Susan M. reviewed The Devil's Cup : A History of the World According to Coffee on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Part travelogue, part philosophical musing about coffee and its effect on society.
Kimberly D. (Punkin) reviewed The Devil's Cup : A History of the World According to Coffee on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Follows the author on his quest to discover the roots and influences of coffee on civilization. Found the author's often dangerous travails into communities wrought with civil war and dangerous occupations all on a quest for a single cup of coffee to continue his "research" to be, not exciting, as I'm sure he feels it is-- but simply cocky and needlessly reckless. The author, after all, comes across not as a writer utterly devoted to the exploration of his subject, but a hapless thrill-seeker who flaunts his repeated attempts to endanger himself. The writing is mediocre, at best, and the history of "coffee" as he presents is not truly organized in a logical or linear fashion and is based instead around the authors timetable and travels. Consequently, the "history" must be weeded out from the self-serving auto-biographical horn-tooting he is doing through most of it. If you are looking for a good historically documented work in this book, I'd look elsewhere.
