France: A History: from Gaul to de Gaulle

France – From Gaul to De Gaulle – A sort of love letter to France

The second Viscount Norwich or the late John Julius Cooper if you prefer, wrote and finished his final book, not long before he died. This book is similar to an ode or a love letter to France, all but a short one. This book he states in his preface (yes, I do read them), states that this book is not aimed at the historians amongst us, but the general reader.

As a historian, my attitude to France, nice country shame about the people, is not all together positive. While having a working knowledge of French history, it is not an area that I particularly find interesting. But that is me. So, I could come to this with a fresh pair of eyes and might learn something in the show more process. This is a lengthy tome at 400 pages but fortunately it is not as dry as dust, it is an interesting read.

Cooper might not like this comparison if he were alive, but reading this book is like listening to your Grandfather take you by the hand as if telling you a story. There is something of the comfort blanket being wrapped around you, rather than a book that lectures you about the great and good in French history. We even learn that he first crossed the channel to France in 1936, and so began a love affair with a country other than his own. The tone is very much conversational, dotted with anecdotes, a device which most historians use to remember facts and details around an event.

This is a well written and researched book that takes us gently through French history and makes it easy for those who are not historians to remember parts of French history hitherto had been unknown to them. This is an excellent way to teach the facts, especially if you are about to visit France for the first time, without being preached at.

For a history book this is a fun and interesting read for any reader. show less

Un recorrido fascinante por la historia de Francia.

El general Charles de Gaulle dijo: «Francia no puede ser Francia sin la grandeza». El país galo es célebre por su gastronomía, sus paisajes, su cultura y su historia, en la que destacan personajes legendarios como Vercingétorix, Carlomagno, Juana de Arco, Luis XIV, María Antonieta o Napoleón, además de inolvidables batallas como Crécy, Agincourt, San Quintín, Bailén o Waterloo.

En este volumen, John Julius Norwich, uno de los historiadores más destacados de nuestro tiempo, nos ofrece una historia completa a la par que concisa de Francia, país que siempre lo fascinó. Desde la conquista por parte de los romanos hasta el final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, pasando por las show more grandes dinastías medievales, la consolidación del Antiguo Régimen, la Revolución, Vichy o la Resistencia, Norwich nos acompaña en un recorrido por veinte siglos de historia, a menudo violenta pero siempre fascinante. Por estas páginas desfilan conocidos héroes y villanos, pero también personajes olvidados dignos de elogio.

Con la destreza, elegancia y humor que caracterizan su pluma, Norwich nos brinda un relato magistral y vívido de la historia del país que quizá más ha influido en la historia y cultura europeas. show less