Review: Quick Read But Has Flaws
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 07 30, 2013
The title is correct: it is a brief history.  I read it all in one sitting, which was one of the reasons I got it.The first chapters of the book, about the social aspects of Edwardian society, were clear and concise, with perhaps not enough support.  I figured that was to keep it short, and, although it read like a junior high school essay, I was prepared to accept that.The part that had me confused was the last part: Edward's political impact and the brief biographical sketch.  The author defined the Edwardian era as from the death of Queen Victoria (in 1901) to the death of Edward VII (in 1910), but also mentioned that years immediately preceding WWI are sometimes lumped in there. OK, no problem there.But, somehow, the author makes Edward "responsible" for WWI (4 years after his death... well, maybe lingering resentment by the Kaiser...) AND mentions Edward's reorganization of the military AFTER WWII...These are just 2 examples of the "huh?" statements that crept into the latter part of the book. It would have been nice if there had been specific examples cited (I know, I know, then it wouldn't be "brief.")So, read it as a essay on Edwardian Society, but be wary of taking it as a historical look (no matter how brief) at the period.