bri_the_librarian 's review for:

Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo

2.0

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I chalk this up to not vibing with the author's writing style. For me, it seemed like she was trying to fit too much into one book. The title is misleading; I was expecting a book on the topic of ancient books and their readers. I got that...and a lot more. The title topic covers about 40% of the book, but the rest meanders into vignettes on book history into the 21st century, snippets of memoir from the author, historical incidents that didn't have much to do with the original topic, flip flopping back and forth between historical events, metaphors and allegories that were sort of a stretch in my opinion. It tried to be too much. There were some sections which I enjoyed, but if the content was more focused, I think it would have been a more coherent and enjoyable read.