The Discovery of Britain by Graham Robb

The erudite Oxford-educated author, Graham Robb, hit on a truly brilliant idea: to connect the history of Britain to his ramblings therein. The combination of the personal with the historic views of Britain intrigued this reader. Unfortunately, as I didn’t know Birmingham from Leeds, this led to a great deal of confusion and displacement on my part. I confess I got totally lost in time and space. Therefore, I would hesitatingly recommend this book to only those who have an in-depth knowledge of Great Britain. Without this insider awareness, the stories may be difficult to track. This reader had difficulty in switching back and forth between the present day and the historic era. Despite these frustrations, many good stories and events kept me intrigued enough to keep reading. And, indeed, it is a very long book. I wish other readers to be fluid enough to go with the flow of time and events.