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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If only all history books were as easy to read, 14 Jan 2004
A very enjoyable and accessible book on the French Revolution. Definitely worth a look for anyone remotely interested in this subject.Mark Steel describes the events of, and motivations behind, the Revolution very well. He illustrates neatly how the demonisation of key players happened and still persists today, and shatters the myths convincingly. He certainly convinced me that this was one of the most important revolutions in history. Throughout the book, there are funny asides, comparing past events to present. Many of these are genuinely humourous, however, I felt that at times they were unnecessary because the events had been well described and more or less spoke for themselves. doesn't he trust the reader to get it? I also felt that some of his observations were too 'modern' and may cause the book to date quickly, which would be a shame since his book really does go a long way to challenge prevailing views on the revolution. I look forward to Mark's next historical outing, and if anyone is studying, or wants to study, the French Revolution, this is a good place to start.
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