The Age of Chivalry

I’ll admit, I approached *The Age of Chivalry* expecting something stuffy—a dusty catalog of knights and damsels. Instead, I got a masterclass in how to make mythology feel alive without dumbing it down. Bulfinch’s prose is deceptively simple: he’ll summarize a three-year quest in a sentence, then linger on a knight’s embarrassing misstep (like Sir Kay’s habit of insulting everyone within earshot) with the relish of a gossip. The effect is like hearing these stories for the first time, but from a friend who’s already laughed at all the punchlines. Mary Woods’ narration is pitch-perfect for this tone. She doesn’t do voices or dramatic flourishes; instead, she lets Bulfinch’s wit shine through her pacing—slowing just enough to let a sarcastic remark land, or speeding up during battle scenes to mimic the text’s own breathless energy. My only critique? The audiobook’s 13-hour runtime can feel uneven. Some sections (like the Tristan and Isolde segment) drag with repetitive lamentations, while others (the Carolingian legends) zip by too fast, leaving you wishing for more color. And Woods’ delivery, while excellent, occasionally verges on *too* detached—her flat affect during emotional climaxes (like Lancelot’s betrayal) can make them feel oddly weightless. Still, these are quibbles. For listeners who love folklore with a side of irony, or who want the *real* messiness behind the chivalric ideal, this is a gem.