Dropbear123 > Recent Status Updates

50 pages in. It is about British-American intelligence cooperation before Pearl Harbour was attacked. Writing is very blunt and to the point. Not very enjoyable to read. Apart from a 2 page acknowledgments at the end of the book there is no notes or lists of sources. Will read another 50 pages or so to see if I want to stick with this or give up on it. It was a 2nd hand gift so not much lost if I stop reading it.

So far it has mostly been about the background; the planning, development of the bombs for the attack, the lives of the men involved and their training. I’ve read a few of Hastings’ books and usually really liked them. But this isn’t working as well for me. The writing is decent but maybe because I’m less interested in air stuff or maybe because I haven’t seen the Dambusters movie I’m not enjoying the book as much.

50 pages in. Not going to finish. First DNF of the year. Writing is clunky and not particularly enjoyable. It was a cheap 2nd hand book and I’m not interested enough in Rasputin to force myself through 700 pages.

End of part 1 which was 160 or so pages. First half was about the exploration of the Congo and how Leopold lobbied/manipulated his way into getting it for himself. Second half was about the exploitation and brutality to gain ivory and later on rubber (this half was far better and more engrossing). It also has a good chapter on Joseph Conrad’s experiences and what inspired Heart of Darkness.

Picador Classics 2019 print. Has a intro by someone called Barbara Kingsolver which didn’t add anything relevant and had some bizarre references to today’s US politics: “one can almost imagine King Leopold on Twitter”. But once it gets to Hochschild’s words it gets better. The prologue is about the Portuguese and 1500s slave trade in the Congo and was pretty good.