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The Duchess
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 Customer Reviews
A good biography, 21 Sep 2008
I picked up the book as I wanted to watch the film. I always feel it is better to read a book then watch the movie to compare.
From the start I was drawn into the book. It is very easy to read and the details are just perfect. There are references to politics but thats a good break. Any intellect should be able to comprehend what is being described. The duchess valued politics so naturally the book should make references to it. There are references to political figures but they are refered to through out the book and you feel like you know them as well as the duchess and her family.
At times, I felt real sad for the duchess but at times I felt rather cross with her and her naivety; her gambling ways and her willingness to live with her husband's mistress. Even that in a way is very sad. She had to put up with it or she would have been forced to separate from her husband. In those days, the children remained with the father and his family if a couple separated or divorced. This meant, if Georgiana had separated from the duke, she would have been separated from the children too.
I could not put the book down once I had started. It was very good. I even thought about calling in sick at work to finish the book. I love my work so for a book to keep me away from my work says a lot about the book itself.
I would highly recommend it to anyone. A perfect biography.
Dissapointing, 20 Sep 2008
I was ready to have a great read about the rich and obviously interesting life of the duchess as they had just bought the movie out. I was dissapointed as the story was bogged down by long drawn out intervals of politics which was extreamly difficult to read and follow. There are many chararcters but they were never built up just breezed accross. Between these intervals you do get a sense of how and why she was so looked up to although to me it felt like something I was going to be tested on later not to be enjoyed. It could have been told much better in a more coherant manner and I was never drawn in or had much compassion for any of the characters I just didn't feel they had been introduced. I was a spectator and I love to be drawn in to the action.
So much more than a film tie in..., 10 Sep 2008
The film "The Duchess", while enjoyable enough, shouldn't be seen as simply the content of this book on screen. The book is a mere cupcake compared to the rich dark fruit cake of Foreman's biography!
Georgiana was married to the much older Duke of Devonshire at the age of 17, and during the rest of her life became a well known wit, fashion icon, political mover and shaker, and gambling and opium addict. Oh, and she also lived in a menage with her husband's mistress. Foreman charts the rise and fall of Georgiana's life, giving insight not only into the woman herself but the political and social word in which she lived.
Foreman's style is clear and illuminating, and the combination of clear-eyed historical detail and compassionate approach to her subject make this an unforgettable read.
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Product Description
Georgiana Spencer was, in a sense, an 18th-century "It Girl". She came from one of England's richest and most landed families, and married into another. She was, beautiful, sensitive and extravagant. Acquainted fairly young with Charles James Fox, her move from parties to Parties led her to become the intimate of ministers and princes, and she canvassed assiduously for the Whig cause, most famously in the Westminster election of 1784. By turns she was caricatured and fawned on by the press, and she provided the inspiration for Lady Teazle in Sheridan's School For Scandal. But, luckily for her biographer, she also had weaknesses that were to taint her life. As gin gripped the masses, so gambling enthralled the aristocracy. By 1784 Georgiana owed "many, many, many thousands", and the creditors she acquired dogged her until her death, but the sterility of her marriage meant that she never came close to disclosing the magnitude of her debts. Amanda Foreman describes astutely the mess that was personal relationships for the aristocratic subculture (Georgiana and the Duke engaged for many years in a ménage à trois with Lady Elizabeth Fraser, who inveigled her way into his bed and her heart). She is, by her own admission, a little in love with her subject, which can lead to occasional lapses of perspective, but generally it adds zest to a narrative built on, rather than burdened by, scholarship, that is at once accessible and learned. An impressive debut, in every sense. --David Vincent
Customer Reviews
A good biography, 21 Sep 2008
I picked up the book as I wanted to watch the film. I always feel it is better to read a book then watch the movie to compare.
From the start I was drawn into the book. It is very easy to read and the details are just perfect. There are references to politics but thats a good break. Any intellect should be able to comprehend what is being described. The duchess valued politics so naturally the book should make references to it. There are references to political figures but they are refered to through out the book and you feel like you know them as well as the duchess and her family.
At times, I felt real sad for the duchess but at times I felt rather cross with her and her naivety; her gambling ways and her willingness to live with her husband's mistress. Even that in a way is very sad. She had to put up with it or she would have been forced to separate from her husband. In those days, the children remained with the father and his family if a couple separated or divorced. This meant, if Georgiana had separated from the duke, she would have been separated from the children too.
I could not put the book down once I had started. It was very good. I even thought about calling in sick at work to finish the book. I love my work so for a book to keep me away from my work says a lot about the book itself.
I would highly recommend it to anyone. A perfect biography.
Dissapointing, 20 Sep 2008
I was ready to have a great read about the rich and obviously interesting life of the duchess as they had just bought the movie out. I was dissapointed as the story was bogged down by long drawn out intervals of politics which was extreamly difficult to read and follow. There are many chararcters but they were never built up just breezed accross. Between these intervals you do get a sense of how and why she was so looked up to although to me it felt like something I was going to be tested on later not to be enjoyed. It could have been told much better in a more coherant manner and I was never drawn in or had much compassion for any of the characters I just didn't feel they had been introduced. I was a spectator and I love to be drawn in to the action.
So much more than a film tie in..., 10 Sep 2008
The film "The Duchess", while enjoyable enough, shouldn't be seen as simply the content of this book on screen. The book is a mere cupcake compared to the rich dark fruit cake of Foreman's biography!
Georgiana was married to the much older Duke of Devonshire at the age of 17, and during the rest of her life became a well known wit, fashion icon, political mover and shaker, and gambling and opium addict. Oh, and she also lived in a menage with her husband's mistress. Foreman charts the rise and fall of Georgiana's life, giving insight not only into the woman herself but the political and social word in which she lived.
Foreman's style is clear and illuminating, and the combination of clear-eyed historical detail and compassionate approach to her subject make this an unforgettable read.
A great disappointment, 12 Aug 2008
Although 'Georgiana' is competently written and well-researched, I am frankly amazed that it has achieved such massive success and popularity since its first publication ten years ago. As other reviewers have pointed out, it perhaps fulfills a useful purpose in putting women back in the 'front-line' of the eighteenth-century political scene but, speaking for myself, I found the exhaustive discussion of the ups-and-downs of the Whigs and Tories tedious in the extreme and an almost total turn-off. This was doubly disappointing, since the rave reviews had led me to expect so much more.
Strangely enough, the most engaging part of the book was the introduction, in which the author writes with real verve and enthusiasm of how she was first 'introduced' to the duchess and how her sympathy and interest grew to such an extent that a full-length biography seemed to be the natural and inevitable conclusion. Would that this enthusiasm had percolated through to the rest of her work which I found to be both turgid and dull. Comparisons have already been drawn to the infinitely warmer, livelier and more approachable biographies of Flora Fraser, Claire Tomalin and Stella Tillyard. Being very familar with the writing of all these authors, and a great fan to boot, I am left to wonder why THIS work should be so celebrated, so well-regarded - and, sad to say, so completely over-hyped.
Engaging, 07 May 2008
I have given this review 5 stars because I think the book is well researched and an engaging read. It easily moves through the early life of the duchess (who originates in the Spencer family) and her movement through 'the ton'. The author clearly highlights the role of a women in the regency type period - feminism was unheard of and yet here we have a woman influencing politics and refusing to be constrained by her gender. The only negative comment I can make (and this is not a reflection on the book at all) is that I am not sure that I would like Georgiana very much and whilst I have sympathy for her loveless marriage, I find it hard to find empathy for a woman who lived in to such excess when many women of the era would have been grateful for a fragment of the fortune she had.
