Michael Burleigh

Failed States

The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796

By

Allen Lane / The Penguin Press 688pp £30 order from our bookshop

At this time of year many readers may be about to holiday in Italy. One indispensable item for the journey is Christopher Duggan’s brilliant and monumental The Force of Destiny, which deserves to be the standard history of modern Italy for the foreseeable future. Leave a pair of shoes at home and take Duggan instead.

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