Customer Reviews

A Concise History of France (Cambridge Concise Histories)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you are looking for an entertaining review of French history (as I was), this is not it. It focuses almost entirely on economic, sociological, etc., trends instead of people and events (e.g., there is a tedious amount of information about French demographics and economic activity in the 15th century, but Joan of Arc gets only one sentence). This might be a good textbook for college students who already have a solid grounding in French history, but if (like me) you are new to French history and just want to read an interesting account of what happened, you should buy some other book.

Well, after reading about England, I decided to start studying France, so I decided to buy a short concise history of it. I mean, I already knew the basic outline. However, I was dissapointed.

Good - The book gives a CONCISE history, but does not cover the prehistory and the Romans, who are not mentioned. The book starts from The Hundred Years War, to the monarchy, to the many revolutions and republics, to France's state of a world power and the colonial era, and also, the loss of troops in World War I, and the brutal occupation by Nazi Germany in World War II. It also covers the Mitterand presidency and how France tries to escape socialism and communism.

Bad - The book does not really talk about the people of France, it talks more about the economy, not the people. Mr. Price doesn't seem to grasp that the reader wants something more of how people and state are connected, not the economy. Also, where is the prehistory and the Roman invasion of Gaul? Just because it was earlier doesn't mean that it has to be skipped! I mean, it was part of France's history, then how does the reader know how and why the cities of Marseilles and Nice have kept Italian culture all these years! The book skips some things.

Okay, if you're gonna buy this, then buy another book of France along with it.

RATING - 3 stars ***

Price's text is an excellent overview of French history. It's quite useful if you're teaching a French "civilization" course and you'd rather not dwell on dates, battles, etc.

Stars awarded, as noted by earlier reviewers, depend upon one's expectations. I agree that the book is not for those new to information-laden (academic type) history books, nor is it written to amuse. It is only exactly what is indicated on the title: A Concise History of France. And a good value, if that's what you want.

"A Concise History of France" by Roger Price is absolutely not a work recommended for anyone looking for a introduction to the basic outline of French History. It would make a fine companion book outlining the economic and social development of France in a classroom setting, but one would definitely want a political history outlining the historical development of France and its key figures, achievements, etc., to balance out the reading materials. The book glosses over huge portions of important aspects of, and figures in, French History with barely a mention- little less a fleshing out of their importance. Everything outside of raw economic and social development data seems to get just enough of a glancing description to push the historical narrative forward. These negative aspects of the book are very oppressive in the first chapters, but improves gradually from the French Revolution onwards to the 20th century. It is really only in chapters pertaining to the 20th century that the writing style relays information in a clear and effective manner.

This book relays huge amounts of important economic and social development facts, but it is not at all what most readers would consider a concise history of France. A concise history of any nation is no easy feat, nor is writing a comprehensive academic level work of any sort, so don't let this review give the impression that I am degrading the quality of the author's academic and writing ability; rather I am just offering a critical review of what is offered as a concise history that falls considerably short of the mark in terms to what the target audience of this book would expect. Thus, in conclusion I would recommend this book as a companion work to be read in conjunction with a political history, because only with such a combination would a reader interested in French History get the most out of this well researched, if lacking, book.

Not a very exciting read. If you like to travel to France as I do, and just want to know something about the country and its past, this is not the book you want. If however you are a student who needs to know about various obscure historical figures, then perhaps it would be useful. The book does not present a good overall history of France, but does go into detail about selected events and people.

This book is the perfect cure for insomniacs. Not recommended for those new to French history. History should be written by great story tellers and not by the Sandman!

This is really not a good book. It is a textbook style-feel book but it lacks depth and good illustrations.