A brilliant read, but a bit over political, 03 May 2007
I found this book absorbing from the minute I picked it up. Amanda Foreman managed to mix the political elaments with the more social side of her life, to keep it interesting and to keep our attention. Even though I had been warned that it was heavily political, I still found it managable. However, as the book came towards the end, I felt that maybe Amanda Foreman was being pressed by her publishers to get it finished or maybe she was restricted to a limited word count. It seemed to become very rushed, brushing over elements in her life that I felt should have been covered, such as 'Little G's' wedding, both daughters' period of being debutante's and her sister Harriet's affairs, which saw her baring more illegitimate children, instead of only focusing on her political attributes. Maybe it was simply due to the fact that there are little surviving sources, but the fact that the last chapters are only appromimatly 10 pages long stays alot! Overall, It's a good read and I do recommend it, but be prepared to read alot about 18th Century politics.
An exhaustively researched yet highly accessible book, 09 Jan 2005
I found this absolutely compelling; I simply couldn't put it down. I found the politcal angle paticularly absorbing; the extra juice was just an added bonus! I also loved how Foreman points the reader to the ironies which pepper Georgina's life.It's really got me hooked on 18thc social and political history. I'm lucky enough to have a history degree, but this book is so accessible you don't need one; Foreman just guides through giving you all extra info without sounding patronising. This has to be the best researched biography I've read... if only my academic reading was as fun.
a well-crafted, sympathetic and vivid portrayal, 21 Dec 2001
Clearly well-researched, this biography of one of the eighteenth century's most enigmatic figures conveys vividly the tumultous world of eighteenth century politics alongside that of Georgiana's private life. A pioneer in women's involvement in politics, her role as a campaigner and society hostess placed her in the centre of the Whig party throughout its years of opposition; prominent men instinctively sought her advice. As well as highlighting G's pivotal political role, Foreman succeeds in capturing the moral ambiguity of the age in the private dilemmas her heroine faces: a hopeless addiction to gaming, her husband's mistress being her best friend, forcing to choose between her lover and her children etc. Although from an age difficult to empathise with, Foreman never the less makes G and her world instantly accessible. An Interesting and insightful read.
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Customer Reviews
A good biography, 21 Sep 2008
I picked up the book as I wanted to watch the film. I always feel it is better to read a book then watch the movie to compare.
From the start I was drawn into the book. It is very easy to read and the details are just perfect. There are references to politics but thats a good break. Any intellect should be able to comprehend what is being described. The duchess valued politics so naturally the book should make references to it. There are references to political figures but they are refered to through out the book and you feel like you know them as well as the duchess and her family.
At times, I felt real sad for the duchess but at times I felt rather cross with her and her naivety; her gambling ways and her willingness to live with her husband's mistress. Even that in a way is very sad. She had to put up with it or she would have been forced to separate from her husband. In those days, the children remained with the father and his family if a couple separated or divorced. This meant, if Georgiana had separated from the duke, she would have been separated from the children too.
I could not put the book down once I had started. It was very good. I even thought about calling in sick at work to finish the book. I love my work so for a book to keep me away from my work says a lot about the book itself.
I would highly recommend it to anyone. A perfect biography.
Dissapointing, 20 Sep 2008
I was ready to have a great read about the rich and obviously interesting life of the duchess as they had just bought the movie out. I was dissapointed as the story was bogged down by long drawn out intervals of politics which was extreamly difficult to read and follow. There are many chararcters but they were never built up just breezed accross. Between these intervals you do get a sense of how and why she was so looked up to although to me it felt like something I was going to be tested on later not to be enjoyed. It could have been told much better in a more coherant manner and I was never drawn in or had much compassion for any of the characters I just didn't feel they had been introduced. I was a spectator and I love to be drawn in to the action.
So much more than a film tie in..., 10 Sep 2008
The film "The Duchess", while enjoyable enough, shouldn't be seen as simply the content of this book on screen. The book is a mere cupcake compared to the rich dark fruit cake of Foreman's biography!
Georgiana was married to the much older Duke of Devonshire at the age of 17, and during the rest of her life became a well known wit, fashion icon, political mover and shaker, and gambling and opium addict. Oh, and she also lived in a menage with her husband's mistress. Foreman charts the rise and fall of Georgiana's life, giving insight not only into the woman herself but the political and social word in which she lived.
Foreman's style is clear and illuminating, and the combination of clear-eyed historical detail and compassionate approach to her subject make this an unforgettable read.
A great disappointment, 12 Aug 2008
Although 'Georgiana' is competently written and well-researched, I am frankly amazed that it has achieved such massive success and popularity since its first publication ten years ago. As other reviewers have pointed out, it perhaps fulfills a useful purpose in putting women back in the 'front-line' of the eighteenth-century political scene but, speaking for myself, I found the exhaustive discussion of the ups-and-downs of the Whigs and Tories tedious in the extreme and an almost total turn-off. This was doubly disappointing, since the rave reviews had led me to expect so much more.
Strangely enough, the most engaging part of the book was the introduction, in which the author writes with real verve and enthusiasm of how she was first 'introduced' to the duchess and how her sympathy and interest grew to such an extent that a full-length biography seemed to be the natural and inevitable conclusion. Would that this enthusiasm had percolated through to the rest of her work which I found to be both turgid and dull. Comparisons have already been drawn to the infinitely warmer, livelier and more approachable biographies of Flora Fraser, Claire Tomalin and Stella Tillyard. Being very familar with the writing of all these authors, and a great fan to boot, I am left to wonder why THIS work should be so celebrated, so well-regarded - and, sad to say, so completely over-hyped.
Engaging, 07 May 2008
I have given this review 5 stars because I think the book is well researched and an engaging read. It easily moves through the early life of the duchess (who originates in the Spencer family) and her movement through 'the ton'. The author clearly highlights the role of a women in the regency type period - feminism was unheard of and yet here we have a woman influencing politics and refusing to be constrained by her gender. The only negative comment I can make (and this is not a reflection on the book at all) is that I am not sure that I would like Georgiana very much and whilst I have sympathy for her loveless marriage, I find it hard to find empathy for a woman who lived in to such excess when many women of the era would have been grateful for a fragment of the fortune she had.
A brilliant read, but a bit over political, 03 May 2007
I found this book absorbing from the minute I picked it up. Amanda Foreman managed to mix the political elaments with the more social side of her life, to keep it interesting and to keep our attention. Even though I had been warned that it was heavily political, I still found it managable. However, as the book came towards the end, I felt that maybe Amanda Foreman was being pressed by her publishers to get it finished or maybe she was restricted to a limited word count. It seemed to become very rushed, brushing over elements in her life that I felt should have been covered, such as 'Little G's' wedding, both daughters' period of being debutante's and her sister Harriet's affairs, which saw her baring more illegitimate children, instead of only focusing on her political attributes. Maybe it was simply due to the fact that there are little surviving sources, but the fact that the last chapters are only appromimatly 10 pages long stays alot! Overall, It's a good read and I do recommend it, but be prepared to read alot about 18th Century politics.
An exhaustively researched yet highly accessible book, 09 Jan 2005
I found this absolutely compelling; I simply couldn't put it down. I found the politcal angle paticularly absorbing; the extra juice was just an added bonus! I also loved how Foreman points the reader to the ironies which pepper Georgina's life.It's really got me hooked on 18thc social and political history. I'm lucky enough to have a history degree, but this book is so accessible you don't need one; Foreman just guides through giving you all extra info without sounding patronising. This has to be the best researched biography I've read... if only my academic reading was as fun.
a well-crafted, sympathetic and vivid portrayal, 21 Dec 2001
Clearly well-researched, this biography of one of the eighteenth century's most enigmatic figures conveys vividly the tumultous world of eighteenth century politics alongside that of Georgiana's private life. A pioneer in women's involvement in politics, her role as a campaigner and society hostess placed her in the centre of the Whig party throughout its years of opposition; prominent men instinctively sought her advice. As well as highlighting G's pivotal political role, Foreman succeeds in capturing the moral ambiguity of the age in the private dilemmas her heroine faces: a hopeless addiction to gaming, her husband's mistress being her best friend, forcing to choose between her lover and her children etc. Although from an age difficult to empathise with, Foreman never the less makes G and her world instantly accessible. An Interesting and insightful read.
