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Title: Rambling and incoherent
Review: For the life of me, I can't figure out why this book gets so much good press. Ackroyd has clearly never met a metaphor that he didn't like, and apparently feels that the frequent (and often bizarrely misplaced) use of such can replace good writing. The whole book reads like a giant editorial which has no point, and facts merge too subtly into half-truths, suppositions, and out-and-out falsities without any guidance to navigate through through them. If you're looking for a good history of London, look elsewhere. If you're looking for good commentary on London society throughout the ages, tough luck.
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