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A review by erinmjustice
1421: The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies
3.0
This is my first audiobook review, but this isn't my first audiobook. I've started listening to audiobooks on my drive into work recently - it builds my energy for the day, and it keeps my energy up after work. I'm a lifelong learner, affectionately known as a bookworm or nerd. I'm also not a fan of commutes during rush hour traffic. I get anxious and hate driving, to the point of speeding just so I cut down the time I'm in the car and get to work faster. With audiobooks, I could care less if my drive is a little longer because I'm basically sitting in my own surround sound lecture hall (nerd).
Anyway, back to the book itself. Menzies is not a tried and true historian, but he packs a solid punch working with a variety of researchers in different fields. At times, I found his "trust me, I KNOW what I'm doing" lines a little annoying - but given that he first started his research based on old maps with striking geographic accuracy, it's a little understandable. I appreciated that Menzies acknowledged that he was basically overturning longstanding historical "facts" - his thesis being that Europeans made daring voyages, but the Chinese treasure fleets were the ones who actually made the discoveries. Menzies' fresh perspective offers a wealth of insight into coastlines, ocean weather patterns, currents, and ocean navigation. My major criticisms of the book are not of Menzies' methods, nor his thesis itself. As a writer, Menzies can fall flat at times and the pacing feels slow. I found myself a little bored (and as a result, anxious) listening to the audiobook while driving. I felt like there was no spark, no compelling force, illuminating these theories. What should have been exciting seemed dull.
The Bottom Line:
Menzies' research was enough to keep me engaged, but Menzies' writing was not enough to drive me to read his latest book, 1434.
Anyway, back to the book itself. Menzies is not a tried and true historian, but he packs a solid punch working with a variety of researchers in different fields. At times, I found his "trust me, I KNOW what I'm doing" lines a little annoying - but given that he first started his research based on old maps with striking geographic accuracy, it's a little understandable. I appreciated that Menzies acknowledged that he was basically overturning longstanding historical "facts" - his thesis being that Europeans made daring voyages, but the Chinese treasure fleets were the ones who actually made the discoveries. Menzies' fresh perspective offers a wealth of insight into coastlines, ocean weather patterns, currents, and ocean navigation. My major criticisms of the book are not of Menzies' methods, nor his thesis itself. As a writer, Menzies can fall flat at times and the pacing feels slow. I found myself a little bored (and as a result, anxious) listening to the audiobook while driving. I felt like there was no spark, no compelling force, illuminating these theories. What should have been exciting seemed dull.
The Bottom Line:
Menzies' research was enough to keep me engaged, but Menzies' writing was not enough to drive me to read his latest book, 1434.