A privilege to read, and a joy too, 01 Oct 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!
Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.
The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.
The whole book is delightful - a personal narrative by an extremely personable old man. I've read several first-hand accounts by Great War veterans before, but this is in a league all of its own, both for the scope of Henry's story, and for the engaging way he tells it.
I can't recommend this book too highly.
A fitting account of our hero...Well done Henry. Fantastic!!!!, 29 Sep 2008
I just love to read these accounts of the life of a true hero that has lived through numerous decades and gives us an insight into the daily lives during each era. This book also gives us a birds eye view of life in the great war. If ever there was a book that should be read by everyone then this is it.
I would also recommend Harry Patch's book,"the last fighting tommy", with equal status.
These two fine books should sit alongside each other on every bookshelf across the country to be read time and time again.
Thank you Henry for giving us this account and it is a true hero that still talks with such compassion for his lost but never forgotten colleagues. Brothers in arms has never had more meaning.
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Customer Reviews
A good biography, 21 Sep 2008
I picked up the book as I wanted to watch the film. I always feel it is better to read a book then watch the movie to compare.
From the start I was drawn into the book. It is very easy to read and the details are just perfect. There are references to politics but thats a good break. Any intellect should be able to comprehend what is being described. The duchess valued politics so naturally the book should make references to it. There are references to political figures but they are refered to through out the book and you feel like you know them as well as the duchess and her family.
At times, I felt real sad for the duchess but at times I felt rather cross with her and her naivety; her gambling ways and her willingness to live with her husband's mistress. Even that in a way is very sad. She had to put up with it or she would have been forced to separate from her husband. In those days, the children remained with the father and his family if a couple separated or divorced. This meant, if Georgiana had separated from the duke, she would have been separated from the children too.
I could not put the book down once I had started. It was very good. I even thought about calling in sick at work to finish the book. I love my work so for a book to keep me away from my work says a lot about the book itself.
I would highly recommend it to anyone. A perfect biography.
Dissapointing, 20 Sep 2008
I was ready to have a great read about the rich and obviously interesting life of the duchess as they had just bought the movie out. I was dissapointed as the story was bogged down by long drawn out intervals of politics which was extreamly difficult to read and follow. There are many chararcters but they were never built up just breezed accross. Between these intervals you do get a sense of how and why she was so looked up to although to me it felt like something I was going to be tested on later not to be enjoyed. It could have been told much better in a more coherant manner and I was never drawn in or had much compassion for any of the characters I just didn't feel they had been introduced. I was a spectator and I love to be drawn in to the action.
So much more than a film tie in..., 10 Sep 2008
The film "The Duchess", while enjoyable enough, shouldn't be seen as simply the content of this book on screen. The book is a mere cupcake compared to the rich dark fruit cake of Foreman's biography!
Georgiana was married to the much older Duke of Devonshire at the age of 17, and during the rest of her life became a well known wit, fashion icon, political mover and shaker, and gambling and opium addict. Oh, and she also lived in a menage with her husband's mistress. Foreman charts the rise and fall of Georgiana's life, giving insight not only into the woman herself but the political and social word in which she lived.
Foreman's style is clear and illuminating, and the combination of clear-eyed historical detail and compassionate approach to her subject make this an unforgettable read.
A great disappointment, 12 Aug 2008
Although 'Georgiana' is competently written and well-researched, I am frankly amazed that it has achieved such massive success and popularity since its first publication ten years ago. As other reviewers have pointed out, it perhaps fulfills a useful purpose in putting women back in the 'front-line' of the eighteenth-century political scene but, speaking for myself, I found the exhaustive discussion of the ups-and-downs of the Whigs and Tories tedious in the extreme and an almost total turn-off. This was doubly disappointing, since the rave reviews had led me to expect so much more.
Strangely enough, the most engaging part of the book was the introduction, in which the author writes with real verve and enthusiasm of how she was first 'introduced' to the duchess and how her sympathy and interest grew to such an extent that a full-length biography seemed to be the natural and inevitable conclusion. Would that this enthusiasm had percolated through to the rest of her work which I found to be both turgid and dull. Comparisons have already been drawn to the infinitely warmer, livelier and more approachable biographies of Flora Fraser, Claire Tomalin and Stella Tillyard. Being very familar with the writing of all these authors, and a great fan to boot, I am left to wonder why THIS work should be so celebrated, so well-regarded - and, sad to say, so completely over-hyped.
Engaging, 07 May 2008
I have given this review 5 stars because I think the book is well researched and an engaging read. It easily moves through the early life of the duchess (who originates in the Spencer family) and her movement through 'the ton'. The author clearly highlights the role of a women in the regency type period - feminism was unheard of and yet here we have a woman influencing politics and refusing to be constrained by her gender. The only negative comment I can make (and this is not a reflection on the book at all) is that I am not sure that I would like Georgiana very much and whilst I have sympathy for her loveless marriage, I find it hard to find empathy for a woman who lived in to such excess when many women of the era would have been grateful for a fragment of the fortune she had.
A brilliant read, but a bit over political, 03 May 2007
I found this book absorbing from the minute I picked it up. Amanda Foreman managed to mix the political elaments with the more social side of her life, to keep it interesting and to keep our attention. Even though I had been warned that it was heavily political, I still found it managable. However, as the book came towards the end, I felt that maybe Amanda Foreman was being pressed by her publishers to get it finished or maybe she was restricted to a limited word count. It seemed to become very rushed, brushing over elements in her life that I felt should have been covered, such as 'Little G's' wedding, both daughters' period of being debutante's and her sister Harriet's affairs, which saw her baring more illegitimate children, instead of only focusing on her political attributes. Maybe it was simply due to the fact that there are little surviving sources, but the fact that the last chapters are only appromimatly 10 pages long stays alot! Overall, It's a good read and I do recommend it, but be prepared to read alot about 18th Century politics.
An exhaustively researched yet highly accessible book, 09 Jan 2005
I found this absolutely compelling; I simply couldn't put it down. I found the politcal angle paticularly absorbing; the extra juice was just an added bonus! I also loved how Foreman points the reader to the ironies which pepper Georgina's life.It's really got me hooked on 18thc social and political history. I'm lucky enough to have a history degree, but this book is so accessible you don't need one; Foreman just guides through giving you all extra info without sounding patronising. This has to be the best researched biography I've read... if only my academic reading was as fun.
a well-crafted, sympathetic and vivid portrayal, 21 Dec 2001
Clearly well-researched, this biography of one of the eighteenth century's most enigmatic figures conveys vividly the tumultous world of eighteenth century politics alongside that of Georgiana's private life. A pioneer in women's involvement in politics, her role as a campaigner and society hostess placed her in the centre of the Whig party throughout its years of opposition; prominent men instinctively sought her advice. As well as highlighting G's pivotal political role, Foreman succeeds in capturing the moral ambiguity of the age in the private dilemmas her heroine faces: a hopeless addiction to gaming, her husband's mistress being her best friend, forcing to choose between her lover and her children etc. Although from an age difficult to empathise with, Foreman never the less makes G and her world instantly accessible. An Interesting and insightful read.
A privilege to read, and a joy too, 01 Oct 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!
Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.
The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.
