I had to stop at page 162. I just couldn't anymore. The chronological whiplash inch makes events difficult to sort in your mind. The bits displaying the Monarchs' division between duty to their respective realms and widespread families were intriguing.

There is heavy presence of Wilhelm compared to the other two monarchs. Each event or anecdote featuring the Kaiser is repetitive. We get it, he was meddlesome. Can we get beyond his random, raging tempers so obviously a byproduct of inbreeding and move the story along?

No, because this book doesn't present a story. Overall, I feel this book fell flat. It did not keep me engaged even though these were genuinely fascinating men. An interesting concept or subject can not make up for poor organization and dull writing. History doesn't have to be written this way.