In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century

The text of the book is wonderful. Readable account of the Europe of the twentieth century with well explained background. My only problem is the cheap printing in the paperback edition I bought from Amazon. The righthand pages are smeared but decipherable. I purposely ordered the paperback edition due to weight allowances but it was poorly printed. Wish I had the hardback copy instead.The maps are so faint I cannot make the constantly moving borders of 20th century Europe out.

Everyone should read this book. It reminds us just how inhumane humans can be when we conduct wars. It is especially relevant today with people that have never been on a battlefield are sending troops to fight meaningless battles and killing untold numbers of innocent civilians. Today we have politicians killing people remotely from far afield for almost no reason. No one should be allowed to start wars unless they have read this book first. It puts the past 100 years of war in Europe in perspective.

Geert Mak should be revered as one of the most important historical writers in the 21st century. This is the most important, engaging and shocking book I have ever read about European culture. He guides the reader through present day impressions of Europe and its inhabitants while weaving in the historical truths of the past. Why is the world in which we currently struggle to survive and live well so perplexing? Geert Mak will give the reader plenty of insights. Magnificent book. He is my new hero. And congratulations to the translator! Beautiful job.

I read every single page and it has changed my view of WWI, WWII, and contemporary Europe. It reads like an insightful narrative and the anecdotes and true stories are priceless. Hard to believe it is a history book.

A friend told me about this book, but it was still a pleasant surprise. It is about travels, as the subtitle suggests; but it's about the sociology of the various cities, as well. It describes the urban character, brings in history, and spins all the elements together in a beautifully written way. It's not a "can't put it down" book, but it's a very worthy "constant companion" volume.You'll enjoy it.

My husband bought for me and I am still reading it slowly.A lot of history and as I heard, people do not have the fullgrasp what Europe was and this book is the real thing.It is not to make what was not in Europe, it is in Europe.Thank you,Rita

An account/overview of European history in the late 19th and early 20th century .Rather than going into great detail Mak covered key moments/events and visited many important sites, which allows for a better visualization by the reader of the terror that gripped Europe in the first and second world wars.

A remarkably clear and detailed account of the sheer brutality of the twentieth century in Europe. Some may argue that it says nothing new but a lot of it was new to me. We are still vulnerable to the insanity of leaders. Warning : This can be very depressing. I would put it on a list of 'must reads'

Geert Mak was a Dutch journalist (now a more wide-ranging writer), former editor of a radical Amsterdam news weekly and a brilliant social commentator. This is one of his best books in my opinion. It is a wide ranging historical survey of predominantly the 20th century, from the perspective of different European cities. All these Mak has visited and punctuates his prose with anecdotal sentences that light up the chapter with a searchlight's brilliance. Every student (A level or undergraduate) of history should read this book...and if you are just a committed bystander, you should too. Brexit would not happen if people had read this book. Sheer wonderment.

I am halfway through this immense book which everyone should read to understand the period leading up to and including the second world war. The Dutch author is well qualified to inform the reader about the events during that time and this volume should be on everyone's bookshelf. They should also read 'An Island in Time' by the same author.

This is an outstanding book. A brilliantly researched, beautifully written survey of Europe in the final year of the last millenium. It has been rightly said that to understand the present, we must understand the past. Mak's thorough,sometimes idiosyncratic,view of our troubled continent is essential reading for everyone struggling to understand why Europe is as it is: the conflicting perceptions and aspirations of the vastly different peoples; the richly varied cultures involved; the influence of non-European cultures. In particular, the personal evidence of so many people who have "been there, done that" is immensely moving.The author has struck an ideal balance between meticulously researched detail and an easy, flowing, writing style which draws the reader in and compels us to accompany him in his journey through the twentith century.No-one who has not read and absorbed this book can claim to have a full insight into our recent, common history.

The writer visits places marked by twentieth century history, and meets and talks with people from those places. What came across very strongly was how bloody and violent a century we supposedly civilised people have lived through, and also how successful building the idea of a European community seems to have been in keeping most of Europe at peace for sixty years, which is longer than ever before. However, it's not a paean to the EU and Brussels - far from it! Mak sets you thinking about what we all share, in this corner of the world. I think he's clear that nationalism is no longer sensible or useful, but where do we go from here?

Beautiful piece of work.Mak is not, strictly speaking, an historian. What he IS, is a first-rate journalist / writer with an uncannily accurate eye for detail and culture.Worth investigating his History of Amsterdam too - easily the best short readable "history" of that great town.