The whole book is delightful - a personal narrative by an extremely personable old man. I've read several first-hand accounts by Great War veterans before, but this is in a league all of its own, both for the scope of Henry's story, and for the engaging way he tells it.
I can't recommend this book too highly.
A fitting account of our hero...Well done Henry. Fantastic!!!!, 29 Sep 2008
I just love to read these accounts of the life of a true hero that has lived through numerous decades and gives us an insight into the daily lives during each era. This book also gives us a birds eye view of life in the great war. If ever there was a book that should be read by everyone then this is it.
I would also recommend Harry Patch's book,"the last fighting tommy", with equal status.
These two fine books should sit alongside each other on every bookshelf across the country to be read time and time again.
Thank you Henry for giving us this account and it is a true hero that still talks with such compassion for his lost but never forgotten colleagues. Brothers in arms has never had more meaning.
In search of identity, 08 Sep 2008
This book has been written with great literary flair. Every place in which Barack Obama has lived or which he has visited is described with the skill of a great travel-writer; every person, every social setting is graphically and memorably brought to life. His independently-minded maternal grandparents, white folk who had themselves eloped against the wishes of the grandmother's father, had no theory about racial equality but simply assumed it and were shocked when their surroundings did not. Apart from the fact that the grandfather had itchy feet, that may have been one of the reasons why they left Texas and moved to Hawaii, which was more racially tolerant than mainland America. When their daughter married Barack senior, a black Kenyan whom she had met at the University of Hawaii, they accepted him. It was a brief marriage: he left his wife and his brown-skinned two-year-old son, Barack junior, to study in America, and never returned to live with them. Two years later she married an Indonesian (another superb pen-portrait), and when Barack was six years old, they all went off to live in a village on the edge of Djakarta. Barack learnt a lot from his step-father and from life in Indonesia under a savage right-wing dictatorship. He also learnt much from his mother, who counteracted the step-father's fatalistic acceptance of the situation in Indonesia by constantly setting before her son the struggles of the American liberals in the 1960s and 1970s. Her second marriage, too, would end in divorce. She sent Barack back to Hawaii when he was ten, to be educated at a good American school there.
Even in Hawaii where there was more racial mixing than anywhere else in the United States, there were many incidents which taught the adolescent Barack that he was a black person in essentially a white man's world, and there was one incident in which he found that even his beloved grandmother was afraid of a black beggar when she would not have been of a white one. It was a shattering discovery for a youngster whose mother and grandparents were white: to which world did he really belong? He was still confused and angry at college in Los Angeles; and then he realized that he was going in for self-dramatization (and, to some extent, I feel he had not fully overcome it in this book). There was no need for him to be trapped in that kind of drama - some of his more mature black fellow-students taught him that. His identity was surely something more than was defined above all by his race.
But that was easier said than found, or perhaps even really wanted at that time. He wanted to identify himself with a community, and initially this was a black community. So in 1983, at the age of 22, he joined a community organization in Chicago, and the second part of the book is about his time there. Things had started looking up for black people in that city. They were immensely proud of the election of the first black mayor, Harold Washington; anti-discrimination laws in the public sector had enabled some blacks to move to the more prosperous areas of the city (only to find that the whites were moving out); but in run-down districts like Altgeld there was still a huge pool of hopelessness. Some alienated youngsters had created their own gun-culture, and it was uphill and disheartening work for Barack and the community leaders to get people to come together to do something to help themselves, and also to pressure the authorities. After a year's hard work there were some small successes to celebrate (each movingly narrated), and each bringing in new participants, and also set-backs - which lost some of them again.
For some of Barack's colleagues, total rejection of white society was the only way in which black `self-respect' could express itself. Barack understood the psychological need for this; but - not only because of his own background - felt that self-respect cannot be based simply on what was essentially a generalized hatred for and separation from a society in which blacks were enmeshed with whites in a thousand practical and inescapable ways.
After three years as a Community Organizer, Barack thought he could be of more use to the black community if he took time off to train as a lawyer. He won a place at the Harvard Law School; but before he took it up, he paid his first visit to Kenya in 1987; and the account of that visit takes up the third part of this book. In America he had already met a half-sister with whom he established an instant rapport (a most touching account, that), and now he met the rest of his very extended and complicated family (Barack Senior had fathered eight children from four different women), with all their rivalries and resentments, but also with their warmth. From the third wife of his grandfather he learnt the whole story of his Kenyan family. If he had visited Kenya in search of roots, his perplexities and self-questioning did not diminish - but that aspect is not the only one in this vivid account of his visit to the country.
The book is a reflection of a sensitive and thoughtful man of mixed race in America. In 1995, when it was first published and Barack Obama was 33 years old, he still seemed very uncertain of who he was, was focussed on the problems of the black community in the United States and then on his Kenyan heritage. Today he seems very confident and sure of his identity, campaigning for the Presidency on a programme that transcends any question of race. In more ways than one, he has come a long way.
Inspiring...and surprisingly honest!, 29 Jul 2008
What a great read this is.
It is amazing to have such an insight into the man who may soon be President of the USA, arguably still the most powerful position in the world. This book was written even before he became a Senator, I'm sure a lot of what he has written would be edited out if it was published today!
What is so incredible, and I think what makes him seem so personable, is that he comes across as just another ordinary guy. He doesn't come from a famous or affluent background. He talks so openly about the difficulties of growing up as a black man, confused about his origins and what they mean. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii... and then worked for very little money as a community organiser. And now he's running for President!
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read and is highly recommended...
Honest and touching, 15 Jul 2008
Given the events unfolding in the US election cycle I wanted to know more about the man many see as the next leader of the free world. I had already read 'Audacity Of Hope' which is basically his manifesto of policies and views and wanted something more personal.
And I wasnt disappointred by this book.
Written around 10 years ago before Obama entered into politics this book is a brilliant autobiography by a man with an amazing life story.
The son of a black Kenyan and a white American, estranged from his father, raised for periods by his grandparents, living for a time in Indonesia and fighting the whole time to find his place in the world - Obama's is a truly unique story.
As Obama says in the new introduction for this reprinted edition the honesty here could never have been shared by a man running for the highest office in the land, so this then the unfilitered view of the mans early life, warts and all.
The book splits his life into three sections: one about his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, the mid section about his life as a community organiser in Chicago and finally his trip back to Kenya to reconnect with family and roots and try to gain a sense of who he really is.
Although my life has little in common with Obamas I still found the book to be gripping and inspiring. It also serves to demonstrate a gifted writing style that could easily transfer to great prose. Having read this I hope Obama is elected in November and I look forward to future volumes of autobiography after his second term.
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Customer Reviews
A good biography, 21 Sep 2008
I picked up the book as I wanted to watch the film. I always feel it is better to read a book then watch the movie to compare.
From the start I was drawn into the book. It is very easy to read and the details are just perfect. There are references to politics but thats a good break. Any intellect should be able to comprehend what is being described. The duchess valued politics so naturally the book should make references to it. There are references to political figures but they are refered to through out the book and you feel like you know them as well as the duchess and her family.
At times, I felt real sad for the duchess but at times I felt rather cross with her and her naivety; her gambling ways and her willingness to live with her husband's mistress. Even that in a way is very sad. She had to put up with it or she would have been forced to separate from her husband. In those days, the children remained with the father and his family if a couple separated or divorced. This meant, if Georgiana had separated from the duke, she would have been separated from the children too.
I could not put the book down once I had started. It was very good. I even thought about calling in sick at work to finish the book. I love my work so for a book to keep me away from my work says a lot about the book itself.
I would highly recommend it to anyone. A perfect biography.
