I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. if you like British humor, you will like this book and I do! really enjoyable British history

Entertaining, albeit very colonialism-happy account of how England took over the world and then deflated back to a small island. You'll likely appreciate the humorous narrative even if you disagree with some of the points this book makes. Reads reasonably quickly for such a large volume. Thanks Netgalley.

This reads a lot like an adult version of Horrible Histories, so I was generally having a good time finding out more about parts of British history that weren't always taught in school. The author included a few 'juicy' bits, although he does rely on the old "it is widely believed" trick to sneak in a few falsehoods (including the one about "rule of thumb" originating in a rule about the width of the stick a man was allowed to use to hit his wife). But despite those little annoyances, it still felt like a really informative and entertaining history book.

The tone changed when we left the Middle Ages behind and entered the age of the British Empire. I was expecting to see the sarcasm and criticism that the author employed in earlier chapters to deal out a few 'friendly punches', but instead the book became more praising in tone and started to read more like a sanitised version of history. Of course in such a broad overview spanning centuries of British history it's impossible to mention everything. But while the author spends time explaining how the British improved India by colonising it (doing away with widows sacrificing themselves on their husband's funeral pyre, the railway system, an efficient civil service), there is little to no mention of the British presence in other parts of the world. Not a word about the Boer War, no mention of Afghanistan, hardly anything about the colonisation of Africa.

It's a shame the quality of the book went downhill, because I had been having a really great reading experience up to that point. And in the end, those final chapters did leave me feeling disappointed and like the author missed his chance to educate his readers about the empire. Especially considering the yearning of those in power to return to "the good old days" of the empire, it would have been great if the author had shone a light on the darker side of the British empire.

Princess Fuzzypants here: If you are looking for a bit of a chuckle and enjoy history, this may be the book to cheer you up. It is, without a doubt, one of the most irreverent and cheeky accounts of British history from 1066 to WWI. It is not only scathing at times, it can be a tiny bit profane. Clearly if you are offended by the odd swear word or the traditional take on history, this book is not for you.

But it takes the viewpoint that history is history. You can learn from it. You can analyze it. But you cannot rewrite it. It is unapologetically pro-British pointing out all the very positive influences it gave the world. It does not white-wash the negative and calls out many of the buffoons and evil doers. So while it is satirical humour, it is also reasonably objective. It is also a book where you might actually laugh out loud. In a world that takes itself too seriously at times, that is a good thing.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Overall it was enjoyable. Different then what I thought it was going to be but I did not find it lacking. Easy to read and enjoy.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. I was so excited to see that I was approved for this book! I am a blogger focusing in British books, and of course, I am big fan of British history. Initially, I skimmed through this book to see what it had to offer. The ebook was easy to read, and the chapters were clear as to what they would be offering. There is SO much to cover in British history, it's easy to get overwhelmed or distracted. I think this book does a great job of offering an educational and entertaining perspective on a subject that is multifaceted and complex.

I would suggest it to readers and may even look to purchase it for my collection.

This was a fantastic read! Such an interesting insight into British history spanning over a thousand years! And that's saying something for someone who isn't exactly a history buff!

It was really well written and I love that it was broken down into bitesize chunks. I loved the sub titles, some of which were hilarious and which also leads me nicely to the humour in the book. I loved it and it totally added to the overall experience of the book.

If you're a history buff (or even if you're not!) you should definitely give this book a read! It doesn't drone on and on like your typical history book making it easy to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley, Arran Lomas and publisher Unbound for the chance to read this book.

A series of vignettes about disasters and pitfalls that befell various countries throughout history. Some are amusing. A few hours distraction.

The first thing that caught my eye about this book is its name. It reminds me of the Eddie Izzard, 'Do you a flag?' joke. The second thing was the cover itself. One of my favorite kinds of nonfiction books is the one that tells the stories of the weird and wacky things that happened throughout history. So I couldn't pass this one up, and it really didn't disappoint.

