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Victor Ochoa
, January 29, 2010
Haslip obviously did an incredible amount of research of primary sources and masterfully weaved them together into a fascinating narrative. It is a book that can be a fast read but doing partial rereading helps the key details sink in better. It is more from the European perspective and should be read in that light. However, Haslip generally does well in explaining the Mexican side, but that is not her focus, and reading books from the Mexican perspective, especially of Benito Juarez, the Liberals, and their supporters, would provide a deeper balance. For example, at one point she calls Juarez's decision to have Maximilian executed "bloodthirsty revenge," and I think that is misplaced. Overall, highly recommended.
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