Dissapointing, 20 Sep 2008
I was ready to have a great read about the rich and obviously interesting life of the duchess as they had just bought the movie out. I was dissapointed as the story was bogged down by long drawn out intervals of politics which was extreamly difficult to read and follow. There are many chararcters but they were never built up just breezed accross. Between these intervals you do get a sense of how and why she was so looked up to although to me it felt like something I was going to be tested on later not to be enjoyed. It could have been told much better in a more coherant manner and I was never drawn in or had much compassion for any of the characters I just didn't feel they had been introduced. I was a spectator and I love to be drawn in to the action.
So much more than a film tie in..., 10 Sep 2008
The film "The Duchess", while enjoyable enough, shouldn't be seen as simply the content of this book on screen. The book is a mere cupcake compared to the rich dark fruit cake of Foreman's biography!
Georgiana was married to the much older Duke of Devonshire at the age of 17, and during the rest of her life became a well known wit, fashion icon, political mover and shaker, and gambling and opium addict. Oh, and she also lived in a menage with her husband's mistress. Foreman charts the rise and fall of Georgiana's life, giving insight not only into the woman herself but the political and social word in which she lived.
Foreman's style is clear and illuminating, and the combination of clear-eyed historical detail and compassionate approach to her subject make this an unforgettable read.
A great disappointment, 12 Aug 2008
Although 'Georgiana' is competently written and well-researched, I am frankly amazed that it has achieved such massive success and popularity since its first publication ten years ago. As other reviewers have pointed out, it perhaps fulfills a useful purpose in putting women back in the 'front-line' of the eighteenth-century political scene but, speaking for myself, I found the exhaustive discussion of the ups-and-downs of the Whigs and Tories tedious in the extreme and an almost total turn-off. This was doubly disappointing, since the rave reviews had led me to expect so much more.
Strangely enough, the most engaging part of the book was the introduction, in which the author writes with real verve and enthusiasm of how she was first 'introduced' to the duchess and how her sympathy and interest grew to such an extent that a full-length biography seemed to be the natural and inevitable conclusion. Would that this enthusiasm had percolated through to the rest of her work which I found to be both turgid and dull. Comparisons have already been drawn to the infinitely warmer, livelier and more approachable biographies of Flora Fraser, Claire Tomalin and Stella Tillyard. Being very familar with the writing of all these authors, and a great fan to boot, I am left to wonder why THIS work should be so celebrated, so well-regarded - and, sad to say, so completely over-hyped.
Engaging, 07 May 2008
I have given this review 5 stars because I think the book is well researched and an engaging read. It easily moves through the early life of the duchess (who originates in the Spencer family) and her movement through 'the ton'. The author clearly highlights the role of a women in the regency type period - feminism was unheard of and yet here we have a woman influencing politics and refusing to be constrained by her gender. The only negative comment I can make (and this is not a reflection on the book at all) is that I am not sure that I would like Georgiana very much and whilst I have sympathy for her loveless marriage, I find it hard to find empathy for a woman who lived in to such excess when many women of the era would have been grateful for a fragment of the fortune she had.
A brilliant read, but a bit over political, 03 May 2007
I found this book absorbing from the minute I picked it up. Amanda Foreman managed to mix the political elaments with the more social side of her life, to keep it interesting and to keep our attention. Even though I had been warned that it was heavily political, I still found it managable. However, as the book came towards the end, I felt that maybe Amanda Foreman was being pressed by her publishers to get it finished or maybe she was restricted to a limited word count. It seemed to become very rushed, brushing over elements in her life that I felt should have been covered, such as 'Little G's' wedding, both daughters' period of being debutante's and her sister Harriet's affairs, which saw her baring more illegitimate children, instead of only focusing on her political attributes. Maybe it was simply due to the fact that there are little surviving sources, but the fact that the last chapters are only appromimatly 10 pages long stays alot! Overall, It's a good read and I do recommend it, but be prepared to read alot about 18th Century politics.
An exhaustively researched yet highly accessible book, 09 Jan 2005
I found this absolutely compelling; I simply couldn't put it down. I found the politcal angle paticularly absorbing; the extra juice was just an added bonus! I also loved how Foreman points the reader to the ironies which pepper Georgina's life.It's really got me hooked on 18thc social and political history. I'm lucky enough to have a history degree, but this book is so accessible you don't need one; Foreman just guides through giving you all extra info without sounding patronising. This has to be the best researched biography I've read... if only my academic reading was as fun.
a well-crafted, sympathetic and vivid portrayal, 21 Dec 2001
Clearly well-researched, this biography of one of the eighteenth century's most enigmatic figures conveys vividly the tumultous world of eighteenth century politics alongside that of Georgiana's private life. A pioneer in women's involvement in politics, her role as a campaigner and society hostess placed her in the centre of the Whig party throughout its years of opposition; prominent men instinctively sought her advice. As well as highlighting G's pivotal political role, Foreman succeeds in capturing the moral ambiguity of the age in the private dilemmas her heroine faces: a hopeless addiction to gaming, her husband's mistress being her best friend, forcing to choose between her lover and her children etc. Although from an age difficult to empathise with, Foreman never the less makes G and her world instantly accessible. An Interesting and insightful read.
A privilege to read, and a joy too, 01 Oct 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!
Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.
The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.
The whole book is delightful - a personal narrative by an extremely personable old man. I've read several first-hand accounts by Great War veterans before, but this is in a league all of its own, both for the scope of Henry's story, and for the engaging way he tells it.
I can't recommend this book too highly.
A fitting account of our hero...Well done Henry. Fantastic!!!!, 29 Sep 2008
I just love to read these accounts of the life of a true hero that has lived through numerous decades and gives us an insight into the daily lives during each era. This book also gives us a birds eye view of life in the great war. If ever there was a book that should be read by everyone then this is it.
I would also recommend Harry Patch's book,"the last fighting tommy", with equal status.
These two fine books should sit alongside each other on every bookshelf across the country to be read time and time again.
Thank you Henry for giving us this account and it is a true hero that still talks with such compassion for his lost but never forgotten colleagues. Brothers in arms has never had more meaning.
In search of identity, 08 Sep 2008
This book has been written with great literary flair. Every place in which Barack Obama has lived or which he has visited is described with the skill of a great travel-writer; every person, every social setting is graphically and memorably brought to life. His independently-minded maternal grandparents, white folk who had themselves eloped against the wishes of the grandmother's father, had no theory about racial equality but simply assumed it and were shocked when their surroundings did not. Apart from the fact that the grandfather had itchy feet, that may have been one of the reasons why they left Texas and moved to Hawaii, which was more racially tolerant than mainland America. When their daughter married Barack senior, a black Kenyan whom she had met at the University of Hawaii, they accepted him. It was a brief marriage: he left his wife and his brown-skinned two-year-old son, Barack junior, to study in America, and never returned to live with them. Two years later she married an Indonesian (another superb pen-portrait), and when Barack was six years old, they all went off to live in a village on the edge of Djakarta. Barack learnt a lot from his step-father and from life in Indonesia under a savage right-wing dictatorship. He also learnt much from his mother, who counteracted the step-father's fatalistic acceptance of the situation in Indonesia by constantly setting before her son the struggles of the American liberals in the 1960s and 1970s. Her second marriage, too, would end in divorce. She sent Barack back to Hawaii when he was ten, to be educated at a good American school there.
Even in Hawaii where there was more racial mixing than anywhere else in the United States, there were many incidents which taught the adolescent Barack that he was a black person in essentially a white man's world, and there was one incident in which he found that even his beloved grandmother was afraid of a black beggar when she would not have been of a white one. It was a shattering discovery for a youngster whose mother and grandparents were white: to which world did he really belong? He was still confused and angry at college in Los Angeles; and then he realized that he was going in for self-dramatization (and, to some extent, I feel he had not fully overcome it in this book). There was no need for him to be trapped in that kind of drama - some of his more mature black fellow-students taught him that. His identity was surely something more than was defined above all by his race.
