Interesting idea and works best when viewed as a clever and fun diversion.

Great story . Makes apparent how diverse and wonderful the punk scene was.

I wanted to read this when it was published, but never got around to it. Finally picked it up and enjoyed it. It has very subtle and nuanced manner in arousing emotional response . Well done.

I do not know how I missed this through my undergrad and grad career. Unsettling in the best possible manner.

I feel that somehow we have forgotten what a wonderful writer Auster is. This novel is a great reminder of his skill.

Outstanding . The main issue is that it seemed to rush to a conclusion. I would ah e preferred it to be longer.

I have not read this since I was an undergrad and while Conrad‘s skill is still apparent , I am not sure how well this holds up.

I really enjoy Vollman and somehow have never read this, and it does not disappoint. His work presents a wonderful intersection of research and literary imagination.

A nice introduction on how geography influences history. I think he may try to cover too much and sacrifices depth.

This has been sitting on a shelf for quite some time and now I regret not reading it when I first purchased it. This is a novel whose depth would require multiple readings .

I quite enjoyed this . I am not sure it lived up to the reviews, yet a well down first novel .

I have always held W.C.Win high regard. This book has done nothing but reinforce this feeling. Chapters seem almost as prose poems on particular points in history . Any overreaching meaning rests in the sum of these chapters/ poems and the interpretive powers of the reader.

Brief anecdotes of an authors travels so we are left not building any relationship with the characters in the events and little insight into the narrator.

I believe they made this into a film, and that makes sense. It starts with an intriguing premise but the execution falls short and the ending is a bit on the gooey sweet side... too bad I prefer the savory.

My wife suggested that I read this, so I did. It has an interesting idea, but I am not sure the execution is done as well as I like.

Our campus has chosen this novel for its common read. Normally, I do not think I would have read this work, and I was pleasantly surprised. I found it to competently written with a well thought out plot. It did not strike me as something I would quickly recommend, but I can see its charm.

I am not sure if it is the actual stories or the author, but reading it felt more like a chore. The failing may be mine of course; I could not connect on any level with the book

It has been some time since I have read this, and upon this reading I still find it one of the best texts to read.

History written by someone who knows the technique of narrative. Eminently engaging.

At one point, I thought that Eliot may be the best poet of the twentieth century. After re-reading this text, I am still of the same mind. Of course, I tend to not think greatly of the verse dramas.

I had never read this translation and had always intended to, and I was not disappointed. I greatly appreciate that it is a dual language edition.

The description is a little misleading . It is more a straight history. The author covers a large topic in an effective manner. Read January 2029

Interesting but I think that it‘s appeal would be limited. Read January 2020

Historically important . Read January 2020

Fun , but it would mostly appeal to those working in the academe. Read January 2020

Read January 2020. Graham Greene always pleases.

Read this in grad school. I just re read earlier this year and it was not as impressive on second reading.