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Title: Neither history nor literature
Review: Sorry - this simply is not history. There's maybe one fact every 30 pages -- the rest is repetitive thumbnail characterization, wallowing in shallow "historical forces" analysis. No historian today would call this anything but story-telling. But it's terrible story-telling -- void of thought, narrative or interesting detail. The opinionated tone is maddening -- who cares if this author thinks a Doge from the 9th century was dull, incompetant, feckless or brilliant? How can you libel someone 1,000 years from your experience? What is the value for the reader? None. I love Venice, and I have patience -- I read manuals for heaven's sake -- but I cannot force my way through any more of this. I stopped at 60 pages, and I wish I'd stopped earlier.
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