The author makes clear at the outset the difficulties faced by a biographer of such a polarising character. This biography is comprehensive, balanced and decidedly readable.
Kissinger's staggering intellect and powerful charm/ability to manipulate - (take your pick) - are made very clear. His great triumphs - especially the Middle East - and dire misjudgments - especially Vietnam - are laid out objectively, with the author's opinions clearly separated from the facts.
Equally clear are Kissinger's character flaws - ego, volcanic temper and obsession with grabbing both turf and credit.
My only complaint is that the narrative is much less interesting when the author gets into the micro-detail of how x was excluded from a flight on a plane, y was given a less prestigious hotel room location and z was kept out of the loop on a certain topic etc. That Kissinger was just as keen to use his manipulative abilities to advance his personal turf wars as to serve (in his own opinion) the credibility (a word which crops up frequently in the book) of the USA is spelt out clearly. The minutiae of how he did this slows down the narrative.
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