Evocative, encyclopedic, historical, and thought-provoking. I wish there were a similar book detailing the American experience—there probably is. In the beginning, in the 1940s and 50s French countryside, I thought, “my God, we have EvERYTHING now”. By the end, I was more disillusioned by the accelerating rush of ”progress” (while still cognizant of how easy we have it)