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Rating: 
Summary: Can we believe what it says?
Review: I bought this book as a matter of curiosity. I studied Portuguese and have spent considerable time in Portuguese speaking countries. I was not expecting to learn much from the book but I thought it might be interesting and make enjoyable reading. I was disappointed mainly because its content is not very reliable. The information given is not always well documented and it looks as if it comes from different sources and was put together in an incoherent manner. More worrying is that there are some glaring mistakes. Anyone with an interest in Portugal appears to know at least the basics about Salazar's regime, the most discussed period of twentieth century Portuguese history. This book gets it wrong. The reader is told that Salazar's dictatorship ended with his death in 1968. This is a cluster of errors, which can be disentangled as follows: (1) Salazar did not die in 1968 but in 1970. (2) The regime did not end with Salazar's death but was carried on by his disciple Caetano. (3) The regime did not end in 1968 but in 1974. (4) The regime did not end as a result of Salazar's death but as a result of a military coup known as the Revolution of Carnations. (5) Finally, the term 'dictatorship' applied to Salazar's regime should be used with caution. There has been considerable debate whether his regime qualifies to be classed as a dictatorship. This cluster of errors is a sample of the poor level of reliability you will find in this book. It is worrying to think that some readers may buy the book looking for a reliable introduction to Portuguese language, life and culture.
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Summary: Incoherent!
Review: I bought this book expecting to get a profile of the Portuguese people, a picture of their national identity. I thought this is what the title meant. Instead I found a mishmash of scattered information, and some of it may not be particularly accurate. The whole thing just does not make much sense. You certainly do not get a profile of the Portuguese people. In a way this is a book that leaves you with an uncomfortable feeling.
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Summary: It gives you a strange picture of the people and the country
Review: I have been to Portugal several times and have friends there. When I showed this book to my Portuguese friends they were very critical. A lot of wrong information, bias, etc. Not being a national, there is much I don't know, but in some points I can easily see good reasons for my friends' disapproval. Just to mention one of them, there is a whole section of the book on things like witchcraft and related practices. It makes the Portuguese look rather superstitious and unpleasant. This is the opposite of what I have experienced. They are quite open minded and easy to relate to. I think this book gives the wrong picture of the Portuguese people, and not a very nice one.
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Summary: Worryingly unprofessional
Review: If this book seeks to be entertaining, well, perhaps it is. If it seeks to inform, that is the main problem. It may be telling you tales that you may believe to be truths. Statements are attributed to individuals, but we do not know where the statement was copied from. Figures are given as statistical data, but we don't know where they come from. All this is rather unusual. It is normal practice to inform the reader of the source of your quotes. Not in this book. This is rather unprofessional, particularly where quotes give a negative picture of the country and its people, which is often the case. According to this book the number of Portuguese people who cannot read or write is over twice the official figure issued by the EU. I wonder whether the author got her figures from. It is worrying that this is not known. Very unprofessional. A book to be taken with great caution.
Rating: 
Summary: A mixed bag!
Review: Most of this book makes entertaining reading, but I don't think it gave me what I was looking for. I bought this book trying to improve on my understanding of the Portuguese people. I don't think the book gave me that. There is a lot of information, but perhaps not always very objective. On occasions sense of humour may take over. Information on the Portuguese language, way of life and history is not always clear, but is confusingly repetitive. My advice is as follows: if you want to take a humorous look at the Portuguese people, then this book is for you, but if you are looking for a reliable source of information, then look elsewhere. It's a bit of a mixed bag!
Rating:
Summary: Good first impression, then disappointment
Review: Something that made me buy this book was the large amount of websites. I was quite impressed. Unfortunately I found out later that the same web addresses appear in several chapters, they are much fewer than it looks at first, and some may not be active or only remotely relate to the topic in the chapter. Another disappointment was contradictory information. Not only the same web sites come around several times, but the same topics too, though under different headings. The information you get under one heading may not match what you get under another. It is so for example with Estado Novo. Portuguese history in general is rather confusedly presented anyway. I have since found another book I would recommend instead. It is a Penguin book by Marion Kaplan, The Portuguese, the Land and its People, published in 1998. I enjoyed reading this one.
Rating:
Summary: To be read with caution
Review: This book amasses a lot of information from different sources, apparently more interested in capturing the reader's attention at any cost rather than in giving accurate information. Some statements are a challenge to the basic facts of Portuguese history and a challenge to the basic notions of history periods in general. There is no such thing as a "pre-historic Lusitania" as this book says. In level of mediocrity this book is comparable to Ian Robertson's A Traveller's History of Portugal, two books to be read (if at all) with a good deal of caution.
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Summary: Disturbingly inaccurate
Review: This book makes statements that may be just a personal view but are presented in a manner that may suggest they are confirmed facts. It is so with statements on education and status. History is given inaccurate coverage too. You may find some faulty statements about well known periods of Portuguese history like the discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries and Salazar in the 20th century. Instead of this book I would like to recommend a more objective and informative work, Terry Payne's Portugal Matters, published by Education Matters. It covers geography, history, politics, culture, society and language. It also has interviews with Portuguese people coming from all walks of life
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Summary: Buy This Book Today!
Review: This wonderful book exceeded all of my expectations. The author, Sue Tyson-Ward, has an intimate knowledge of Portuguese Language, Life and Culture, and she displays her love on every page. Every chapter includes a depth of excellent information including foundational historical background, practical daily guidelines, and delightful trivial. Anyone with any need or desire to learn more about Portugal or the Portuguese will benefit greatly from this excellent book. Few Portuguese natives know this much about their country or about themselves. Refreshingly, the book focuses squarely on Portugal. Portugal is never forced to share the limelight with Spain (the bigger neighbor) or with Brazil (the even bigger son). Thank you, Sue! At the end of every chapter, there is a glossary of Portuguese vocabulary words, a list of suggested reading materials, contact information for groups and organizations, and a list of websites. Beyond all the information in the book itself, these external links lead the reader to discover more and more. I have no criticisms of the book. I do mention, however, that the book is NOT a lesson on the Portuguese language (although the title would lead you to believe that it is). The author does introduce a wealth of vocabulary--not only in the glossaries, but also throughout the writing. However, these words alone will not teach you how to speak Portuguese. For that, the author has another book: Beginner's Portuguese (ISBN: 0844237140). I don't know that book, but I will assume that it is very good. I have been married to a Portuguese woman for over twenty years. I love Portugal (more than my wife does <grin>), and I thought I knew a lot about the country and the people (for an American who speaks the language and who visits Portugal often, but who has never lived there). This book has increased my understanding of Portugal many, many times. Not even in Portugal have I found so much information together in one book. Buy this book today!
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