This book garnered a LOT of attention due to being easily read (and because it won a few notable awards). I figured I'd not fall into that trap, and wondered whether I'd really read it.

“You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins, that’s who decides the history. We act in our own self-interest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are.”

I got into the style about 15% in, and couldn't stop. It's not that the contents lured me, rather that the book was so well-written; the space, the characters, the jumps between Germany and England... It got to me. All in all, it's like attending a course you'll remember for quite some time: you're glad you saw the how-tos, but the examples during the course aren't really that interesting.