John Julius Norwich's last book is also maybe one of his most personal - the introduction makes it clear that France and its history is close to his heart and it shows in this exploration of the Gallic nation. While extremely well written, it remains a very summary history, leaving me at least wishing it had been longer. Still, an excellent final book from a historian who will be missed.

An interesting and engaging look at France's history. Well written narrative that was clearly well researched but won't put off the general reader as being "academic". I would recommend this to fans of Dan Jones, Alison Weir, and Peter Aykroyd.

What can I say? I was intrigued by the topic as I've always wanted to take the time to learn more about French History. There's a lot here, and it was easy to follow and shed some light on eras with which I was not familiar. It makes me want to devour more books on the topic.

Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

I’ve read a couple of John Julius Norwich’s histories and although the style is rather old-fashioned, focusing on great men/great events, I’ve found them to be very useful for providing broad, sweeping, big-picture narratives.

Norwich died in June, but managed to complete his final work, a labor of love: A History of France (which is also published, I think, as France: A History: From Gaul to deGaulle.)

In just 400 pages, Norwich races through the history of France up to WWII. It’s a book for those who want to know about France but need a place to start. He works his way chronologically through the major leaders in the pre-king stage, then through the kings, then through the Napoleons, and finally through the Republics. He writes in a chatty way, interrupting himself with entertaining anecdotes (often mildly racy and essentially the only place where women enter the picture, except, of course, for Joan of Arc.) In this way, he succeeds in delivering a vast amount of information painlessly.

The Netgalley version, unfortunately, did not contain the illustrations or the bibliography, so I can’t comment on those. The bibliography would have been interesting, since Norwich doesn’t cite references as he goes and seems to be relying more on his memory than on specific sources. In fact, part of what makes the book so entertaining is that some of the unsourced anecdotes are a little vague and he admits he may not have the story exactly right. It’s like listening to an accomplished storyteller at a dinner party after a few glasses of wine, one who has most of his facts right or, at least, close enough.

The history is straightforward and surely oversimplified. This is Norwich’s interpretation after having synthesized a good deal of material over many years. He tells us who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, leaving out the nuance and controversy in order to give the reader a framework to build upon. And this framework is something I sorely need since my “big-picture” history knowledge is sadly lacking.

If you’re curious about how France came to be France, this is a great place to start.

“La France ne peut être la France sans la grandeur”
“France cannot be France without greatness.”
~ Charles de Gaulle

A History of France is a concise, fast-paced yet insightful overview of the history of France by John Julius Norwich. Described as a “true master of narrative history”, Norwich proves once again why he truly deserves the title. “A History of France” is sadly his last work: Lord Norwich died in June at the age of 88.

From Julius Caesar in Gaul to De Gaulle, The book covers nearly 2000 years of French history in about 400 pages. This book does not start with prehistorical France as the author aptly puts “Pre-history belongs to the Historians”. Instead we begin with Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul in the first century BC. From Vercingetorix's attempt to unite the Gauls against the Roman Empire to Charlemagne and from Francis I to Napoleon, Norwich chronicles France’s fascinating history. Some of the highlights include the coronation of Charlemagne; the Crusades in Holy Lands, The Hundred Years War, The French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, The Second & Third Republic and the finally the Two World Wars.

The book can be divided into 2 parts; The first part covers the dark & medieval ages from Clovis I, the Capetian dynasty, the House of Valois up-to Napoleon III with 16 Louises in between. The second half covers the French Revolution, Civil Wars and the 2 World wars till the liberation of France from Nazi occupation in 1944.

The narration is informative and full of wit & humor which make the book immensely readable. The entire book is full of character sketches and peppered with interesting anecdotes and stories of kings & other politicians including Robert the Pious, Louis the Fat and Philip the Fair among others.

Sample this:
When Louis XVI was woken with news of the storming of the Bastille he sleepily asked: "Is it a Rebellion?" "No," replied Duc de la Rochefoucauld, "it's a Revolution."

While the stories are entertaining, you feel the book is focused more on kings and emperors and their personal affairs than politics of the time. It would had been great to read more about some more great battles, French Renaissance & the Enlightenment Era, French colonisation in US & Asia instead. If you are looking for in-depth history of France, this book may not be ideal for you.

Having said that, Norwich's book is for the general public, not for the historians. It is to be read as a general history book but not as an historical document. The author deserves full credit for his efforts in simplifying the French history (especially the French revolution and history of the Second & Third Republic). Above all, the book is written by someone who loves France. The author attributes his love of France to childhood travels and to his early life in France and the book reflects that passion. This book is a sort of ‘thank-offering to France’ for all the happiness that glorious country has given him over the years.

The digital review copy I received didn’t have any maps or pictures but the physical copy is said to be well illustrated, and has maps, notes and suggestions for Further Reading which will surely add immense value to the book.

Overall if you love History and want a brief overview of the history of France, this book is ideal. I have never enjoyed reading a history book more than this one.


