There is not much more to be said about any of the Gies's work that hasn't already. However, there seems to be no real reason to not heap more praise on the pile, so here we go!
First off, let it be known that there is a reason universities have sometimes made it part of their curricula for so many years: it is possibly the best introduction to the broad subject of medieval city life there is. Here are some of the many positive points of this book that make it so (in no real order, just as I thought of them).
--It is accessibly written, and does not get bogged down in extensive jargon or technicalities (like so many other "popular" history works seem to do). It was very easy to read, and bases its fact on a good many primary sources. The writing was very detailed without being cumbersome, and the authors know when and how to move on from a topic. They tend not to linger too long on any one thing. Personally, I find poor or dry writing to be the worst offense a historian can do (outside of misrepresenting their topic), so to me, this is the best aspect of the book.
--The book uses a "sequential narrative," for lack of a better term, to move from one topic to the next. For instance, one chapter covers the medieval doctor: his (and he was certainly a he) procedures, education, social standing, etc. by following an imaginary doctor going about his business with a hypothetical patient. We see how this doctor would interact with a patient, how he would speak to their relatives, how he would handle himself in a social situation (being invited to a dinner), and other things. When the chapter is over, the book moves to the church, and does so by taking the point of view of THE church, i.e. the actual structure in which services are held. This mode of storytelling does an excellent job not only of conveying the central history of the book, but also of keeping the reader focused and engaged on the content.
--It occasionally mentions the origins of modern concepts/idioms/names/etc. and how they relate to the history. We learn that the name "Pelletier" originates from the French for "skinner," that the English abbreviation for a penny (d.) originates from the Latin denarius, and other things. Most of these are amusing, not enlightening.
--Gives a spotlight to women's role in city life, though not as bright a one as may be hoped. Medieval women, who traditionally did not have a role in public life like modernity, are often mitigated or ignored, both in historical records and in popular history. A full chapter of this book details the part women played in running a home and business, but one does wish there was more there. However, this is a problem more easily attributed to sources than authorial intent (the Gies team also wrote a book specifically on this subject). On top of this, the book overwhelmingly focuses on well-to-do, middle class (if there was a such thing as a medieval middle class) or wealthy individuals, so the true scope of the subject is distorted.
Overall, there is much to love and very little to take issue with this work. If you are a beginner in this subject, or simply have an interest in medieval times, this should be one of the first books you pick up.
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