This was an overly-short, extremely lacking handling of an interesting and rich topic. Half of the book was an unnecessary love letter to the Classics, the rest was a superficial and dry survey. The history of Irish monasticism and the preservation of European culture during the Dark Ages deserves a far superior treatment. ( )

eh! ( )

I generally do not like to read nonfiction. I find that most nonfiction authors merely state facts. Cahill is different. Although some may argue that his enthusiasm and sarcasm detract from the academic quality of the book, I found that it made me pay more attention and learn more than I expected. At times Cahill is a little too gungho and seems more of a cheerleader than a historian, but at the same time it is fun to read a book on a subject that the author seems to thoroughly enjoy. The sections on Saint Patrick are perhaps the most memorable and enjoyable parts of the book. All in all this is a good read and I recommend it to western history enthusiasts. ( )

Contains a fine biography of Saint Patrick. ( )

Cute. A fun read if you're Irish, but be careful of over-interpreting the Irish role in all this