Norwich has an affinity with France stemming from early childhood, so no great surprise that this would be something he would eventual write about. And, by his own admission, this would be his last book (sadly his words were prophetic).
Norwich's intended audience is not - as he writes - the academic or historian, but the lay reader - the general public. It is to be read as a general history (he does skip over great chunks with mere paragraphs) but that is his intent - to encapsulate this history of France "from Gaul to de Gaulle" in a mere 400 pages. Norwich achieves what he sets out to do - give the reader a sense of the author's love for a country not of his own.
This was a no-brainer for me - I love Norwich as an author and writer, and French history is something I have an interest in. Whilst for me, it was a quick an easy read, covering a lot of territory that I already knew, this is a teaser, a stepping stone for the reader to embark on their own journey through the annals of history.
He will be sadly missed, by myself and many others. Enjoy.
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