It made me laugh so hard that I woke up my wife and had to give up reading the book in bed. If Bill Bryson had collaborated with W. G. Sebald to write a book about Germany, they might have wound up with something like this Sunday Times Germania is a very personal guide to the Germany that Simon Winder loves. Equally passionate about the regions history, folklore, cuisine, architecture, and landscape, Winder describes Germanys past afresh and in doing so sees a country much like our own: Protestant, aggressive and committed to eating some very strange food. This accessible, enthusiastic and startlingly vivid account is a brilliant introduction to the hidden wonders of Germany. His rich and broadly chronological history of Germany and its peoples is minutely researched . . . A splendid offering Financial Times Entertaining and informative . . . Delightful Philip Hensher, Independent Beautifully written and insightful . . . a witty, thought-provoking account of Germanys various histories, cultures and oddities Irish Times |