But worth it. It took me about six months to finish, and it was arduous going at times, but Roberts’ writing makes tackling a tome of this size possible; his smooth tone, varied style and occassional wit are rewarding, and make reading the book a pleasure. The book is great for those interested in a general sense of world history. Due to the scope of the book, of course, details are covered in brief, but this makes for a great jumping off point for reading about items of interest. Overall, it left me with a sounder sense of world history, which can help make sense of the forces at work in our very confused modern day.