A lifetime of reading has convinced me that books are more likely to get worse — not better — as they go. The Breath of the Gods bucks that trend ... There’s too much hot air in its first half...but [Winchester] hits his stride in the second half ... Even when it’s a familiar topic, Winchester finds fascinating ways in ... Winchester also is a great synthesizer of material ... Winchester also includes breathtaking, minute-by-minute accounts of ships wrecked by high winds and Japanese cities decimated by bombs during World War II ... It requires some perseverance when you start The Breath of the Gods. But hold on. Once you get into it, Winchester’s writing is a breath of fresh air.
Delightful ... Winchester serves up memorable portraits of figures who devoted their lives to harnessing the wind ... Winchester’s book meanders at times, and there are inevitable omissions ... And though references to Winchester’s own adventurous life are fascinating, they sometimes come off as humble brags ... But this is a thoroughly enjoyable book, brimming over with historical nuggets and contemplations about the future.
As engaging as popular history can be. Perhaps Winchester’s greatest skill is bringing readers along for a new way of looking back on our best-known moments in history ... To cover such a vast topic, Winchester unfurls a wide canvas, but he handles it all so nimbly. If you’ve ever watched a sailboat steadily zigzag its way upwind, you’ve surely admired the patience and care of a master at work, and so it is with The Breath of the Gods.
