Customer Reviews

Abide With Me: The World of Victorian Hymns

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Brilliantly written. Victorian hymns become an interesting,enthralling and amusing subject.My copy has been lent out to friends of diverse denominations and they couldn't put it down.Wonderful insight into Victorian social history.

This book is thorough, scholarly, entertaining, and very readable. It reveals the immense significance of hymns to the Victorian world and should appeal to readers from diverse backgrounds.

Having bought this book for research purposes alone, never would I have expected such an enjoyable reading experience. Not only was every line packed with more information than I could wrap my pencil around, but the material was intriguing, the anecdotes well-researched and very accessible, and the references relatable for even the least learned student of the Georgian and Victorian eras (both of which are covered in the book). The author succeeded well at a difficult task by educating his readers, and making a seemingly bland topic enticing - I had no idea hymns could be so political, controversial and liberating. Last week they were staid, measured and over-used songs I was forced to sing as a child in church; today, they are tales of conflict, humility, celebration and seeking, and even more, a complex, inspiring art-form of which I was not fully aware. Author Ian Bradley's own enthusiasm and intrigue for the topic are wonderfully contagious.

For anyone who enjoys Hymnology, this book is very pleasant and informative.I t has a light and amusing style, yet is full of interesting information and insights. My only wish is that some of the hymn tunes, especially the ones not in a new hymnal were included. Of course an American reader must remember that some of the tunes most familiar in our Episcopalian hymnal are not always the same ones as those in common use in England.