Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: Chaotically written & useless

Burton Hersh perhaps bit off more than he could chew when he attempted this multi-generational history of the Mellon family. With a background as a magazine journalist, perhaps he had not the experience in organizing a work as inherently massive as this. Also, as a journalist, he has an unfortunate tendency to rely a tad too much on interviews for his sources. I'm not sure that relying on the oral histories of the Mellons themselves, who certaintly would have to be reckoned to have a vested interest in what is not exactly ancient history, is the wisest course of action.Additionally, his writing often slips into an annoying first-person stream-of-consciousness style, and he tends to gloss over large chunks of history in order to get to the next juicy tidbit. It's supposed to be history, not a gossip column. Unfortunately, the historical value is virtually minimal. Skip this one & read Cannadine's new volume on AW Mellon instead.