This is probably 2.5 from me. When I finished this non-fiction, I felt compelled to ask my husband, who reads a lot of this genre, what helps make a gThis is probably 2.5 from me. When I finished this non-fiction, I felt compelled to ask my husband, who reads a lot of this genre, what helps make a good non-fiction book. He found it hard to pin down, even the same author can write great and awful works (Eric Larson great � The Splendid and the Vile; awful � Thunderstruck) But we agree, not getting bogged down in detail is key, either in the macro or the micro. Even if background is needed, work on making it interesting. On the flip side, don’t get too granular. I don’t think this book succeeded in either of these. It felt as if the author wanted to include every price of evidence she ran across, which weirdly often felt like name dropping. Furthermore, as one reviewer stated, “…I was done in by the “should have� and “could have� and “might have� phrasing.� I think the author and the reader can enter a tacit agreement that not every word will be verbatim. I stuck with it, but the second half was more of a slog; The final scene, walking around London’s Great Exhibition for a day, was set up as the ultimate triumph. It was a great spectacle, but for me, a weak choice to make the finale. And although there was an epilogue, we didn’t get much info about the remaining years of our couple....more
Historical narrative as opposed to historical fiction, yet read so seamlessly. This is an excellent introduction to the Irish struggle for independencHistorical narrative as opposed to historical fiction, yet read so seamlessly. This is an excellent introduction to the Irish struggle for independence during the past 100 years, picking up basically with the 1916 Easter Rising. I found the structure, while complex, to be compelling and easy to follow. There was a lot packed in here, much of which was new to me. Thatcher and Boston College both take it on the chin. Excellent...more
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