But that was easier said than found, or perhaps even really wanted at that time. He wanted to identify himself with a community, and initially this was a black community. So in 1983, at the age of 22, he joined a community organization in Chicago, and the second part of the book is about his time there. Things had started looking up for black people in that city. They were immensely proud of the election of the first black mayor, Harold Washington; anti-discrimination laws in the public sector had enabled some blacks to move to the more prosperous areas of the city (only to find that the whites were moving out); but in run-down districts like Altgeld there was still a huge pool of hopelessness. Some alienated youngsters had created their own gun-culture, and it was uphill and disheartening work for Barack and the community leaders to get people to come together to do something to help themselves, and also to pressure the authorities. After a year's hard work there were some small successes to celebrate (each movingly narrated), and each bringing in new participants, and also set-backs - which lost some of them again.
For some of Barack's colleagues, total rejection of white society was the only way in which black `self-respect' could express itself. Barack understood the psychological need for this; but - not only because of his own background - felt that self-respect cannot be based simply on what was essentially a generalized hatred for and separation from a society in which blacks were enmeshed with whites in a thousand practical and inescapable ways.
After three years as a Community Organizer, Barack thought he could be of more use to the black community if he took time off to train as a lawyer. He won a place at the Harvard Law School; but before he took it up, he paid his first visit to Kenya in 1987; and the account of that visit takes up the third part of this book. In America he had already met a half-sister with whom he established an instant rapport (a most touching account, that), and now he met the rest of his very extended and complicated family (Barack Senior had fathered eight children from four different women), with all their rivalries and resentments, but also with their warmth. From the third wife of his grandfather he learnt the whole story of his Kenyan family. If he had visited Kenya in search of roots, his perplexities and self-questioning did not diminish - but that aspect is not the only one in this vivid account of his visit to the country.
The book is a reflection of a sensitive and thoughtful man of mixed race in America. In 1995, when it was first published and Barack Obama was 33 years old, he still seemed very uncertain of who he was, was focussed on the problems of the black community in the United States and then on his Kenyan heritage. Today he seems very confident and sure of his identity, campaigning for the Presidency on a programme that transcends any question of race. In more ways than one, he has come a long way.
Inspiring...and surprisingly honest!, 29 Jul 2008
What a great read this is.
It is amazing to have such an insight into the man who may soon be President of the USA, arguably still the most powerful position in the world. This book was written even before he became a Senator, I'm sure a lot of what he has written would be edited out if it was published today!
What is so incredible, and I think what makes him seem so personable, is that he comes across as just another ordinary guy. He doesn't come from a famous or affluent background. He talks so openly about the difficulties of growing up as a black man, confused about his origins and what they mean. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii... and then worked for very little money as a community organiser. And now he's running for President!
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read and is highly recommended...
Honest and touching, 15 Jul 2008
Given the events unfolding in the US election cycle I wanted to know more about the man many see as the next leader of the free world. I had already read 'Audacity Of Hope' which is basically his manifesto of policies and views and wanted something more personal.
And I wasnt disappointred by this book.
Written around 10 years ago before Obama entered into politics this book is a brilliant autobiography by a man with an amazing life story.
The son of a black Kenyan and a white American, estranged from his father, raised for periods by his grandparents, living for a time in Indonesia and fighting the whole time to find his place in the world - Obama's is a truly unique story.
As Obama says in the new introduction for this reprinted edition the honesty here could never have been shared by a man running for the highest office in the land, so this then the unfilitered view of the mans early life, warts and all.
The book splits his life into three sections: one about his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, the mid section about his life as a community organiser in Chicago and finally his trip back to Kenya to reconnect with family and roots and try to gain a sense of who he really is.
Although my life has little in common with Obamas I still found the book to be gripping and inspiring. It also serves to demonstrate a gifted writing style that could easily transfer to great prose. Having read this I hope Obama is elected in November and I look forward to future volumes of autobiography after his second term.
A Delight, 20 Sep 2008
This book is a delight, a gem. The original illustrations take the diaries beyond the mundane, and Thomas Livingstone's gentle humour enlivens the often dreary weather and seemingly constant worries over Agnes health. Zeplins, Chimneys, the wash house, news from the front, the ironing, the cost of coal..... all of life is here. You will love it!
Glasgow's WWI Kiss, 19 Sep 2008
Well, what a find, I am normally an avid veiwer of the Antiques Roadshow but must have missed the autumn 2007 episode at alnwick castle which featured the original MSS of these diaries, these are, I think unique, part facsimilie MSS part typeset, the diaries are illustrated throughout by Thomas Cairns Livingstone, a well to do Glasweigian shipping clerk, the diaries span the best part of 30 years, but here we have the best bits, the Great War years, plus a few entries for 1933, depression era (how spookily apt for today) I am a collector of WWI Diaries, I like seeing the great war from all angles, but I have never come across one like these, and i don't think there will be another set like these published, I can rave on about how superb they are, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, I am sure you will agree, it will be the best money you've ever spent, open the pages of Thomas Cairns livingstone's diaries and let him talk to you himself and be transported back to Post Edwardian Glasgow
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Mein Kampf
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Customer Reviews
A good biography, 21 Sep 2008
I picked up the book as I wanted to watch the film. I always feel it is better to read a book then watch the movie to compare.
From the start I was drawn into the book. It is very easy to read and the details are just perfect. There are references to politics but thats a good break. Any intellect should be able to comprehend what is being described. The duchess valued politics so naturally the book should make references to it. There are references to political figures but they are refered to through out the book and you feel like you know them as well as the duchess and her family.
At times, I felt real sad for the duchess but at times I felt rather cross with her and her naivety; her gambling ways and her willingness to live with her husband's mistress. Even that in a way is very sad. She had to put up with it or she would have been forced to separate from her husband. In those days, the children remained with the father and his family if a couple separated or divorced. This meant, if Georgiana had separated from the duke, she would have been separated from the children too.
I could not put the book down once I had started. It was very good. I even thought about calling in sick at work to finish the book. I love my work so for a book to keep me away from my work says a lot about the book itself.
I would highly recommend it to anyone. A perfect biography.
Dissapointing, 20 Sep 2008
I was ready to have a great read about the rich and obviously interesting life of the duchess as they had just bought the movie out. I was dissapointed as the story was bogged down by long drawn out intervals of politics which was extreamly difficult to read and follow. There are many chararcters but they were never built up just breezed accross. Between these intervals you do get a sense of how and why she was so looked up to although to me it felt like something I was going to be tested on later not to be enjoyed. It could have been told much better in a more coherant manner and I was never drawn in or had much compassion for any of the characters I just didn't feel they had been introduced. I was a spectator and I love to be drawn in to the action.
So much more than a film tie in..., 10 Sep 2008
The film "The Duchess", while enjoyable enough, shouldn't be seen as simply the content of this book on screen. The book is a mere cupcake compared to the rich dark fruit cake of Foreman's biography!
Georgiana was married to the much older Duke of Devonshire at the age of 17, and during the rest of her life became a well known wit, fashion icon, political mover and shaker, and gambling and opium addict. Oh, and she also lived in a menage with her husband's mistress. Foreman charts the rise and fall of Georgiana's life, giving insight not only into the woman herself but the political and social word in which she lived.
Foreman's style is clear and illuminating, and the combination of clear-eyed historical detail and compassionate approach to her subject make this an unforgettable read.
