I saw this book at a bookstore on a recent family vacation and immediately made note of it. I’d read Robb’s The Discovery of France in college and really enjoyed it, so I was sure I’d like this one, too.

I checked it out from the library and then had to read it in a rush when I was alerted about someone else’s hold on the book. I ended up turning it in about a week late, but oh well.

Despite my optimism, I really struggled with the book. My Francophilia doesn’t extend terribly far back in time. I had trouble staying interested and keeping details from the earlier chapters (even if it was nice to learn about the Gauls more deeply than through Astérix).

The second half of the book got much more interesting, though. I appreciated Robb’s mix of memoir, scholarship, and editorializing. I may have to reread The Discovery of France and see how it holds up!

• An Adventure History of France
• Graham Robb
• France
• Gauls
• Astérix
• The Discovery of France