The Reformation sets out to provide a comprehensive history of the Reformation in Europe, and largely succeeds. While many of the characters you know like Martin Luther get plenty of coverage, lesser known but equally-fascinating people like Zwingli and Erasmus get their due as well. What’s more, Diarmaid is careful to balance the individual human stories of the Reformation against the history and evolution of Christain thought in this time. You emerge from the book understanding both the people and the thinking behind these times.
The book suffers in a few places, however. The book starts in the middle, providing the reader with an information overload with little context. The book also includes a less compelling final segment on sexual and cultural mores of the Christian world to wrap the book up. However, neither of these should stop you from reading this if you have any interest in the subject at all.
