Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was really looking forward to reading on this subject, something I know nothing about, and, given all the hype and glowing reviews from presumably knowing historians and writers of all kinds, I assumed this would be the book to learn from. Instead, I almost immediately got bogged down by the cumbersome and confusing writing, which seemed so contrived that I could only think that it was the result of the author's desire to be different. As I had to stop to consider just what she was trying to say with almost every sentence, I couldn't help but wonder why her editor hadn't taken her to task with some of them. In any case, I read the first chapters but have now put it in a bag to find a more appreciative home elsewhere. Frankly, I am relieved to see that I am not alone: that not only did several other of the customer reviewers feel similarly but that Jane Kamensky reviewing it for this past Sunday's New York Times book review also spotted multiple problems, and not only with the writing style.I would give it one star, but feel unable to do that to a book that obviously took a lot of work and probably would have something to recommend it if only I could stay with it. But I can't.