gpettey19's review against another edition
4.0
Not brief enough lol.
Despite being a slog to get through at at times, this book was an excellent way to dip my toes into Indonesian history.
Despite being a slog to get through at at times, this book was an excellent way to dip my toes into Indonesian history.
cupiscent's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.25
Quick, pleasantly written, and making an effort to be balanced and considering. There's so much more to dig into in this, of course - because it really is just a "brief history", covering so much scope. I'd particularly like to know more about the early Archipelago, the trade routes, but even that gets enough in this volume to provide handholds for further exploration. A really good overview and introduction.
binstonbirchill's review against another edition
3.0
The book is good and gives an overview of Indonesia but I never really felt like it was a history of the Indonesian people. Sometimes we are shown the viewpoint of Indonesia more from European eyes. Overall I feel I got a grand sweep of things and from here I can pick out an era or location that I’m more interested in.
freemajo's review against another edition
3.0
This history is indeed brief, but otherwise the title feels like a misnomer. There is little discussion of spices, sultans, or tsunamis, and the author displays an ethnocentric view of the archipelago, as he refers to Indonesia. Repeatedly, Dutch figures and sources are highlighted and explored with more depth than any indigenous people are. He also describes how Indonesians remember certain events as being horrendous but then posits that it couldn’t have been as bad as they claim or they would have done something about it.