“A rollicking narrative . . . [Norwich] keeps things moving at nearly beach-read pace.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A highly entertaining read . . . [John Julius] Norwich has a lightness of touch and caustic sense of humour. . . . As a lively romp through two millenniums of ecclesiastical history, [Absolute Monarchs is] well-nigh infallible.”—The Sunday Business Post
“Very readable and rewarding . . . Norwich possesses an easy grace with words, a gift for condensation and a wonderful instinct for the memorable and defining detail.”—The Plain Dealer
“Deeply researched, Norwich’s history offers a wonderful introduction to papal lives.”—Publishers Weekly
“Excellent, often surprising . . . An outstanding historical survey.”—Booklist
“[A] sweeping history . . . [a] cacophony of temporal sin.”—Los Angeles Times
