John O. (buzzby) -
Well written, really only covers December 1812 to the end of 1815 (256 pages of the 274 total), and only the political side, he only does a quick summary of the military events (both of which were pretty confusing). Being a Brit obviously educated at the finer schools, he assumes you have a good understanding of the geography of central Europe, and he constantly changes the names of the players (their titles e.g. Duke of Hesse and Igor XI (I made both of those up)), so he assumes you know the players in the drama, as well. I liked that he did a full characterization of the main players (Metternich, Alexander I, Castleraugh, Tallyrand), without falling into the trap of claiming that their personalities were the main causes of what came out.
John O. (buzzby) -
Well, they don't write like this any more. NYT Book Review said it best: "With swift pace, clear focus, deft selection of material and a series of brilliant character sketches, it is narrative history at its best." I couldn't put it down, even when I was hiking. I wish it had had a map, central Europe is a confusing place with lots of name changes.
