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caomhghin's review against another edition
4.0
It is a really good coverage of Hungary's history. It concentrates on the areas of current Hungary and Transylvania by and large which is fair enough. The author obviously prescribes to the 'great man' theory of history as we get the history through a series of great lives, by and large, but it is lively and entertaining. He partly faces the semi-disaster that is nineteenth and twentieth century Hungarian history. The victim coloniser, the intermittently anti-Semite, the nationalism that could see noone else's nation, wanted to destroy them and to a limited degree succeeded in doing so. A great many non-'Magyars' Hungarianised, especially Jews and Germans. Little good it did them in the long run.
The chapter on the post-Second World War Hungary is something of a mess - perhaps the lack of an obvious 'great man' gives the author no handle.
The chapter on the post-Second World War Hungary is something of a mess - perhaps the lack of an obvious 'great man' gives the author no handle.
magormaximus's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful book written by Hungarian. It was a brutally honest run through of the history of Hungary. I loved it.
ah_nailse's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
Well, I definitely learned a lot. Some information flew over my head and I couldn’t remember if I tried, but besides that I got a solid understanding of this history. It was challenging and slow at times, but other parts are very interesting.
miklosha's review against another edition
5.0
Swept up in the fever of discovering my ancestry, the fact that my fathers side of the family is Hungarian, and that my name is in itself Hungarian, I was eager to pick up a book on the history of the country. Lendvai's history of Hungary is a relatively compact, readable story of Hungary's origin and journey from nomadic beginnings to feudalism to Nazism, Communism, and finally to independence, all viz a vie occupations and both inter- and intra-conflicts. Hungary as a linguistic and cultural island in the sea of Europe is a sad but fascinating story and I was happy to learn new information not just about Hungary but Europe as a whole (oddly enough my high school history classes never touched both World Wars so I had to learn about them from my own leisure readings). Despite being born in the US, not knowing Hungarian, and only having visited the country twice, I still felt a sense of connection with Hungary and both sympathized and felt for the internal struggles that plagued the country since King Stephen.
For readers who are both ethnically, linguistically, or Hungarian "by choice" (as Lendvai discusses), or even for those who aren't Hungarian and are just history buffs, I would highly recommend this book.
For readers who are both ethnically, linguistically, or Hungarian "by choice" (as Lendvai discusses), or even for those who aren't Hungarian and are just history buffs, I would highly recommend this book.
lilygwendolyn's review against another edition
4.0
I was frustrated by the inconsistency of using or not using the Hungarian names- but overall, a good read for an expat in Hungary. History is such a crucial part of the identity that this was a good start to understanding a little bit more.
robowarrior12's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Good book detailing the history of Hungary. Sometimes the pacing was weird.