Many Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.

A comprehensive and through explanation of the history of France. I appreciated how the author made the content feel light and easy to read. In addition I found the content was well organization and easy to read.

An engaging and highly readable exploration into the major political events in French history, broadly covering 2000 years, but most specifically between 800 and 1945.

The author speaks of his personal experience in France and with the French; the author was of the old school, having been raised in the 1930s and 1940s and inculcated in the legacy of the "great men" school of history.

Toward the end the author admits he would like to have spoken more about culture and daily life, but focused on what he knew and what he had time to discuss. The work is very engaging as a piece regarding the history of the kings and rulers and major events of France and does well at maintaining a good focus on France and not going too far afield in tangents related to other countries.

Toward WWII one gets a picture of de Gaulle and the circumstance in France which is highly informed by the author's personal experiences and those of his father, Duff Cooper, whose frequent appearance is notable. A strict historian might frown on such things, but the author throughout recognizes he is writing the history as he has understood it, and the work is all the better both for the personal judgments rendered within it and the chronicling of what the author is able to know because of his closer connection to the people involved in the narrative.

The choice to end at 1945 is appreciated, not because the history of France since is less important, but because it is hard to adjudicate it until its long term effects become more evident.

Also, the author is a British Francophile. His affection for France is evident, but it is also evident throughout that he is a bit of an outsider. It is highly unlikely a native French person would have written the history as he has done. So there's that.

But, overall, a good introduction to French history.

I loved this book! If you're interested in learning more about the history of France, then this book is all you need. This book doesn't contain "just the basics" but isn't packed with detailed information.

This is a whirlwind tour through the history of France. Although the writing is
lively, and I enjoyed some sections, such as the story of the beautiful Eleanor of Aquitaine,
There was just too much information. It is useful if you want a basic history and introductory information on an era, but I found it difficult to read much of the book at a time. I didn’t finish
This one, unfortunately.

Not the first John Julius Norwich book to open with him saying it was probably his last – but alas, this time he was right. The publisher approved me for the Netgalley ARC on Friday, and on Saturday I saw the news of his departure (in the paper, like in olden times, because apart from me he's apparently not the sort to generate a torrent of Facebook obituary posts). Like everything else I've read by him, it's a masterclass in how to do narrative history well. It's learned, staggeringly so, while also being happy to acknowledge that it's skipping over minor Merovingians and Carolingians, or every back-and-forth of the Hundred Years War, and thank goodness for that (seriously, I did the later Carolingians at A Level and they're a right slog. Basically a random wheel of Charles/Otto/Lothar the Fat/Bald/Simple, at each other's throats for a century plus). Similarly, when he admits that keeping the Wars of Spanish and Austrian Succession distinct can be tricky even for the professional, I was so glad it wasn't just me. Conversely, he's not just playing the hits: yes, the Sun King, the Revolution, Napoleon and Dreyfus are all present and correct, but where it's necessary or illuminating the book is also happy to pay the requisite attention to the likes Louis XI, 'the Universal Spider', a fascinating figure of whom I was entirely unaware.

Norwich also remains to the last a thoroughly genial and humane guide, but one not afraid to judge where judgements are deserved – and though one might not always agree with him, nor does he ever seem unfair or precipitous, or engaged in special pleading. Which you'd think might be a bare minimum for publication; alas, it sometimes seems as if it's instead a positive hindrance in an age where hot takes are as useful for selling a 'brainy book' [spit] as a clickbait short read. Norwich, though, never pretends to objectivity, never tries to use sleight of hand to get us going his way - he offers the facts, with commentary and conclusion. He has his favourites – among them the gallant - if dishonest, and somewhat prone to anti-Protestant pogroms - Francis I (one of the stars of Norwich's previous book, <i>Four Princes</i>), but he doesn't try to weasel out of their flaws; nor does he deny the virtues which are a necessary part of the monstrous Robespierre. On the other hand, when the story does run into a wholly wretched character – such as the clueless reactionary Charles X, at once tyrannical and inept - Norwich isn't afraid to administer the necessary verbal smackdown.

And there's wit, of course, plenty of wit. Sometimes all it needs is a deadpan report of the facts, as with Henry VIII's sister Mary, her appetites at least the equal of her brother, pretty much shagging her husband Louis XII to death. Sometimes it's a telling phrase, as when the Capetians are credited with "transforming [France] from a Carolingian custard into a nation". Above all, though, he's a master of the dry but hysterically funny footnote: "Clement was in fact Leo’s second successor. In between came the mildly ridiculous Adrian VI, but he need not concern us here." Elsewhere a footnote will sometimes give a tantalising glimpse before snatching it away, as when Norwich suggests we Google Dr William Buckland, the pioneering palaeontologist who also ate the heart of the Sun King. Another details the prodigious number of byblows managed by Augustus the Strong – though I was surprised there wasn't room for one on the peculiar delusions of Marshal Blucher (which reminds me, how had I never registered the name of Napoleon's subordinate Marshal Grouchy before? Now there's a cartoon grump waiting to happen).

