Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68522 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-16
• Binding: Hardcover
• 656 pages

Daily Mail
'Deeply researched, elegantly written, gleaming with the political and sexual depravity of the Congress...a...triumphant feast of a book.'

The Economist
'Impressively detailed diplomatic history...The author keeps up a strong narrative drive...'

Sunday Times
'...masterly and exhaustive...I closed the book full of admiration
for its author.'

Customer Reviews

Good Book, But Fails in Its Mission
Adam Zamoyski is a talented writer, and a first-class narrator. His book is both erudite and tells a gripping story. But is is also a book with a politicial mission: Zamoyski's objective is to destroy the idea that the Congress of Vienna - which rearranged Europe after the fall of Napoleon - was the important and long-lasting historic event which we all assumed until now. His view is that it was merely a botched attempt to patch over irreconcilable differences between European powers. The main explanation for the author's unremitting criticism of the Congress of Vienna, which comes across in almost every page of this book, is the fact that Zamoyski's beloved Poland was not recreated at Vienna, and had to wait another 100 years before its resurrection. Correct, but this is history in a typical East European fashion: solid, erudite yet ultimately tainted by personal preferences, mixed with ethnic allegiances and nationalist aspirations.

Zamoyski speaks many languages, and has used them to great effect; this book relies on an impressive array of sources and archival material. But was it really necessary to recount the tale of every mistress, every sexual escapade of the delegates to the Congress of Vienna, mostly transcribed directly from the prurient reports of the Austrian secret police? What exactly do we learn from this? That early 19th century diplomats had their private business affairs and mistresses? We knew it already. That most of them led promiscuous private lives? Again, this is well known. Perhaps the publisher insisted on the inclusion of such "spicy" material in order to increase potential sales. Either way, the padding of the study with constant sex stories and financial scandals does nothing to improve the book's academic credentials.

This is a pity, for Zamoyski remains a talented writer, who could have written a much better book. If you do not intend to know a great deal about the period, Zamoyski's book should be adequate. But, if you are truly interested in understanding Europe's 19th century territorial arrangements, Zamoyski's latest work should be complemented by more serious reading.

Another Great Read from Zamoyski
Not quite a sequel, Rites of Peace is nonetheless the equal of the magnificent 1812. Such is Zamoyski's elegant style than in places Rites of Peace sometimes reads like a novel, full of sex, drama and intrigue - and populated by a colourful cast of characters, including Wellington, Talleyrand and Metternich.