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A review by verdunbeach
Europe: A History by Norman Davies
4.0
Davies does a wonderful job of tying together loose ends frequently ignored by conventional historians. Particularly in the first parts, I learned a great deal about the Greek presence in Italy, the hellenisation of Romans and its link to Syracuse, the transition from the Western Empire to the "barbarians", from the Eastern Empire to Byzantines, whether 15th century European kingdoms really had any resemblance to the nation states we know today, the Schisms, how the Holy Roman Empire worked, the transition from the French Revolution to Napoleon, etc.
The downside of this work is undoubtedly the sections of which one already already has a decent knowledge - a high-level overview brings little satisfaction in these parts when broader links aren't being made. Secondly, as Davies approaches contemporary times, you can feel him become overwhelmed with the more thorough historical sources as certain sections become overloaded with lists of important people and little information about their impact.
Overall however, this is a very well-put together book. A great read for anyone interested in learning more about European history.
The downside of this work is undoubtedly the sections of which one already already has a decent knowledge - a high-level overview brings little satisfaction in these parts when broader links aren't being made. Secondly, as Davies approaches contemporary times, you can feel him become overwhelmed with the more thorough historical sources as certain sections become overloaded with lists of important people and little information about their impact.
Overall however, this is a very well-put together book. A great read for anyone interested in learning more about European history.