Plot wise, it’s pretty simple: A really gregarious scholar, of sorts, regales someone at a bar with their story, interwoven with the history of the region. But what a tale it is! I know next to nothing of the region, so it was all quite fascinating. It’s not a book to read when you’re tired, which is why it took me so long. That’s when I do most of my reading, and the prose work and Inundation of information just isn’t conducive. Even though it’s quite a small book (literally, it’s a pocket size edition!), there’s not a word wasted on the page and the word play is cerebral and engaging, and often very funny. It is truly a fun story to consume.