I found this to be a disappointing work, and I do not give it two stars lightly. I will outline my reasons below, and the reader can determine whether or not they find the rating to be fair. Before criticizing it, however, I would like to state the positive aspects of this book:
1) Wilson is obviously an unbiased observer and does not have a political agenda or an axe to grind, as so many do in this field.
2) He has done his homework; the research is superb, as is the bibliographical essay.
3) Wilson is extremely strong on Rus and pre-Rus history, leading up to the Imperial Russian era.
Now, the cons, which in my view are decisive.
First, Wilson's work cannot decide if it wants to be a comprehensive history of Ukraine or a geopolitical and ethnographic description of the forces shaping modern Ukraine. This indecision between a political science or a pure historical approach produces an uneven, and to me, largely unreadable work. The first 100 pages or so read like a highly detailed and erudite history of pre-modern Ukraine; the last hundred or so read like a typical scholarly article in a political science journal, replete with useless graphs depicting data that adds nothing to the reader's knowledge.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly than anything, the lack of a clear approach to his material results in some truly unforgivable oversights. If you are to turn to the index, you will note that "World War II" has only four pages delegated to it - and not four pages of content, but rather four pages where it is mentioned. The Battle for Kiev - in which there were at least 600,000 Soviet casualties - is not even mentioned. The Holodomor famine - what is perhaps the central event in modern Ukrainian history - comes in a little better, sporting a 2.5 page treatment with mentions on 2 other pages. The Holocaust, alas, does not have a single page dedicated to it and is not included in the index. Wilson does acknowledge, in a single paragraph on page 250, that the Jewish population went from some three million to less than 500,000. He does not even acknowledge that they were killed; he rather awkwardly states that half a million "remained".
I understand that the purpose of this book is not to give an in-depth description of the Holocaust in Ukraine or to recount large World War II battles. I harbor no illusions about the intentions of a work subtitled "Unexpected Nation". But this does not negate the fact that Wilson is attempting to paint a historical, political, religious, and ethnic portrait of a modern country, and in doing so he spends approximately 8 pages on what are arguably the most monumental events in that country's history. He gives more space to graphs concerning various branches of the modern Ukrainian church than he does to a famine that killed 2-8 million Ukrainians.
There are nuggets of fine research and writing in this work. As noted above, his treatment of Ukraine's early history is fantastic. This reader, however, cannot escape the impression that Wilson simply decided to write about events and periods that he enjoys working on, negating other, perhaps more consequential historical epochs to the sidelines. This makes for a very uneven work.
In a country that is perpetually trying to redefine, forget, or imagine its past, it is more than slightly ironic that Wilson approaches his subject with a similar pick-and-choose approach. It is my hope these issues are addressed in subsequent editions, or that Serhii Plokhii's upcoming history of Ukraine fills the need for a readable history of Ukraine.
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Tony Barber
Well-judged, clearly written, instructive and lively
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2014Verified Purchase
differentvoice
disappointing if you are not already familiar with this new country
Reviewed in Canada on October 24, 2012Verified Purchase
