Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3201 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-17
• Released on: 2007-05-17
• Binding: Hardcover
• 629 pages

Review
As in the days when he was the BBC's chief political editor, it is the clarity of his judgements, the arresting insights and the irrepressible wit that keep us hanging on to his words. Among his other qualities, Marr is the ideal history teacher that most people never had at school . . . It is a measure of Marr's professionalism that his judgements inspire the kind of trust which Tony Blair and his allies squandered through spin and outright lies. --.

This book certainly goes for impact . . . Skipping and dipping through these six hundred-odd pages is great fun, perhaps even (I give a quote for the eventual paperback's blurb) a damned good read . . . This book will be read with pleasure, for Marr's ironic tone and ever -present pleasant presence. --Bernard Crick, Edinburgh Review

Sunday Telegraph
'He has the rare gift of being able to explain complex issues in a
few crisp sentences.'

Financial Times
'This is a fine example of popular history...engaging and
intelligent.'

Customer Reviews

Totally absorbing
Brilliant. Extremely well written with sentences that you want to re-read to relish the taste of them in your mouth. Well reserached and with interesting anecdotes as well as facts. Puts the late 20th century (and the first years of the 21st) into its historical context. I found it un-put-downable.

Interesting and entertaining if rather depressing...
I'm not much of a reader but has always had an interested in history and so this seemed to fit the bill for a book on modern history that would be readable and informative. And so it was. I was amazed by how little I know of Britain's recent history but it was interesting when I got to the 70s to note names appearing that I could remember being mentioned when I was a boy, but also a historical narrative of the 80s when I lived though it!

My only disappointment was the seemingly never-ending series of failures and disasters that seem to follow the historical journey of Britain - hardly a fault of the book but depressing all the same when it seemed there was hardly ever a political decision taken that didn't cost the country millions or was a missed opportunity to improve the lives of ordinary Britons. You're left wondering what sort of country we would be living in now if occasionally some politicians got it right for a change!

Marr-velous history
Andrew Marr is a knowledable, yet easy to understand man. So is this book. Its strength is that it is accesible to the average reader and gives a broad sweep of modern British history with some fascinating behind the scenes insights. Its weakness is that there are glaring gaps of significant national events that have no mention. It also gets bogged down sometimes in economics. For a good, general historical read however, Marr-velous.