Customer Reviews
An enjoyable dip into Elizabethan life in London - By: Mr. S. Reynolds, 05 Mar 2008 
Although this book is not the best written account of lifein historical London it is still an enjoyable read & would suit a coffee table of anyone interestedin London or the Elizabethan era. The main sources used are John Stows survey of London first published 1598 & the Dairy of Simon Foreman, these are easily available & you may ask would it be best to read straight from these sources. Compared to Peter Ackroyd's amazing work of a biography of London this is a pale comparison. All this being said as a light read it is an enjoyable dip into Elizabethan Lifein London
Elizabeth's London - By: J. Chippindale, 06 Sep 2006 
I stumbled on Liza Picard's books quite by chance. After looking at the publishing datein some of the books it is apparent some of them have been around for several years. I am now recommending them to anyone & everyone & I am so glad I stumbled across this one on a bookshop shelf. I have now read them all, but this one was the first.
As soon as you start to read the book it becomes apparent that the author is passionate about the subject & wants the reader to enjoy the experience as much as she hasin the writing of it. How apt that the author starts the book with the life blood of the great City of London. Meandering like a great artery through the heart of the City. It moves on to the streets, houses & gardens; cooking, housework & shopping; clothes, jewellery & make-up; health & medicine; sex & food; education, etiquette & hobbies; religion, law & crime.
Liza Picard was bornin 1927. She read law & qualified as a barrister but did not practice. Quite where she gleaned all this information from I am not sure. That it was a labour of love is obvious to anyone who reads her books & I for one am grateful.
On the other hand... - By: Gisele G. Matthews, 19 Sep 2004 Livingin America, I don't have the wealth of intuitive understanding of your history as you do. I thought the book was a very easy read & had alot of very interesting facts & infoin it. I like the way Ms. Picard catigorized her book & how breifly (but still getting across the idea) she described things & brought a dusty era to life. (That's a lawyer right there. I have read WAY too many long-winded historians!) Considering that there is not a whole lot of information out there for her to draw on regarding this subject, I think she did an excellent job. Of course her books on the 17th & 18th century will be better, as there were more diaryist out there & more things were written & saved. I liked this book. Looking to reading more of her.
Dissapointing - By: , 11 Dec 2003 
The Elizabethan era is a fascinating part of our history & i don't beleive that Lisa Picard has done it justice.
For me, she hasn't captured the essence of the age, & at times i have found her style of writing quite opinionated & almost patronising.
As a previous reviewer has commented. Maureen Waller's "1700 Scenes from London Life" is a far better written & well researched book that you can just "dip" into. Perhaps Lisa Picard would do well to read it before embarking on her next period of History.
Re-hash of history - By: redhotchilli, 28 Sep 2003 I was so looking forward to reading this book, but it was particularly disappointing. I learned very little more about lifein Elizabethan London than I knew already. Some topics were poorly presented. The section on funerals, for example, was brief & mainly described Queen Mary's funeral. Hardly any mention was made of the poor/middle class people & Mary was buried when Elizabeth was barely on the throne. There was so much information that could have been put into this book & yet so much was left out. WHY ?? Unfortunately it came across as poorly researched & slightly amateurish. Absolutely the opposite of the book "1700 : Scenes from London Life” where Maureen Waller kept the reader enthralled with brilliant stories & snippets.