A great disappointment, 12 Aug 2008
Although 'Georgiana' is competently written and well-researched, I am frankly amazed that it has achieved such massive success and popularity since its first publication ten years ago. As other reviewers have pointed out, it perhaps fulfills a useful purpose in putting women back in the 'front-line' of the eighteenth-century political scene but, speaking for myself, I found the exhaustive discussion of the ups-and-downs of the Whigs and Tories tedious in the extreme and an almost total turn-off. This was doubly disappointing, since the rave reviews had led me to expect so much more.
Strangely enough, the most engaging part of the book was the introduction, in which the author writes with real verve and enthusiasm of how she was first 'introduced' to the duchess and how her sympathy and interest grew to such an extent that a full-length biography seemed to be the natural and inevitable conclusion. Would that this enthusiasm had percolated through to the rest of her work which I found to be both turgid and dull. Comparisons have already been drawn to the infinitely warmer, livelier and more approachable biographies of Flora Fraser, Claire Tomalin and Stella Tillyard. Being very familar with the writing of all these authors, and a great fan to boot, I am left to wonder why THIS work should be so celebrated, so well-regarded - and, sad to say, so completely over-hyped.
Engaging, 07 May 2008
I have given this review 5 stars because I think the book is well researched and an engaging read. It easily moves through the early life of the duchess (who originates in the Spencer family) and her movement through 'the ton'. The author clearly highlights the role of a women in the regency type period - feminism was unheard of and yet here we have a woman influencing politics and refusing to be constrained by her gender. The only negative comment I can make (and this is not a reflection on the book at all) is that I am not sure that I would like Georgiana very much and whilst I have sympathy for her loveless marriage, I find it hard to find empathy for a woman who lived in to such excess when many women of the era would have been grateful for a fragment of the fortune she had.
A brilliant read, but a bit over political, 03 May 2007
I found this book absorbing from the minute I picked it up. Amanda Foreman managed to mix the political elaments with the more social side of her life, to keep it interesting and to keep our attention. Even though I had been warned that it was heavily political, I still found it managable. However, as the book came towards the end, I felt that maybe Amanda Foreman was being pressed by her publishers to get it finished or maybe she was restricted to a limited word count. It seemed to become very rushed, brushing over elements in her life that I felt should have been covered, such as 'Little G's' wedding, both daughters' period of being debutante's and her sister Harriet's affairs, which saw her baring more illegitimate children, instead of only focusing on her political attributes. Maybe it was simply due to the fact that there are little surviving sources, but the fact that the last chapters are only appromimatly 10 pages long stays alot! Overall, It's a good read and I do recommend it, but be prepared to read alot about 18th Century politics.
An exhaustively researched yet highly accessible book, 09 Jan 2005
I found this absolutely compelling; I simply couldn't put it down. I found the politcal angle paticularly absorbing; the extra juice was just an added bonus! I also loved how Foreman points the reader to the ironies which pepper Georgina's life.It's really got me hooked on 18thc social and political history. I'm lucky enough to have a history degree, but this book is so accessible you don't need one; Foreman just guides through giving you all extra info without sounding patronising. This has to be the best researched biography I've read... if only my academic reading was as fun.
a well-crafted, sympathetic and vivid portrayal, 21 Dec 2001
Clearly well-researched, this biography of one of the eighteenth century's most enigmatic figures conveys vividly the tumultous world of eighteenth century politics alongside that of Georgiana's private life. A pioneer in women's involvement in politics, her role as a campaigner and society hostess placed her in the centre of the Whig party throughout its years of opposition; prominent men instinctively sought her advice. As well as highlighting G's pivotal political role, Foreman succeeds in capturing the moral ambiguity of the age in the private dilemmas her heroine faces: a hopeless addiction to gaming, her husband's mistress being her best friend, forcing to choose between her lover and her children etc. Although from an age difficult to empathise with, Foreman never the less makes G and her world instantly accessible. An Interesting and insightful read.
A privilege to read, and a joy too, 01 Oct 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!
Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.
The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.
The whole book is delightful - a personal narrative by an extremely personable old man. I've read several first-hand accounts by Great War veterans before, but this is in a league all of its own, both for the scope of Henry's story, and for the engaging way he tells it.
I can't recommend this book too highly.
A fitting account of our hero...Well done Henry. Fantastic!!!!, 29 Sep 2008
I just love to read these accounts of the life of a true hero that has lived through numerous decades and gives us an insight into the daily lives during each era. This book also gives us a birds eye view of life in the great war. If ever there was a book that should be read by everyone then this is it.
I would also recommend Harry Patch's book,"the last fighting tommy", with equal status.
These two fine books should sit alongside each other on every bookshelf across the country to be read time and time again.
Thank you Henry for giving us this account and it is a true hero that still talks with such compassion for his lost but never forgotten colleagues. Brothers in arms has never had more meaning.
In search of identity, 08 Sep 2008
This book has been written with great literary flair. Every place in which Barack Obama has lived or which he has visited is described with the skill of a great travel-writer; every person, every social setting is graphically and memorably brought to life. His independently-minded maternal grandparents, white folk who had themselves eloped against the wishes of the grandmother's father, had no theory about racial equality but simply assumed it and were shocked when their surroundings did not. Apart from the fact that the grandfather had itchy feet, that may have been one of the reasons why they left Texas and moved to Hawaii, which was more racially tolerant than mainland America. When their daughter married Barack senior, a black Kenyan whom she had met at the University of Hawaii, they accepted him. It was a brief marriage: he left his wife and his brown-skinned two-year-old son, Barack junior, to study in America, and never returned to live with them. Two years later she married an Indonesian (another superb pen-portrait), and when Barack was six years old, they all went off to live in a village on the edge of Djakarta. Barack learnt a lot from his step-father and from life in Indonesia under a savage right-wing dictatorship. He also learnt much from his mother, who counteracted the step-father's fatalistic acceptance of the situation in Indonesia by constantly setting before her son the struggles of the American liberals in the 1960s and 1970s. Her second marriage, too, would end in divorce. She sent Barack back to Hawaii when he was ten, to be educated at a good American school there.
Even in Hawaii where there was more racial mixing than anywhere else in the United States, there were many incidents which taught the adolescent Barack that he was a black person in essentially a white man's world, and there was one incident in which he found that even his beloved grandmother was afraid of a black beggar when she would not have been of a white one. It was a shattering discovery for a youngster whose mother and grandparents were white: to which world did he really belong? He was still confused and angry at college in Los Angeles; and then he realized that he was going in for self-dramatization (and, to some extent, I feel he had not fully overcome it in this book). There was no need for him to be trapped in that kind of drama - some of his more mature black fellow-students taught him that. His identity was surely something more than was defined above all by his race.
But that was easier said than found, or perhaps even really wanted at that time. He wanted to identify himself with a community, and initially this was a black community. So in 1983, at the age of 22, he joined a community organization in Chicago, and the second part of the book is about his time there. Things had started looking up for black people in that city. They were immensely proud of the election of the first black mayor, Harold Washington; anti-discrimination laws in the public sector had enabled some blacks to move to the more prosperous areas of the city (only to find that the whites were moving out); but in run-down districts like Altgeld there was still a huge pool of hopelessness. Some alienated youngsters had created their own gun-culture, and it was uphill and disheartening work for Barack and the community leaders to get people to come together to do something to help themselves, and also to pressure the authorities. After a year's hard work there were some small successes to celebrate (each movingly narrated), and each bringing in new participants, and also set-backs - which lost some of them again.
For some of Barack's colleagues, total rejection of white society was the only way in which black `self-respect' could express itself. Barack understood the psychological need for this; but - not only because of his own background - felt that self-respect cannot be based simply on what was essentially a generalized hatred for and separation from a society in which blacks were enmeshed with whites in a thousand practical and inescapable ways.
