of Shakespeare) and felt it gave a much greater understanding of More and all his complexities. Of his brilliant use of language and metaphor in his considerable writings. Who knew for eg that he was responsible for inventing and recording so many words and sayings that are still in common use today. Or knew of his struggle with his early sexual feelings, and his sense of the absurd. His humour often bawdy or what we would call today toilet humour. It is also a picture of a family man with a strong sense of familial duty. Ultimately his story is a tragedy of a man who wore a hair shirt under his clothes and who despite his attempts to avoid controversy and the wrath of the king is observed moving ever closer to his inevitable death. A fascinating study which alongside Holbein's famous portrait of him lingers in the mind.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am appalled that this book won the James Tait prize. In my opinion the reading public could well have done without this inconsequential effort. There a number of other better biographies available at the time this one was published and fail to see what Ackroyd's effort adds to our knowledge of either the man or the era.

The reality is that in the last 400 years virtually new sources on the life of Thomas More have come to light. During that period, biographers have been going through the same archival material and deciding what can be believed from the first biography of More written by his son in law William Roper.

What the biographers have been able to is to explain the intellectual and political context in which More lived given the knowledge and perspective of the readers of their generation. Unfortunately, Ackroyd demonstrates scant understanding and little interest in the intellectual debates of the era. What Ackroyd does give us is no more than the tale of a talented parliamentarian who got involved on the wrong side of a London court intrigue.

As a study of one of the greatest writers of the Renaissance and one of the last major political theoreticians to write in Latin rather than his own vernacular, this book comes up grievously short.

Richard Marius' 1984 biography of More is superior in every way.

[Colleen Browne · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 language but for someone not well versed in it, it is very annoying, hard to understand at times, and it slows down the reading making the experience not very good.

It is a very thoroughly researched book and the story of More's execution at the hands of Henry VIII is touching. More strived to live a perfect life and to remain true to the Catholic Church and to the principles he believed in and although his orders to have (about 12) "heretics" burned is difficult to justify, he was a man of his times in that regard.

Whenever I have read accounts of his life and his martyrdom, I cannot help but respect him and am always touched by it.

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best biographies and simply put best books I have ever read. Ackroyd makes More's England come to life. One smells the smells, hears the sounds, and tastes the tastes of More's London. Ackroyd has an incredible sympathy for his subject and writes a gripping book. It reads like a novel. My one complaint, and it is minor, is that Ackroyd does not translate the Olde English into the contemporary English and this can make some of the quotations quite difficult to understand. On my second read through, which was a quicker read, I found this more difficult to deal with. It really is great however.

[Nemo · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,

Some exit on their sick-bed, some on the battlefield, others, like Socrates and Thomas More, were executed by the state they had loved and served.

Thomas More lived in late 15th and early 16th century Europe, in the time of the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. Peter Ackroyd's sympathetic and well-researched biography places More in this historical and cultural context, and portrays him as a man who embodies the medieval worldview, in which the religious and the political are inseparable in both public and private spheres.

In the mediaeval worldview, the world has many dimensions, firstly, the past and the present coexist, and saints of the past can bestow benefits on those in the present; secondly, the spiritual and the material also intertwine, spirits play on the same stage as men; thirdly and above all, there are universal law and order in all things, which are also reflected in the rules of grammar and rhetoric. Like many other Christian humanists of his time, More believed that classical learning is conducive to piety. He was proficient in both classical and legal studies, and taught his own children the classics.

From More's perspective, the Protestant Reformation disrupts the law and unity of Christendom, and would ultimately destroy the Western world and the Catholic way of life. Understandably, he employed everything in his power to fight against it. In his capacity as a magistrate of the state, he prosecuted heretics, sentencing some to burning at the stake. He also wrote many treatises defending the Church, matching the vitriol of Martin Luther and William Tyndale tit for tat. He was probably the only Catholic layman, who had the learning, knowledge and skill, to engage in this historic struggle.

"I do nobody no harm, I say none harm,
I think none harm, but wish every body good.
And if this be not enough to keep a man alive,
in good faith I long not to live."

