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A review by penguin_emperor_of_the_north
The Edge of the World: A Cultural History of the North Sea and the Transformation of Europe by Michael Pye
2.0
Eh, the overall idea was interesting but the execution was lacking.
The chapters on history, development of trade and finance were all interesting but there were a lot of details that felt very unnecessary, more padding than anything.
And the chapters on fashion and sex were just uncomfortable. The main point that our ancestors weren't terribly different from us was worth making but listening to an hour about each of those topics just got painful and wore at me.
Wish the chapters on stuff like the rise and fall of the Hanseatic League had taken up those two. Or talk more about the emergence of nation states.
The chapters on history, development of trade and finance were all interesting but there were a lot of details that felt very unnecessary, more padding than anything.
And the chapters on fashion and sex were just uncomfortable. The main point that our ancestors weren't terribly different from us was worth making but listening to an hour about each of those topics just got painful and wore at me.
Wish the chapters on stuff like the rise and fall of the Hanseatic League had taken up those two. Or talk more about the emergence of nation states.