Like a bird of biographical prey, Ackroyd identifies his subject in an iconic image of Chaucer addressing the court of Richard II and swoops to investigate
- Iain Finlayson, The Times
Extensively researched and elegantly written
- Sally Cousins, Sunday Telegraph
Full, lively and eminently readable
- Laurence Phelan, Independent on Sunday
Ackroyd's series of short lives bodes well: handy, attractive, well illustrated, useful
- Anne Wroe, Sunday Times
This elegantly written and nicely judged biography offers a welcome reintroduction to a much-underestimated figure, and gets Ackroyd's new series of Brief Lives off to a promising start
Scotsman