Unfortunately for More, his master Henry VIII had a personal motive to break the unity of the Church he dearly desired to preserve: Henry wished to re-marry but the Pope refused to annul his first marriage. In the midst of the general revolt against corruption of the clergy, Henry found support in the Parliament to establish his supremacy over the Church in England, supplanting the Pope. This is, incidentally, the origin of the Anglican Church. Thomas More refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of Henry's supremacy, although the latter appointed him Lord Chancellor, the most powerful office under the King. The die was cast, however, in only three years, More was forced to resign, and eventually tried and convicted of treason.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ackroyd writes in such an enchanting style, and boy did he choose a fascinating topic! Since reading 'Wolf Hall', I have been intrigued by the polarised figure of More (a recent article of 'History Today' was entitled 'Thomas More: Saint or Sinner'. Ackroyd wisely avoids this dichotomy of interpretation, and instead recounts More's life from start to finish- a life which traverses European cities and the courts of Kings, but one which ultimately remains entrenched in the city of London. I particularly enjoyed reading about More's childhood and the anecdotes included by Ackroyd to recreate the world which formed More's character: his childhood and naming after Saint Thomas Beckett, his schooling at St Anthony's (with the symbol of a pig!), his debates at St Bartholomew's Churchyard- and it is truly fascinating to be able to piece together these crucial experiences and to trace the impact they had on his character- his preferred style of dialogue; his aptitude for law; his love for London and its people, as evidenced in his time as under-sheriff. Ackroyd creates a really enjoyable account of More's journey through the life, and the permanent, indelible aspects of his personality: his respect for inherited tradition, the spoken word, communal truth, drama and display- all of which would ultimately play a crucial role in the turning point of his life: the King's 'Great Matter'. Ackroyd tactfully deals with More's stance in this matter, demonstrating how More's attitude towards heretics and his writings at the time simply demonstrate the danger with which he viewed the threat to his beloved religion. Interestingly, Ackroyd touches on how this threat altered More's character and left him perhaps more cynical and harsh as his hope in the Christian world and his own King was weakened. I felt that Ackroyd's account and analysis of More's death was particularly touching, not only in the small anecdotes included (such as More's interaction with Fisher whilst in the Tower, and their sending of fruit to one another), but also in his focus on More's death as his final act of obedience - "He remained a model of obedience; both in his life and at this death".

[Idyll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akroyd writes with an irresistible scholarly starchiness. It's hard for me to like More, though I love reading about his times. He was a medieval, hierarchically inclined stick-in-the-mud at the time that this world view was about to be shattered. It's hard for us in modern times to even imagine a world that had the kind of (oppressive) cohesion of his youthful years. He stuck with the mothership of the 1000-year-old franchise. Unfortunately, his boss had left the building. He was obviously killer-intelligent, but smug. Though nobody should die as he did, he was blind to the end to his own hypocrisy. He apparently enjoyed whipping heretics.

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting biography of an historic figure. I knew he had been beheaded for refusing to take the oath of the Act of Succession by Henry VIII and was thereafter canonized by the Catholic Church. I didn't know that prior to these events he'd been the King's Chancellor and had had numerous burned at the stake for being "heretics" or not Catholic, and he had reveled in those very facts. I suppose you live as a religious murderer and you die as a religious murderer. Very prescient with the state of our current world. This behavior has always been going on. Imagine a world with no religion

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is still difficult to place oneself in the frame of mind that would lead a man like More to condemn himself to death--figuratively, that is. Ackroyd does an excellent job of trying to help you see the man and the times but perhaps, in this age of Jihadists, it is still difficult for most people to understand what would lead someone to die for their religion.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best biographies I have come across full of detail, it sheds a great deal of light on this man who was known best of all as Chancellor of England to Henry VIII. suitable for students and general readers alike.

[Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, three dimensional profile of the Saint and explanation of the political, religious, and cultural elements of the time. The authors misconceptions that the Sacramental System was exclusively a Medieval viewpoint does not take away from the quality of the work.

[Alfredo Nicolás Dueñas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is so eye-opening (and maybe that speaks to my historical ignorance) to read about a time before the reformation when England wasn't Anglican, there was no capital C Catholic Church, and the idea of the modern state was starting to take shape in a real way. Blows my mind to think that, in a way, there was a point at which all of Christianity was under the same umbrella, despite it being nowhere near as centralized as it is now.

That all being said, Ackroyd's writing is tedious and repetitive, and while I'm sure the research is thorough, it comes off as unnecessarily conjectural and psychologizing all throughout. It is also not made clear to me what it is that More saw in humanism as representative of himself, and the obvious transition that he goes through in order to defend the old faith is ignored until he's already in jail. His relationship with Erasmus falls to the wayside and is picked up in a brief mention towards the end, despite seemingly being so crucial to his intellectual development earlier on.

