Postwar

Amazing coverage. Some parts weaker than others, of course, but truly a fantastic achievement.

Firstly I have to give respect to anyone who attempts to write a book of this scope and scale and I think it is an admirable attempt. My issue with the book was that he seems to spend a lot of real estate on somewhat esoteric subject matter. While it might be interesting to learn a lot about French film history or the inner workings of the radical left movement in Italy, it seems like a poor trade-off given the monumental events taking place. It also makes the narrative disjointed. The other thing that got my goat was his characterisation of Britains withdrawal from India as relatively orderly (I'm paraphrasing). This is a ridiculous assertion about one of the most bloody, painful and chaotic events in world history. I think I understand what he was getting at but this level of flippancy is a bit much. Overall, it's decent but suffers from many distractions.

What an outstanding history book. Postwar probably covered the events and issues as well as I can imagine considering the massive scope of the subject. Well written, informative, thoughtful and maybe as good an attempt at being even handed as I can think of. Highly recommended.