holy crap, what a book. startling in scope (europe thru the 20th century) and astonishingly well-written. by turns cynical and heartbreakingly earnest, mak would be an amazing dude to hang out with and have a beer. even though the epilogue was unnecessary and overwritten (unlike the rest of the book), it didn't detract from the effect of the first 890 pages. i now have a much bette concept of europe as a whole, as well as the parts its constituent parts played in the madness that was the majority of the 20th century.