Unruly, by David Mitchell

If there were ever a book that was lab-grown to meet all my requirements for a good non-fiction book, Unruly by David Mitchell is that book. One of my favourite English comedians, famous for his rants on a wide variety of topics, dives into my favourite subject — history with a review of English monarchs beginning well before William the Conqueror (he goes back to the Saxon kings) and ending with Elizabeth I. There’s plenty of actual history, interwoven with comedy, digressions and tangents, and of course a good few rants as well as some genuine insights into the nature of monarchy, leadership, and nationhood. And, bonus — I got the audiobook so I could have David Mitchell read it to me, which, if you like David Mitchell, is definitely the way to go.

I genuinely LOL’d several times while reading this, as well as learning a few things about some kings I didn’t know much about, particularly the early ones. I also enjoyed Mitchell’s rants and reflections. He is neither pro- nor anti-monarchy, seeing both the strengths and weaknesses of the institution, but the point of the book is not really to argue for or against the idea of having kings and queens — it’s to tell their stories with a strong bias towards the absurdity of their lives and the things that happened to them.

I was shocked to get near the end of the book and realize he was only covering English monarchs up to the end of the Tudor period. His reasoning for this is that after the time of Elizabeth I, the role of the monarch began the changes that would inevitably lead to the entirely ceremonial role that English monarchs play today, thus leading to lives that are perhaps less interesting to focus on, since their actions have far less impact on history. I can see the sense of this argument (though to be fair, if that’s the criteria I think he should have gone at least as far as Charles I before stopping, since his execution marks the most obvious break between absolute and constitutional monarchy, even if that transition was somewhat of a gradual process that began earlier and ended much later).

Despite understanding this reasoning, I wanted the book to go on and on and on making me laugh out loud, so I hope David Mitchell, against all odds, writes Unruly, Part 2. I want his take on the English Civil War and Restoration, and on the German Georges, and the Prince Regent, and Edward VIII’s abdication — the whole bit. Bring it on!