Along with its many other pleasures, this engaging audiobook demonstrates how vast and, at the same time, how very intimate five centuries can feel. John Telfer narrates the story of England's Hampton Palace with gusto, grace, and fine enunciation, clearly relishing the narrative's rich historical and sensory detail and its many points of high drama. As a focal point, Hampton Court is an effective anchor for compressing the long, tangled history of the British monarchy. For instance, two successive owners, Cardinal Wolsey and Anne Boleyn, frame a familiar chapter in the reign of Henry VIII. But however familiar the tale, the sharpness of detail and the narrator's high spirits breathe new life into the telling and make this exceptional listening. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine