The kings & queens of Scotland

Ever since I saw BRAVEHEART for the first time, I've wanted to learn more about Scottish history. I didn't want to get into too much detail, just a general overview of the country's past. Now, although I would have liked a little more explanation about what occurred during each ruler's reign and the causes of the various conflicts, this was still an excellent book for a look at the general progression of Scotland as a country. Ms. Bingham gives the reader an overview of the major points during each regent's time on the throne. The geneological tables in the back help us to see how each king or queen is related to those who came before.The disappointing part of the book is the fact that no time is spent with the common people and the effects these events had upon them. For example, there was only a single paragraph in the entire book dedicated to William Wallace (the main character in BRAVEHEART). Stuff like this seemed to be glossed over for the sake of brevity. While effective in that respect, I think these omissions detract from the book as a whole. In addition, there were a few personages, institutions, and concepts that were never really explained very well (what is a Kirk?). This made the book a little troublesome to understand at some points.All in all though, this is a good book for getting a general idea about Scotland's past. We see the progression from its formation to when the Union was formed between Scotland and England, as well as the last years of the Stewart kings in exile. Being published in 1972, we get no mention of the re-establishment of the Scottish parliament a couple of years ago. Still, I came out with the knowledge of Scottish history that I was looking for.