Stick a Flag in It hooked me from the very start. The chapter titles themselves are hilarious and set each chapter up with a quick anecdote. The humor carries throughout the books with Arran Lomas throwing in his own opinions here and there. There are also a decent amount of comparisons that pull the effects of some of these events into the modern-day to show it's not all just dusty old history.

Each chapter is packed full of information, but I never found myself confused or lost. In fact, I was able to keep up with each chapter and follow along with the history. The chapters are small so it never felt like pieces were dragging along, and I enjoyed the little breaks of fun and strange, little facts between chapters.

My only complaint about the chapters is the ones talking about the creation of the banks and during the American Revolution. I found the former dull and those papers seemed to drag on, and since I went to school in the US I have had the American Revolution beat into my skull through every single history class I've taken.

The book moves along quickly enough, and I like that the timeline jump along quickly. It doesn't feel like it drags on through the years. Arran Lomas picks what he thinks is the most bizarre parts of a decade and throws into a fun narration and not only reaches but had me laughing out loud.

I found myself reading quite a bit of this book out loud to my roommate.

The only real complaint with the whole thing is I wished I would have a physical copy to read. This is one of those books I'd love to highlight passages and tab pages. Sadly I couldn't do that with the Netgalley version.

All-and-all I thought it was great and I really enjoyed it. This is definitely one I'd recommend to friends and would be something I would gladly add to my shelves. I also need to check out Arran Lomas's Youtube Channel, Thoughty2.

This seems like the ideal book for me. It's that Drunken History-style lesson, which is informative and snarky all at the same time. And as a Bloody Colonial, my knowledge of way back ye old England times (pre-Tudor) (and, I guess, post-Tudor) is extremely limited, so I was really excited to sit down with this.

Except the format does not lend itself to this book. At all. This author is very much in love with their own brand of humor. I get it. I, too, think I am absolutely hysterical. But along with being hysterical, I'm also exhausting to listen to and be around for extended periods of time. Much like this book.

This book really isn't made to be read front to back. I ended up bouncing around, reading chapters out of order, skimming over some parts that were making my eyes heavy.

There are intermediate chapters between monarchs and wars, where they talk about law and order and how food and beverages worked, and those were ABSOLUTELY fascinating. Who knew what a commodity white bread is, or that Queen Victoria ate faster than a teenaged boy?

But overall, this was really disappointing. I'd much rather watch these stories than read them, which is utterly unlike me.

A basic schoolbook history of Great Britain beginning with the Norman Conquest but more trendy in speech and humorous in tone. While good enough, I was hoping for better -- perhaps more items that were less known.

My thanks to Netgalley and Unbound for a copy of “ Stick A Flag In It “ for an honest review.

I loved this book , !
it had just the right amount of historical fact mixed with humour , .very reminiscent of the Horrible History books that my children used to read.
I’ve learned several new things from this and I recommend this to anyone who wants an enjoyable read while improving their minds

I wasn’t sure what to think about this. I loved the concept but felt it fell flat at times, and could have been more accurate and more critical even.

Arran Lomas's "Stick a Flag in It" is very much like an adult version of the “Horrible Histories” books that I read when I was younger - a broad coverage of a civilization or nation that revels in providing ample detail on the particularly odd, gory, and fascinatingly weird information on past events and people. It wasn’t long at all until I felt just like a kid again as I was drawn into a genuinely informative and fun journey through the history of the Brits.

However, things took a turn after transitioning from the Middle Ages and into the age of exploration and empire. Between all that I had learned up until that point, the witty and snarky commentary from Lomas that threaded through the entire narrative, I anticipated an overview of the British Empire that included both lots of new facts and also a generous amount of playfully critical jabs. But instead, the book shifted to an ever-more praiseworthy tone as it became progressively more focused upon the positive aspects of the colonial era. Now, that’s not to say that topics like Britain’s pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution or helping end the transatlantic slave trade (that it helped start) aren’t noteworthy, because of cause they are. But even as a humorous general history whose scope could only include so much, Lomas's selections and omissions for the second half of the book made for what felt like an increasingly sanitized, kid-glove historical telling compared to what came before.

