Another fun read! Very dense, with weak prose and one-dimensional characters. But I don't care, because sometimes it's so much fun to read a book where the setting is the main character. I had such a sense of time and place, reading this. My favorite chapter was probably the earlier ones, especially the one about Stonehenge. Really fascinating stuff! I also really liked the Roman section.

One of the themes in this book, and all of the others, is the idea of how a single family's circumstances can change over time. I loved watching how some families, like the Wilsons, could rise to such prosperity from their ancient, local identity as the river folk. And then the Godfreys, who start in prosperity, gain more, and then lose everything, before gaining some again towards the end.

I'll definitely keep reading everything this guy writes!