Negative Positive
Title: Bum-rushed through history
Review: This is not a "delightful romp" through history, but rather, the longest magazine article ever written. 2000 years are glossed over, and the reader is given nothing more than crumbs to nibble on. For example, during WW 2, Europe's Jews flocked to Nice trying to escape the Nazis and it wasn't long before the Nazis soon followed. This could have been fleshed out into something real - actually it could have been a book unto itself - but here it's given a scant 12 pages of exploration. By the end of the book, I felt like I just watched a parade go by. Kanigel is a wonderful writer, but this book is just too superficial to provide any real satisfaction.
Is the review positive or negative? 