The Taste of Conquest: The Rise and Fall of the Three Great Cities of Spice

I thought it was OK, hence the two stars. (Revised this to three on reflection.) It's interesting to write a linked history of Venice, Lisbon, and Amsterdam through the lens of the spice trade. Particularly given how complex and international that trade is. The touches of modern life interjected kept the book moving along.

But the history parts were pretty thin. Or rather very thick, but not very dense, a lot of words to convey not very much in the way of historical facts or analysis or synthesis. It was a little disappointing.

(revisiting this review in 2023, this book has really stuck with me. I learned more than I appreciated at the time!)