Well written in interesting sequence and covered many historical points ...
593701
Well written in interesting sequence and covered many historical points that I and probably others had forgotten or did not even know
890534
Looking forward to number 3 in the trilogy. Learned much about the period of history. It brought up many memories since I was a
child in that particular time in history.
892442
A historical family biography woven around the political, economic and social changes between the 19th and 20th centuries.  Brilliantly detailed and very well written. Dramatic accounts of the economic and social rise of a powerful jewish family from Odessa and their expansion all over Europe and how fragile their success becomes when confronted with the political changes between the rise of communism in Russia,  the fall of the Austro Hungarian empire, the 1st WW, the rise of National Sozialismus in Germany and other important events of the XX century. Very interesting and an exceptional story well told.
4935390
This is the first in a series of collected essays on different topics in the history of Iran and Iranian identity, with a focus on the rise of the Achaemenids. I found some of the essays interesting, others less so. I did deeply appreciate the heavy influence of archaeological findings in this essays, which is something that is often distant from Persian history.
4498361
very  informative while providing historic background as well.
2638060
By following the history of some inanimate objects the author has managed some deep insights into the personal costs and outcomes of historical events. At times the book loses a little of its flow as the author tries to relate knowledge of the antique objects, the key events and emotions affecting his ancestors and the effect of this insight on himself. But overall it is a valuable read and helps readers to personalise different points in history.
3292625
I really enjoyed this book.  It was well written and contained lots of historical details. I have read this series out of order and I appreciate that the author does not give away too many details from previous books.
2796239
An interesting presentation of a page of history that I marginally knew about but wanted to know more detailed information concerning the events and people. I enjoyed it and recommended it to friends.
3674124
This continuing historical saga of the two previous books was fascinating and gave details of events for the uninitiated as well as those who remember them well.  It was well written and flowed easily without being burdened with too much verbiage.  My only criticism is that the excessively described  sex scenes in every chapter really added nothing to the story.  Someone was always hopping in bed with someone.  Perhaps Follette, now that he's an old man, gets his jollies just by writing about it!
3966298
Very enjoyable read of events in a time period overshadowed by Napoleon and the War of 1812. It helped me tie all these events together.
In the sequence of events concerning the expansion of Europeans and American Indian History it must be a really important book. I am not a scholar of history but highly recommend it.
1827825
Historical novel touched on many current topics - religious conflicts, women's rights, bi-racial relationships, women in science, and family dynamics.  Well worth the read.
2588045
The story had many interesting changes of direction, and each change created significant interest of its own while contributing to the main theme.  Contained sufficient historical facts to add realism to the story.
1722113
Interesting and had a lot of history in it.
1783485
This book was well written and very interesting.  I liked how the many characters were interconnected in spite being in different parts of the world.  Author did an excellent job of describing the years of WWII through the eyes of individuals.  This was important in making the reader understand what was going on in Nazi Germany and all the other countries involved in the war.
2126107
Marshall and Manuel have assembled a significant anount of material that  has been written out of today's politically correct history.  Starting with  Columbus and working through to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the  authors take details from newspapers, books, diaries and other materials of  the times and weave a story of Christianity and the founding of the United  States.  They show that the two were intertwined and not meant to be  separated.  A drawback to this kind of writing is that it can not be taken  as a serious history text, but rather as a historical overview or treatise.  In other words, there is a significant amount of personal comment from the  authors.  I found quite a few places where the authors imagined comments or  scenes about people; what they thought or did.  This is unfortunate and  caused me to downgrade the book slightly.  However, these parts are well  written (as is the whole book) and do not detract.  Well worth the purchase  price.
1151531
This book is an interesting read covering a large amount of historical societies.  Unfortunately, the two societies covered the most extensively were to me the least interesting.  Still worth reading in hopes of learning from past mistakes.
1868679
Easy to read informative and well written.

Perfect for someone wanting a not too complex introduction to an area that has an incredibly complex history.