I tried reading this book first, and then switched to the audiobook. The book, I'd give a 2, the audiobook a 4, so my review averages to a 3.
My book reviews are always about my own enjoyment, not some kind of objective scale, and the truth is that I'm not a history buff. My mind has a hard time absorbing dates and names in rapid succession and I find it hard to care about most historical accounts.
I'm a David Mitchell super fan. I've watched all of Peep Show, Mitchell & Webb Look, Bruiser, Back, Ambassadors, and I've even watched the movie Magicians. This book, though, is such a heavy dose of British humor, unending gags, puns, and detours, that I found it pretty hard to read.
The audiobook, though, with David Mitchell's vocal delivery: very fun. I definitely enjoyed it. However, I did not retain any facts.