I agree with the reviewer who said that this book assumes you are already familiar with Greek history and even Greek geography. It is not an introductory book. Rather, it's a very good book to read after you have read a number of other books. It ties together scholarly opinion. There are still-existing controversies in Greek history, and it may be that this book takes a position in some instances that not everyone agrees with. But I don't see that as a major issue.
To be able to read comfortably just about any book on Greek history you should be familiar with the geography. This is hard for us Americans, but it is a gradual learning process, and finally when they mention Argos or Thebes or Delphi or Thrace you will know more or less where these places are located. Of course, the maps in this book can be used to make other books more readable.
An example of how this book is enjoyable in the context of other books previously-read, is the subject of Crete, Mycenae and Linear A and Linear B. The most interesting way to learn about this controversy is to read one or better yet both books about the interpretation of Linear B. The significance of the discovery that Linear B was a form of Greek is that it meant that at least by 1450 or 1400 BC Mycenae held sway over Crete instead of vice versa. What this Penguin book does is to emphasize that, according to the author, prior to 1450 BC, and for the previous say 600 years, there is no question that the Minoan civilization (Crete) held sway over Mycenae and much of the eastern mediterranean. I was not aware of that, and I'm not sure there is a consensus on that, but it is an example of how this book is much more meaningful if you have read a lot of Greek history prior to this book. This book is not an introductory course, it is a delicious dessert.
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