Worth the effort
A great many critics (here, too) claim Kyle has written a book that is very much hampered by his excruciating tendency to relate the most obscure details. While this is true, it in no way detracts from the merits of this great book. It may not be the most pleasant read on the 1956 Suez Crisis, but it is hard to find any other account that is as complete as Kyle's. For scholars and students Suez: Britain's End of Empire in the Middle East contains a wealth of useful information. If readers want personal colour (or, in Shuckburgh's case, to be distracted), they should read Shuckburgh's diary (note his words on his garden flowers), Nuttings account or Eden's biography by Rhodes James.