Balkans: Amazon.ca: Books

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24 Reviews

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4.0 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, Jun 29 2004

By	Eugene Girin (Rochester, New York, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Simply the best historical overview of the Balkans. Meticulous, very well written, fair and balanced. A must read!

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5.0 out of 5 stars A monumental work with only minor shortcomings, Jan 4 2004

By	Blah (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

Misha Glenny attempts the unimaginable by trying to write a two hundred year comprehensive history of nationalism in the Balkans. Stunningly, his work is a tremedous success of epic proportions. His basic thesis is that the problems in the Balkans are not a result of the ignorance or war like nature of the Balkan people as many suggest but rather a result of the carelessness of Imperialism and the great powers.
Glenny's evidence is primarily drawn from the events leading up to and including WWI. Here lies the great strenght of the work. Glenny gives an in depth and accurate evaluation of the reasons for imperialistic expansion and how these actions affected the Balkan peoples. The overview of WWII is equally enlightening but not quite as impressive as that of WWI.
The book does have some minor shortcomings when it comes to the communist period. The chronological that Glenny keeps so nicely in place before beginnigs to break down. In addition, some areas lack in depth review. Most notalbly, there is very little of Bulgarian Strongman Todor Zhivkov. Most disappointing is dearth of information on the Bosinan War of 1992-5 and the war in Kosovo. It probably goes a little beyond the scope of the work which is primarily a backgroung to this situation. At 660 pages you cannot complain too much that he decided to end it but it does leave you wanting a little more.
Glenny was a correspondent for the BBC which makes the book a lot more accessible than most of the pedantic works put out by academia. His writing is entertaining enough with just enough anecdotes to keep the reader focused. Sometimes he feels the need to share his own personel views, like his opposition to the death penalty. (there is a slight European bias but nothing to be concern the average reader.) The work is comprehensive and easily the best read you will find on Balkan nationalism in general.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An Authoritative Look at a Conflicted Topic, Dec 19 2003

By	M. G. "molliebird84" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Having done a considerable amount of reading and reasrch on the Balkans, I have discovered that this history is very much debated and often subjectively interpreted. It is necessary to take into account the author of any work on this subject and to understand what their relationship to the subject is. This is true in any scholarly work but in the history of the Balkans it is particularly vital. I personally consider this an authority. It is what I turn to when I come across discrepancies in other texts. It is an easy and comprehensive read and I think a must-have for any individual interested in understanding the Balkans and/or Eastern European history.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, clear, and readable
Misha Glenny succeeds marvelously at presenting a broad history of southeastern Europe as a combination of national and international forces. Read more

Published on Jun 13 2003 by gwc

2.0 out of 5 stars Quasi-rhetorical compendium with a too broad scope.
While no doubt can be cast upon the fact that Glenny collected an impressive cluster of material, the particular brand of "crystallization process" in the narrowest sense of the... Read more

Published on April 24 2003 by Igor Malinovski

4.0 out of 5 stars Disjointed, long, and overly detailed
A book like this should serve to give us a history of the Balkans. What it does instead is give us a history of the different regions within the Balkans. Read more

Published on Jun 29 2002 by Glenn McDorman

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Depth but Excessively Detailed
Misha Glenny's book "The Balkans - Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, 1804-1999" is very in-depth look at that regions history. Read more

Published on Dec 8 2001 by Bruce W. Willett

2.0 out of 5 stars An extremely prosaic account of Balkan history
In light of the sheer size of the book, and the undoubtedly vast research involved, Misha Glenny deserves two stars. Read more

Published on Jun 15 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars A master work; balanced and with depth
Glenny's The Balkans is easily the best work on the subject in print to date. While managing to stay above the fray of inter-ethnic rivalries, Glenny provides a clear picture of... Read more

Published on Jun 13 2001 by doc peterson

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning history for a turbulent region
This a fantastic primer for those who wish to delve into the confusing and turbulent world of Balkan History. Read more

Published on May 12 2001

2.0 out of 5 stars Deeply flawed
Misha Glenny is a good reporter and an even better writer, but it takes more than that to make a good historian. Read more

Published on May 2 2001 by Edward Bosnar

5.0 out of 5 stars Clarity imposed on complexity - Superb!
In one splendid volume which reads with the pace and interest of a well-written thriller, Mr.Glenny does the near impossible, conveying the complexities of two centuries of Balkan... Read more

Published on April 23 2001 by Donal A. O'Neill

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing survey of Balkan history
Glenny presents a very refreshing, well-planned, and very readable general survery of modern Balkan history. Read more

Published on Mar 23 2001 by H. Malik

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	31% buy the item featured on this page: Balkans 4.0 out of 5 stars (24)
	23% buy Balkans, 1804-1999: Nationalis CDN$ 22.65
	23% buy Fall Of Yugoslavia 3.4 out of 5 stars (18) CDN$ 13.86
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