RaveLibrary JournalIn her engrossing account of this era and the people who did more than simply report facts, Cohen successfully interweaves international events with personal histories, creating a narrative that is well-crafted and comprehensively researched. Based on the voluminous published works of Gunther, Knickerbocker, Sheehan, and Thompson—as well as their letters, notes, diaries, and journals and those of their families, friends, and colleagues—the resulting history is both unique and memorable ... Highly recommended for readers who enjoy biographies, modern history, and politics.
Catherine Ostler
PanLibrary JournalWhile Chudleigh’s story has the makings of a very good period-piece dramedy, it is less successful as a deeply researched historical biography. In addition to recounting Chudleigh’s many escapades, Ostler attempts to find the origin of the duchess’s behavior and motivations; she superficially links them to an unhappy childhood, an ill-defined personality disorder, celebrity, and early feminism in a patriarchal misogynist society. Readers will need a great deal of tolerance to wade through the book’s anecdotes of the rich behaving badly ... Pass.
Harald Jähner tr. Shaun Whiteside
RaveLibrary JournalDeeply researched while at the same time eminently readable, this book successfully presents an engrossing social, political, economic, and cultural perspective on an important era that is often overlooked in traditional history texts ... Highly recommended for readers of modern European political and cultural history, especially those with little knowledge of the period.
Meriel Schindler
RaveLibrary Journal... a skillfully crafted narrative interweaving one family\'s story with larger events while also considering complex themes of memory, guilt, and accountability. The author\'s fast-paced writing reads like a novel, and she includes family recipes and photographs that add a personal touch to an already intimate story ... A must-read work of narrative nonfiction that\'s highly recommended for readers of memoirs or 20th-century European history.
Josephine Wilkinson
PositiveLibrary JournalIt is a telling narrative of the excesses and pettiness of an unchecked aristocracy and its privilege. The inclusion of archival photographs, letters, and maps help to offer a better understanding of the era ... Dense with detail, this comprehensive work requires some knowledge or interest in this specific period of French history.
Julie Kavanagh
RaveLibrary JournalKavanagh has constructed a riveting tale that is both deeply researched and unforgettable. The sensational events leading up to and following the trials and executions of those directly involved in the assassinations sharply brought into focus a long history of bloodshed, oppression, and injustice that also touched many of the Victorian era’s political notables, including Queen Victoria, prime minister William Gladstone, and Irish nationalist Charles Parnell. As the book’s action shifts from Ireland to England, then to North America and South Africa, it skillfully tells a complex story of ambition, conspiracy, betrayal, and coercion that was centuries in the making, with implications that reach to the 21st century ... Expertly blending history and true crime, this is an essential read for anyone wanting to understand modern Irish history. Kavanagh’s writing is engaging from start to finish.
Ross King
PositiveLibrary JournalAlthough the details about the history and mechanics of early Renaissance book production, such as ink manufacture and distribution supply chains, might be tedious in another work, here they add to the depth and enjoyment of the story. The result is a narrative about a man and his books, and so much more, including the origins and history of the Frankfurt Book Fair and the influence of Johannes Gutenberg and his printing press on the arc of history ... Standout narrative nonfiction that will engage bibliophiles and readers who enjoy historical nonfiction.
Judy Batalion
PositiveLibrary Journal... fascinating ... Based on more than a decade of research, Batalion’s work presents a largely unacknowledged story of nearly unimaginable heroism in the face of horror. Utilizing memoirs, diaries, testimonies, and interviews of Holocaust survivors, the volume features complicated stories that have resonance and relevance. Of particular interest is Battalion’s discussion of not only her research and personal interest in the histories of the women and their families but also of the equally complex and nuanced meanings of female empowerment and resistance and what that means for succeeding generations ... Recommended for readers of World War II history and women’s and Jewish studies.
J. Randy Taraborrelli
PositiveLibrary JournalTaraborrelli engagingly presents the background and stories of these three women ... Using public records, memoirs, interviews, and secondhand sources, the author portrays the women of the Bush family as far more interesting, and occasionally more ambitious, than the men ... Similar to Taraborrelli\'s other books, this is a gossipy read for those who enjoy biography.
James Wyllie
MixedLibrary JournalBased on primary and secondary sources, including diaries, letters, and memoirs as well as unsubstantiated anecdotes, this account is more descriptive in nature than an in-depth examination into the interior motives of women married to some of the 20th century\'s most notorious war criminals ... Readers are left with additional details but little empathy for those profiled ... Recommended for readers of popular World War II history.
Simon Jenkins
RaveLibrary JournalNative Londoner and Frormer London Times editor Jenkins (A Short History of England) brings a deep and abiding love, along with some despair, for his city to this appealing story of its unique and chaotic growth. He describes pivotal moments in the city’s history, including the Great Fire of London in 1666, and the impact of the Great War. He also doesn’t shy away from historical and contemporary accounts of racism and jingoism within the city and England itself. Readers will appreciate the selected illustrations and maps that accompany the text ... In addition to providing an enjoyable urban history that accurately and affectionately captures the fabric and character of London history, this account also serves as an optimal guide for armchair travelers.
David Nasaw
RaveLibrary JournalNasaw does a masterful job of bringing to light the lasting individual and global consequences of policies and attitudes surrounding the last million ... A thought-provoking, highly recommended perspective on a complex and largely overlooked people and period of modern history.
Alexander Rose
PositiveLibrary JournalRecommended for general readers who enjoy aviation, technology, and business histories.
Maurice Samuels
PositiveLibrary JournalTreachery, disguise, capture, and imprisonment—the scandal surrounding an ill-fated 19th-century French insurrection—is all the more captivating in this factual retelling ... Based on memoirs, contemporary newspaper reports, archival documents, and secondary sources, this tumultuous but largely forgotten period of French history is effectively reexamined.
Amity Shlaes
MixedLibrary Journal... meticulously researched and detailed ... Throughout, Shlaes subtly endorses capitalism as the remedy, and though some readers may be receptive to her interpretation of these historical events, political figures, and policies of the period, others will disagree ... While far from a polemical text, Shlaes’s work raises a point of view that represents a specific spectrum of economic ideology; for readers who share the author’s beliefs.
Jean Edward Smith
PositiveLibrary JournalBased on a close reading of memoirs by many of the key figures profiled, Smith dramatically presents a historical biography of a defining moment in time ... A fitting celebration and remembrance marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of France and Paris. Recommended for readers of military history.
Josephine Wilkinson
PositiveLibrary JournalRelying on the king\'s memoirs, as well as an array of secondary sources, Wilkinson...focuses more on the skirmishes among the aristocracy, glorious military campaigns, and romantic liaisons of Louis\'s reign than the administrative or economic functions of state. What is lacking in academic tone and research, however, is more than made up for by a historical account that is both entertaining and informative ... An enjoyable read for armchair history fans, especially those with an interest in the golden age of monarchy.
