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jeremyma1's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting book on the histories of cities from ancient times to current times. There are parts that seem to drag on and parts that were hard to read (war torn cities in WW2) - but all in all an interesting read. It is interesting how cities are the engines of human societies but can also be its surge during pandemics and other outbreaks.
The most interesting parts to me was how suburbs were described from the 50s through the 90s as taking over the growth of cities but now they all merge together to form a larger metropolis and even some newer cities are creating cities within cities that are more prosperous (suburb moving into the center of city).
The most interesting parts to me was how suburbs were described from the 50s through the 90s as taking over the growth of cities but now they all merge together to form a larger metropolis and even some newer cities are creating cities within cities that are more prosperous (suburb moving into the center of city).
dvdmcn's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this, found it quite fascinating. Also, first time I’ve used Spotify Audiobooks and listened to it as a read, which was helpful for a book like this.
abeanbg's review against another edition
3.0
Tapping out before the end. Wilson's got an interesting approach to global history here, but works so much in generalities and broad sweeping conclusions and associations that it winds up paling next to more specific urban histories like Gotham or Nature's Metropolis.
sillypunk's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.5
At times I think the author was in love with certain concepts and went on far too long about them
thebartthe's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding read, definitely recommended reading. It covers the history of the city, but not in a linear way. Chapters about Uruk, Babylon, and Rome, for example, contain plenty of references to modern day city life. It's not a dry "This happened on this date" type of book. Any chapter could include information about, say, gangs, sex, nightlife, sports, rap and hip hop, food, immigration, sewers, skyscrapers, movie references, and much more. It's an exciting, almost bewildering experience...sort of like walking through a city steeped with history, where an old neoclassical turn of the century building might be sitting side-by-side with a gleaming skyscraper. If you love cities, you'll love this book.
lost_hitsu's review against another edition
4.0
Oddly repetitive at times - perhaps it's just because I listened to this on audio, but I felt like some of the argument got repeated over and over - but otherwise a lovely ode to every and all cities of the world.
tboyd22's review against another edition
1.0
The writing quality suffers as you move through it. Most chapters are built on comparison of potentially interesting cities to London, or at minimum are a string of not always related facts that are not terribly interesting.