I absolutely loved this book! I have not read a historical account this amazing ever. This almost seven hundred page novel chronicles the entire history of Scotland, from its very beginnings up until the late nineties. It took me forever to read, being almost seven hundred pages, and the text inside being relatively small, but I found myself constantly ready to pick it up and read as much as I could in the time I had set aside for reading. There was not a single moment in which I said to myself, I need to put this down for a while and read something else, because the writing was just so engaging. Shortly after I began reading I knew I needed to find out more about this author and see what other books he had written, because I knew if he had penned other novels about the history of other countries that I would want to read those as well.
Magnus Magnusson, incredible name by the way, was born in Iceland, but made his way over to Edinburgh with his family as a child. Although he is no longer with us, he left behind an incredible collection of novels, including additional works about Scotland, books about Iceland, and books about Vikings. I cannot tell you how excited I am at the prospect of buying all of his works. Even after reading about the entire history of Scotland in this novel, I am hungry to learn more, not just from Mr Magnusson, but from anyone, anywhere. I left so many notes behind in this book, marking pieces of information that intrigued me and subjects that I wanted to learn more about in the future. I have been spoiled here however, as I don’t know if I will ever find another author who writes in such a way that makes history so interesting and enjoyable. I highly encourage anyone to read this book.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 