Historical and humorous
343721
What more can you ask for? Romance, danger and an excellent plot. Amanda Quick at her best, I highly recommend this read
2640937
Excellent book and an easy read.  This author makes history fun.
3194635
If you are looking for a quick read and want a good chuckle, then this is the book for you! It goes into dates between a few famous historical icons, as well as everyday couples who met online. The book also goes into a few humorous coffee shops that failed for various reasons. This book is just my kind of humor and I give it 2 thumbs up!
3131647
One of my favorite historicals from Joan Smith so far.  The story line kept me reading and the characters were amusing.
4076502
I love historical romance - so I loved this on. The character's humor is a salve for era for which this novel is set.
1813684
A historical fiction novel that is (I guess) based on true events, I must admit that this is a period of history that I am not entirely familiar with. Therefore, much of the humour of the piece did go over my head a little bit - but that's not the books fault in the least. Despite this, I found it a very enjoyable read.

Set in Amsterdam in 1656 and described in first person by Baruch Spinoza, I did find this a very entertaining read. Spinoza is a very witty and sarcastic protagonist whose views on religion often cause more than a few raised eyebrows, able to point out holes in the hypocrisy of the Jewish faith (Spinoza himself is Jewish). Because he maintains such a great rapport with the reader, it's easy to like him as a character. He paints such a vivid description of the events through his talking that you almost believe that you are there with him the whole time.

Even though much of the "social" commentary was lost on me, I did find myself laughing more than once. I think the funniest part was (minor spoilers follow), was when he is supposed to be excommunicated from the Jewish faith, but he has a play to attend and the director has a go at him for not being able to attend - completely oblivious to his problems!

It is a very funny novel, but there are some dark moments as well and you will feel for poor Spinoza more than once. It's a great read and if you're a historical expert you should be able to appreciate the humour of the piece.

I give Thorn 4/5 stars.
1132373
I personally, am a "history nut", meaning, I love seeing various historical aspects. While this story lacked depth in providing historic details, it was still a truly delightful read, which kept me laughing & turning the page. This is the kind of book you take to read at the beach, on vacation, or when you just need a "light" break from the world with your imagination, to escape to someplace "positive" for a while. This is the book to accomplish that. This is the book to read. It is also a shorter read of a story & goes by fast. If you like books such as the Outlander series, but need a break from the heavy historical content that Gabaldon can dish out, look no further, this is it. I am looking forward to the next book in this series!
2904003
Kind of wondering if this might also be displayed in the humor department. While historically correct, this is an immensely entertaining read. Such great fun it begs to be shared.
4056258
books are historical correct, but funny and a pleasure to read
2590165
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you love historical novels which immerse you in another time and place, you will be very happy with this book.
4217928
So this is a fun 'niche history' book that I think has enough different experiences and historical events to keep most readers engaged. The chapters give enough broad view that even if a couple don't connect, there should be a few more that would be entertaining. It does show that maybe it's better to laugh then cry at affairs at the heart, which after all can't actually kill you. But...they can lead to all sorts of fatal problems, as these accounts will show!

Even though it is often tragic history (Oscar Wilde, for example) it's written in an engaging style that finds the laughter behind the tears, as it were. Even the awful depredations of Emperor Nero come across funny, as opposed to horrible.

I would not look at this book as a literal history - I sort of like how Jennifer Wright approaches this by taking every rumor as basically historical fact. So the 10-year-old Marquees of Queensbury supposedly roasted and ate a servant over a spit - that obviously didn't literally happen, but Wright acts like that, and any rumor, actually DID happen. But these are rumors for a reason, and since she's certainly not writing this as a definitive account, I think it helps amp up the extreme "humor" of each situation.

I'm not sure this is the kind of book I'd recommend for a personal purchase, but it would be a great gift for anybody who went through a bad breakup, etc. It's almost better as a gift where there's no stakes, and the reader can just enjoy it for what it is, as opposed to worrying about "getting my money's worth," and a feeling like that. But anybody with an appreciation for these kinds of niche historical events, especially when they involve all the rumors that have been spread around over the years, should find some good enjoyment from it.
3532104
This book is wonderful! It covers history, not in the way a history textbook might, but in the most entertaining way; by regaling the reader with hilarious stories of the people who lived it. The book engages the reader as they get a sense of living the history and adventuring with various scientists of the past.

This is a fantastic book if you like science, history, and/or amusing short stories.
42828
This author is especially good in capturing the words and feel of the time period. The characters are very sympathetic, and the story is fun. I plan to read more of her books!
1791630
I enjoyed this book, because of the human interest stories that populated the history being recounted. The humor included in the telling, made it fun to read, as well as informative. Bryson is adept at keeping the story moving, while covering large topics like politics and sports. Putting historical events put into a human context made this book a delight to read, and easy to recommend.
3324764
I have a pretty dreadful life at the moment and rarely laugh but several times throughout&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/No-Roads-Lead-to-Rome/dp/0982582900/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">No Roads Lead to Rome</a>, I found myself not only laughing but laughing out loud. The only problem I have is the proofreading where it doesn't appear to have gone through a great deal of. I've read many historical fiction books on ancient Rome but it has been so refreshing to read one that has so much humor. I definitely recommend this book.
1249633
Story moves along nicely and historical tidbits, yet not boring. A good read. I'll be reading more books in this series for sure!
2418517
I really enjoyed this book.  You learn a bit of history, and get a funny present day view of China.  The author kept my attention and at times I found myself chuckling out loud.  I looked forward to settling down with this book in the evening.  I like his brutal honesty.  Having visited a few of the locations in China, I related; and appreciated his lack of sugar-coating!  Will be buying his other books.