Of course, once you get close to the present, there's also the perspective which comes with having grown up close to these events. Norwich recuses himself from addressing postwar France, and I can see his point because you have to end a history somewhere. But how often do you get to read an account of Charles de Gaulle by a man who once nicked his pudding, or of the scandalous Madame de Steinheil by someone who once bumped into her in Hove? I mean, such was the effect of immemorial wisdom that Norwich conveyed, part of you suspects that's only the beginning; I wouldn't be too surprised to learn Norwich was also vaguely acquainted with Vercingetorix (and I'm pretty sure I have him correctly separated out from Asterix et al, though if I'm honest I got through most of the first millennium while a bit drunk and waiting for an especially tardy night bus). Not that the general's pie earns him an easy ride; Norwich is still prepared to admit that, on a larger stage, "The folly and pettiness of de Gaulle pass belief". Granted, Duff Cooper, while undoubtedly a significant figure, tends not to rate quite so many mentions in histories not written by his son. But that sense of history being written by a wise and understanding coeval is rare, and rarer still without Norwich. Despite the final pages making an effort to sour my fondness for him by describing Ravel's Bolero as "dreadful", he will be missed.

I've read a few of John Julius Norwich's books before, particularly in undergrad as a history major, and I've always enjoyed them. He has a way of making even dense history incredibly approachable and easy to understand. This was the case with France: A History.

In the introduction, Norwich makes clear that this book is his life's work and that it is a love letter to a country that has had a profound effect on him. I could sense his love of the subject and the mindbogglingly vast amount of history included in the narrative. He does indeed cover France's history from long before it was known as France; from Julius Caesar's famous invasion of Gaul. He covers the Roman occupation, the great age of Charlemagne and the Carolingian kings, the Crusades, the court of Louis XIV, the Revolution, all the way to the end of WWII. There is a great deal of information here and it is all handled well.

Norwich stated in the beginning that he wanted this book to be more of a people's history, rather than a dry textbook with a lot of facts. For that reason, in some cases, he does not enter into a great deal of detail. It's understandable why he does it but sometimes, I did crave more. Now I will have to look for books on those subjects!

It was really great to read, as it introduced me to historical characters and events that I knew nothing about while also telling more on subjects I am familiar with. I could truly tell that Norwich adores France. I enjoyed reading from the perspective of an historian who has held a lifelong love of the country while I am just beginning, what I hope to be, my lifelong of France as well.

What a delightful parting gift to the literary world! This is a wonderfully readable and heartfelt tribute to a nation the author clearly adored.

This book is excellent, brilliantly written, informative and engaging. I read a lot of history and this is one of the best books I’ve read all year. The authors style is distinctive and his research minutely detailed. I would recommend this to anyone interested in French history. There is so much information contained here, everyone will learn something new.
I was given a ARC by NetGalley to review, all opinions are my own.

John Julius Norwich declared, “I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed writing a book more.” And I, in turn, declare that I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed reading a book about history more. Engaging, concise, interesting and fun. If you're a lover of France, you'll love it even more after reading this, and I would be surprised if it doesn't offer everyone a surprise or two. Loved it!

Norwich has an affinity with France stemming from early childhood, so no great surprise that this would be something he would eventual write about. And, by his own admission, this would be his last book (sadly his words were prophetic).

Norwich's intended audience is not - as he writes - the academic or historian, but the lay reader - the general public. It is to be read as a general history (he does skip over great chunks with mere paragraphs) but that is his intent - to encapsulate this history of France "from Gaul to de Gaulle" in a mere 400 pages. Norwich achieves what he sets out to do - give the reader a sense of the author's love for a country not of his own.

This was a no-brainer for me - I love Norwich as an author and writer, and French history is something I have an interest in. Whilst for me, it was a quick an easy read, covering a lot of terrirory that I already knew, this is a teaser, a stepping stone for the reader to embark on their own journey through the annals of history.

He will be sadly missed, by myself and many others. Enjoy.

A History of France is an easy-going, insightful read that charts French history from Roman times to the end of the Second World War. Packed with colourful detail, it will appeal to armchair historians looking for an engaging, light book that will still offer plenty of information. I did bristle a little at the way Norwich discussed Robespierre; however, he did temper his comments toward to the end of the chapter, and once I got over my annoyance at that section, I went on to enjoy the rest of the book, especially the chapters charting the Louis-Phillipe years, and post Napoleon III, about which I was less au fait. All in all, this is an admirable work, offering a clear overview of French history for those looking for an introductory text before they branch off to study specific periods.

My review has been posted to Goodreads.

Review has also been tweeted as usual.

Thank you! :c)

A History of France, by John Julius Norwich
A comprehensive history of France featuring a fascinating cast of characters, all written in the “definite assurance of style” (Library Journal) for which prolific historian John Julius Norwich is known. Learn something!