[W.J. Small · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ackroyd's "The Life of Thomas More" is a definitive work on the 16th century martyr and heretic burner, Sir Thomas More. From More's early life on Milk Street in London, to his ascension in the court of Henry VIII, to his subsequent imprisonment and execution, Ackroyd takes the reader on a thorough journey of More's life. Especially interesting, but difficult to get through, were excerpts from texts More wrote in the vernacular of the 16th century. Although it slowed down the pace of the book, the excerpts were compelling insights into the world of More.

5 stars but with a caveat - one must really be interested in Thomas More and/or life in 16th century England to get through it. This book is not for the casual reader. However, Ackroyd is a noted historian, and the book is fascinating if a bit too dense.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough account of the London saint and martyr. The 400+ page work, incorporates Middle English throughout. The reading of this certainly provides an authentic rendition the source material, but it did sometimes slow down my understanding of quotes.

As a fan of the dramatic work A Man For Seasons, I can see where that play captured the original work. I noticed this particularly in the court room account in the chapter “Call Forth Sir Thomas More”

There is much that can be quoted from this dense work. More’s history of Richard III is mentioned as apropos to the pilgrimage of More to the scaffold:

“And so they said that these matters bee Kynges games, as it were stage playes, and for the more part plaied vpon scafolds. In which pore men be but ye lokers on. And thei that wise be, will medle no farther”

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas More was a man who was willing to stay true to his conscience and stand up for what he knew as true--that the king could not take divine authority upon himself. Although he attempted to remain loyal to the king as regards his authority to rule according to the law of man, he was unable to concede to the king the authority to rule as if he were God, changing the law according to his own desire. For this he was accused of treason and sentenced to death. He was calmly and almost willingly beheaded, firm in his resolve to stand for truth. I found it interesting to reflect on life 500 years ago. Although the English of the 1500's is understandable still today, spellings have changed!

[Helene Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review - I was quite looking forward to reading this book, as all I really know of Thomas More is what I've read from reading about Henry VIII, and watching shows like The Tudors and Wolf Hall. Perceptions for example in The Tudors and Wolf Hall are completely different so I was really intrigued to see how this book treated him. He comes across quite human, but flawed and obsessive at times, but loving towards his family. It was well-written and engaging.

General Subject/s? - Biography / History / Tudors

Recommend? – Yes

Rating - 16/20

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving but unsentimental biography of the late medieval English lawyer, humanist, statesman, martyr, and saint. Ackroyd concentrates on well-documented aspects of More's life, and avoids turning the narrative into hagiography. By focusing on More's scholarship, devotion to his family, his ironic wit and pious humility, Ackroyd gives the reader an engaging look at an extraordinary life.

[Yolanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never could stand Thomas More until, not long ago, a priest mentioned him to me to support the argument we were discussing. So, I decided to read a book about him, and Ackroyd doesn't just talk about More informatively; he portrays him as a deeply human figure, capturing the contradictions and complexities that characterised his life.
A truly fascinating character.

[Leila Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously a masterful biography, well-researched and fair. However, I found it a bit dry at points and somewhat tough to get through. It took me a long time to finish it. Nevertheless, I appreciated the detail in the story, such as the descriptions of clothing, finery, furnishings, food, etc. The Medieval English quotes were frustrating though, I don't know why they weren't in updated English. It made some things very hard to understand. Over all, I preferred James Monti's biography of Thomas More, which I sped through it was so interesting.

[Herman De Wulf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deze biografie leest als een trein maar vergt voor een goed begrip wat extra kennis. Het blijft een boek over een markant figuur uit de geschiedenis met bijzondere ideeën, een sterk geloof en een zeer grote intelligentie. De geschiedenisfeiten zelf die tot vandaag doorwerken doen me huiveren.

[MARY GRACE · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, well-written story of one of the Church’s saints. Quite a long read, but contains a good amount of details not commonly known about this saint.

[patricia tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very detailed book about Thomas More. It is not written by someone who venerates him. It is facts as they are known. I enjoyed it and learned a great deal. I found it very frustrating and difficult to read because the author quoted More and his contemporaries using the original middle English! Took me forever to figure it out!