For example, the section on the British Raj consisted very heavily of glowing descriptions of items like the efficiency of the relatively small number of British colonial administrators, the development of the railway system across the Indian subcontinent, and strategies to curb the practice of sati. Meanwhile, colonization across Africa from the Nile down to modern-day Cape Town, the Boer War, the opium trade in China and the following Opium Wars, forays into Afghanistan received absolutely zero mention of any sort, despite their sizable roles in Britain's global expansion, their own rich fascinating detail to add into the historical narrative, and perfect ripeness for commentary of any sort. Now, that's not to say I expected the book to provide a critical overview of all the flaws of the empire. However, neither did I expect a book literally titled "Stick a Flag in It" of all things to provide such lionizing and punchless coverage of Britain's global reach. There was only so much genuine interest I could end up maintaining in a book that seemed to neuter itself into a love letter to England above all else.

Overall, "Stick a Flag in It"proved to be an enjoyable and very readable trip through several hundred years of British history, with much to teach and much to clarify for some crucial bits that I only partially knew before going in. It's just a shame that the overly laudatory turn in the second half made the book peter our so much out that it was almost a relief by the time I arrived at the end.

It was a lot of fun to read. It's a fascinated story that tells about bizarre events in British history.
Well written, engrossing and well researched.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Great fun. A quirky take on bizarre and horrible events from history that will appeal to young and old alike.

3.5 stars

"Stick a Flag in It" started out rather strong in my opinion with fun recaps of some of the most important events in British history.

Unfortunately, the later chapters were a lot less snarky and less critical of British history. British colonialism especially was depicted in a rather rosy light.

There were also some instances where I wasn't sure whether the author got all the facts straight.

Still, the first half of the book is definitely entertaining and worth the read. The second half should be read critically, but still contains some fun facts and stories.

My thanks to Arran Lomas, Unbound Publishing and Netgalley.
I wanted to read this book because of the name. I've always thought it slightly ludicrous that explorer's think that if they flag it, that it's for them.
To my surprise, there were only 2 instances of "flagging and tagging!" That didn't stop my enjoyment at all. I loved all the myriad stories. Still, for the life of me, I can't keep track of all the royals and noblemen with the same names! Henry, Edward, Richard Charles et al!
To end with Shackleton was perfect! He's always been hero, and his Captaincy says all!
Excellent book!

Hello, Horrible History for adults!
Okay so I am a bit of a history loser (shhh) and I just don't have the time nor the brain capacity to digest serious historical non-fiction. Well Stick a Flag in it is here with humour and hard-hitting facts to satisfy your inner history nerd.
Growing up in NZ my knowledge history is very Pacific centred this was the perfect opportunity to learn something new.
Not for the major history fans but this book is definitely for us casuals.

I was given a review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

I clicked download on this thinking to get some collection of historical trivia – the gift book season was upon us all, for one thing. Well that's a historical mistake, and I won't do it again. You'll come to see historical mistakes for what they are, with these pages, too, such as having a surfeit of lampreys, letting your royal prisoner in on a game of 'who has the fastest horse' and seeing him gallop off into the sunset, and, er King John – pretty much everything about him. Yes, this covers all the ground of an echt book about British history, from William the Conqueror to Queen Vic, and not in a trivia book style. It's almost a continuous essay, albeit broken up into handy chapters, and albeit interrupted by the likes of mediaeval medicine, piracy and a good few other asides. It has a flippant way with discussing things ("once again the Welsh were revolting", a rampant stereotype against leprosy that bears little semblance of reality, chapters simply called "Buggery", etc), but still does the subject proud, and sets out what it wants to do – create a suitably mature 'Everything you Ever Wanted to Learn About British History But Were Afraid to Ask'. And it seldom gets more mature than the gay transvestite prozzie and his ecclesiastical clients. Beyond completely dropping James VI and I, this is pretty much what you want. And in no way trivial.