The Middle Sea cover

The Middle Sea

by John Julius Norwich

A one-volume narrative history of the Mediterranean from Ancient Egypt to 1919. Written in the racy, readable prose for which author Norwich is famous, this is colorful, character-driven history. He tackles a vast subject--vast in time, from the oldest surviving pyramid to the First World War; vast in geography, from Gibraltar to Jerusalem; and vast in culture, including as it does the civilizations of the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, Greece, Carthage, Rome and Byzantium, the Borgias and the Medicis, Muhammad and El Cid, Napoleon and Nelson, Moslems, Jews and Christians. This book is not a dry record of facts; it is a rackety read about historical figures--dissolute popes and wily emperors, noble-hearted generals and beautiful princesses. Towns are besieged and sacked, kingdoms won and lost. The narrative covers the glories of Constantinople and Venice, and the stirring history of the islands of Malta, Sicily, Crete and Cyprus.--From publisher description.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?