A review by justin_vest
France: A History: from Gaul to de Gaulle by John Julius Norwich

informative medium-paced

4.0

This is a well-written informative history that doesn't require a lot of pre-existing knowledge to follow unlike other histories I've picked up. I learned a lot from this particulate book as well as used it to find topics I want to read more about. The focus is heavily on French rulers and other leaders and the major sociopolitical events surrounding them. The biggest cons are the author's sympathies towards rulers who were clearly terrible people and, at best, a non-critical eye toward the impact of colonialism. There are a number of anecdotes and commentary that are sexist and racist in the subtle way you'd expect from an old, well-to-do white man. So, while I would have preferred a more leftist take on French history, this was the book available at the library. The other con was a lack of chapter titles that give context for what they will be about, although it is laid out in chronological order and each chapter includes the dates it will cover so someone with better knowledge of the historical timeline would have better luck skipping around to chapters of interest.