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Danubia: A Personal History Of Habsburg Europe (2014)

by Simon Winder(Favorite Author)
3.85 of 5 Votes: 2
ISBN
0374175292 (ISBN13: 9780374175290)
languge
English
publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
review 1: I *loved* the first half of this; the second half was pretty good, but got rather more bogged down (the seemingly endless composer talk comes to mind). But on the whole, yes, totally fascinating. I was particularly engrossed by the history of the Ottoman rivalry and wars and the huge effect that had on Central Europe, which is something I hadn't really come across before. Also thought-provoking was the theme of how we look at European history in general as happening in places that look the same as today (not true; the landscape has been heavily changed by modifications in agriculture, or again with the Ottomans, continually depopulated and repopulated) and to people who define themselves similarly (also not true; prior to the rise of nationalism there were basically lots o... moref groups moving around and intermixing and making a big tangled mess.)
review 2: Not only am I jealous of the author for writing such a good account of a fascinating topic, I'm even more envious of the enjoyment he obviously derived from the research process. Some of the places I am already familiar with, and now, when I get the chance to revisit them or find myself in any of those I have not yet had the opportunity to see, it will be with a new sense of pleasure, wonder and curiosity thanks to this marvellous book, less
Reviews (see all)
emem
If you don't know enough (or anything at all) about the Habsburg jaw, then this book is for you.
Goldenfurpro
Trying to learn any history from this book is like trying to get full by eating marshmallow.
booguy
Charming and fun, this good was an engaging part of my prep for my trip to Central Europe.
mickie95
TL;DR? Europe ended up living happily ever after.
pati
NY Times Jan 2014.
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