Amazon Customer: The book gives a good perspective on what created the Norway we see today, especially the influence of Denmark, and the background to Norwegian language.
Canada on Oct 14, 2022
W.K.GW.K.G: Please don't get me wrong, this book on Norway and its long past does its job. However, if you are looking to be "dazzled" or to learn about all of Scandinavia as well (meaning Sweden/Denmark/Iceland too), please look elsewhere. The author's favorite periods of Norwegian history seem to be the early medieval/ Viking period and the WW2 (Resistance/War against the Germans) period. Without a doubt, those periods of Norwegian history are monumental and show the brave character of the Norse people. But an in-depth study is lacking here. (Then again, to an extent you can't get too in-depth in a basic history book.) From another angle, you could certainly say that countries like Germany, France, or even Denmark, have far more "recorded" history than Norway, so that could be why showcasing Norwegian history is always a challenge. It's the victors that write history after all, and the Norwegians were ruled by foreigners since the 14th century. (technically not ending until the 20th)
Still, if you are full or part Norwegian yourself, or just interested in Norwegian history, and you only speak English, then this book seems to be a must-have. I have tried other Scandinavian history books...
United States on Apr 19, 2022
Droigheann: A succinct description of the country's development from the first settlements to the current century, ideal for those who have so far only heard or read about the Vikings. Sometimes the languages slips a bit into resembling more a transcript of a junior high school lesson than of a lecture for adult public (and indeed where most writers would probably present a table with some demographic statistics, the author prefers to narrate some historical anecdote or a tale about a particular person), but not really annoyingly so. My only two quibbles are too much space dedicated to WWII, and numbering of monarchs with Arabic, rather than Roman, numerals (in an English text, "King Harald 5" looks more like the name of a third-rate Hollywood fantasy movie than of the current monarch). An extra star for being apparently the only such book currently available.
United Kingdom on Mar 15, 2022
E. Mitchell: In reviewing my family history, which has been traced back pretty far, I realized I had no education on European history in public school, and only a little covered in college. Europe's history is a black hole for me. I am now in process of reading several books on European history. I picked this as my first book to read due to significant ancestry from Norway. I was not disappointed in this book.
I learned how our human history has long been steeped in violent confrontations, power hungry monarchs, and occasionally a few that cared about being good administrators. I learned about the incredibly tough times the Norwegians endured, repeatedly (easy to see why my ancestor immigrated to the US in the 1850s), all the way up through the devastation of World War II.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down. Never knew that history would be so fascinating to me. Now I'm reading a book on general European history and have identified several more country specific titles too.
United States on Sep 10, 2021
djh: I am researching Scandinavian emigrants for a family history book. One branch of the family is from Norway. These emigrants were shaped by the history of the country their ancestors had lived in for hundreds of years. Americans are not very knowledgeable about European history and can easily become fatigued with the sheer amount of new information. However, the author did an excellent job of turning thousands of years of history into a very readable story. I was able to read this book in one day and enjoy the experience. I had done a fair amount of research online prior to reading the book so the material was not entirely new. But the author seemed very knowledgeable and also answered some questions I had not been able to find elsewhere. Having been lucky enough to live near the Twin Cities and participate at programs in the ASI (Swedish), GAI (German), DAI (Danish), and the Norway House I know that these institutions are excellent learning resources for the general public. The author teaches Norwegian history at Mindekirken which is associated with the church of the same name and the Norway House. His course and this book are from years of research and personal experience. The...
United States on Aug 01, 2021
SG: This book was a gift to my husband who's family is mostly Norwegian. He's very familiar with a lot of it's history so was very surprised by what he learned from this book. It has a lot more of Norway's history presented. It was a book he found hard to put down and so read it quite quickly. He absolutely enjoyed how the information was presented including a lot of facts. It's a book he's share with family members.
Highly recommend this excellent book
Canada on Jan 05, 2021
William Axtell: I was looking for a book on Norwegian history and this fit the bill very well. It's quite a brief book but crams a lot in so helped me greatly in understanding where the country has come from, although I'm sure there is much more to be said on each of the periods discussed. The writing is easy to read and sprinkled with humour.
United Kingdom on Aug 04, 2020
J. P. M. Smit: a Very thrilling and realistic story, finaly at first into English about Norway, told on a clear way. An interesting history less known, for instance what happened during WW II when King Haakon VII and Crown prince Olaf had to fled for the Nazi occupiers who tried to killed them by Luftwaffe attacks, after they simply had refused any peaceful collaboration with the Nazi's, but right in time they were saved by the British Royal Navy, and the fact that Norway in contrary with the Low Countries, had never abandoned during the occupation, Amazingly, They remained into offensive against pro's and other Nazi figures, including the Heavy Water mission at Vemork! preventing a possible German atomic bomb!, till the country had been freed itself, simply after Nazi Germany had abandoned on May 9th 1945 in Berlin to the Allies, and the remained Nazi soldiers in Norway were unarmed by the British and Norwegian military.
So, Norway and their King and legal government shows us they did'nt intimidate themselves.
A right book for the historical buffs, who like to know more of what Norway really have done.
A SINCERE HINT! Special for readers in the Netherlands, who also had been suffered...
United States on May 18, 2017
| The History of Norway: A Comprehensive Overview by John A. Yilek | Anne Glenconner: An Autobiography of a Lady in Waiting and Her Extraordinary Life Serving the British Royal Family | Anne Glenconner's Reflections on Her Extraordinary Life as a Lady in Waiting to the British Royal Family | |
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90
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97
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| Sale off | $6 OFF | $14 OFF | |
| Total Reviews | 10 reviews | 990 reviews | 990 reviews |
Italy on Nov 30, 2022