Too long and too slow paced for me. Ended up skimming the last couple of chapters just to finish. The names and the places also ended up all swimming together, but I would imagine for someone is interested in the history it might be interesting. I did like the prose. 
[Edit from a few months after reading: still probably wouldn't read again but the history has stuck with me like nothing else, I really did absorb a lot of it, and I appreciate this book for that]