Ratings9
Average rating4.3
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize • Winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award • One of the New York Times' Ten Best Books of the Year “Impressive . . . Mr. Judt writes with enormous authority.” —The Wall Street Journal “Magisterial . . . It is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive, authoritative, and yes, readable postwar history.” —The Boston Globe Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world's most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep readers through thirty-four nations and sixty years of political and cultural change-all in one integrated, enthralling narrative. Both intellectually ambitious and compelling to read, thrilling in its scope and delightful in its small details, Postwar is a rare joy. Judt's book, Ill Fares the Land, republished in 2021 featuring a new preface by bestselling author of Between the World and Me and The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Reviews with the most likes.
Firstly I have to give respect to anyone who attempts to write a book of this scope and scale and I think it is an admirable attempt. My issue with the book was that he seems to spend a lot of real estate on somewhat esoteric subject matter. While it might be interesting to learn a lot about French film history or the inner workings of the radical left movement in Italy, it seems like a poor trade-off given the monumental events taking place. It also makes the narrative disjointed. The other thing that got my goat was his characterisation of Britains withdrawal from India as relatively orderly (I'm paraphrasing). This is a ridiculous assertion about one of the most bloody, painful and chaotic events in world history. I think I understand what he was getting at but this level of flippancy is a bit much. Overall, it's decent but suffers from many distractions.