After three years as a Community Organizer, Barack thought he could be of more use to the black community if he took time off to train as a lawyer. He won a place at the Harvard Law School; but before he took it up, he paid his first visit to Kenya in 1987; and the account of that visit takes up the third part of this book. In America he had already met a half-sister with whom he established an instant rapport (a most touching account, that), and now he met the rest of his very extended and complicated family (Barack Senior had fathered eight children from four different women), with all their rivalries and resentments, but also with their warmth. From the third wife of his grandfather he learnt the whole story of his Kenyan family. If he had visited Kenya in search of roots, his perplexities and self-questioning did not diminish - but that aspect is not the only one in this vivid account of his visit to the country.
The book is a reflection of a sensitive and thoughtful man of mixed race in America. In 1995, when it was first published and Barack Obama was 33 years old, he still seemed very uncertain of who he was, was focussed on the problems of the black community in the United States and then on his Kenyan heritage. Today he seems very confident and sure of his identity, campaigning for the Presidency on a programme that transcends any question of race. In more ways than one, he has come a long way.
Inspiring...and surprisingly honest!, 29 Jul 2008
What a great read this is.
It is amazing to have such an insight into the man who may soon be President of the USA, arguably still the most powerful position in the world. This book was written even before he became a Senator, I'm sure a lot of what he has written would be edited out if it was published today!
What is so incredible, and I think what makes him seem so personable, is that he comes across as just another ordinary guy. He doesn't come from a famous or affluent background. He talks so openly about the difficulties of growing up as a black man, confused about his origins and what they mean. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii... and then worked for very little money as a community organiser. And now he's running for President!
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read and is highly recommended...
Honest and touching, 15 Jul 2008
Given the events unfolding in the US election cycle I wanted to know more about the man many see as the next leader of the free world. I had already read 'Audacity Of Hope' which is basically his manifesto of policies and views and wanted something more personal.
And I wasnt disappointred by this book.
Written around 10 years ago before Obama entered into politics this book is a brilliant autobiography by a man with an amazing life story.
The son of a black Kenyan and a white American, estranged from his father, raised for periods by his grandparents, living for a time in Indonesia and fighting the whole time to find his place in the world - Obama's is a truly unique story.
As Obama says in the new introduction for this reprinted edition the honesty here could never have been shared by a man running for the highest office in the land, so this then the unfilitered view of the mans early life, warts and all.
The book splits his life into three sections: one about his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, the mid section about his life as a community organiser in Chicago and finally his trip back to Kenya to reconnect with family and roots and try to gain a sense of who he really is.
Although my life has little in common with Obamas I still found the book to be gripping and inspiring. It also serves to demonstrate a gifted writing style that could easily transfer to great prose. Having read this I hope Obama is elected in November and I look forward to future volumes of autobiography after his second term.
A Delight, 20 Sep 2008
This book is a delight, a gem. The original illustrations take the diaries beyond the mundane, and Thomas Livingstone's gentle humour enlivens the often dreary weather and seemingly constant worries over Agnes health. Zeplins, Chimneys, the wash house, news from the front, the ironing, the cost of coal..... all of life is here. You will love it!
Glasgow's WWI Kiss, 19 Sep 2008
Well, what a find, I am normally an avid veiwer of the Antiques Roadshow but must have missed the autumn 2007 episode at alnwick castle which featured the original MSS of these diaries, these are, I think unique, part facsimilie MSS part typeset, the diaries are illustrated throughout by Thomas Cairns Livingstone, a well to do Glasweigian shipping clerk, the diaries span the best part of 30 years, but here we have the best bits, the Great War years, plus a few entries for 1933, depression era (how spookily apt for today) I am a collector of WWI Diaries, I like seeing the great war from all angles, but I have never come across one like these, and i don't think there will be another set like these published, I can rave on about how superb they are, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, I am sure you will agree, it will be the best money you've ever spent, open the pages of Thomas Cairns livingstone's diaries and let him talk to you himself and be transported back to Post Edwardian Glasgow
an informative, dark read, 27 Sep 2008
I read Mein Kampf in the hope of understanding some of the madness of Hitler's actions and wasn't disappointed. Although written in the 1920s what can be found here is a sort of blue print for World war Two.Through the book Hitler exposes the dark side of the human race and tries to manipulate the reader into agreeing with him. Unlike the German people of the time the reader has the luxury of knowing the evil of his plan. An informative and dark book that gives history a slightly different slant
RRRRR-----ZZZZZZZ------RRRRR-----ZZZZZ, 08 Aug 2008
Well, may be I m going against the flow here, but this book, is one of the most boring, poorly written, waste of money and paper i ve ever read for ages.. Its full of hate, written by a guy who throw up his bitterness and hate of everything non German during pages after pages after pages..., like you would throw up when You re drunk....
It s brilliant to put you to sleep if you ve got insomnia though...
we all know about the context in which it was written and what it lead to. so, no need to make some fuss about it and call it a must read. when it s an absolute piece of human junk.and fuel for hate...
well. i read it.. did not like it, .. but that s my personal opinion.
ay-dolf : bad writer, decent fascist. (if there is such a thing), 30 Jun 2008
i stopped reading this book about a quarter of the way into it. i got extremely tired of the repetitive points..i know this is a way to emphasise something, but they seem a tad unneccesary if you know what hitler was all about already (obviously when this book was written, not so much). i also got tired of how poorly written it was...it seems like very often his point becomes lost, as if his attention span is that of a hyperactive child (which makes sense in re-iterating my last point.)
obviously this book is intersting just as prying into the mind of jeffrey dahmer is interesting, but these writings, like his paintings, are just plain artless. his inability to write well, combined with his inability to paint were quite likely part reasons as to why he had such an enormous inferiority complex.
A paranoid book by a fiercely intelligent man, 23 Jun 2008
As you read 'Mein Kampf', there is no doubt as to Hitler's intelligence: it smacks you in the face. He clearly was not the clownish buffoon he is usually presented as. He tackles many issues cleverly if not clearly: his opinions on parliamentary democracy, reading, and propaganda are particularly interesting.
As Golo Mann famously remarked, Hitler was a man who simply couldn't understand moderation, and 'Mein Kampf' furnishes plenty of examples. Parliamentary democracy is bad for Germany? Have the politicians strung up, then. A colonial policy won't secure Germany's status for the future? Conquer eastern Europe, work its inhabitants to death, and plant Germans there. His answers to problems (as he seems them) are shockingly radical and indicative of a disturbing amorality. 'Mein Kampf' speaks volumes (no pun intended) about the tortured workings of a paranoid mind. That, really, is my second point: rather than believing in accident, Hitler sees gigantic conspiracies at work in the world (read Richard Hofstadter's excellent essay 'The Paranoid Style in American Politics' on this).
Hitler's logic is frequently circular and flawed, his style questionable (as Stuart Hodgson wrote, with typical British understatement, 'Mein Kampf' is written in 'by no means irreproachable German') and his arrangement of the material confusing. Nonetheless he provides a fascinating commentary on his times - the 1920s. I am highly sceptical of attempts to see all of Hitler's future decisions in the pages of 'Mein Kampf'. The mere fact that he envisaged a future war to be between Britain, Germany and Italy on the one hand and France on the other must show us that he was no Cassandra.
I agree with 100% if I'm honest!!! (his policies NOT his actions), 10 May 2008
The allies, Christians and Jews have been the ones to write the history books and have had an monopoly on our modern image of Hitler. 'Mein Kampf' was written by Hitler between the two wars and offers a view from the other side. So dont judge a man on his deeds until you hear his side of the story, and most importantly, WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF IT ALL. We all know what Hitler did, (we arent allowed to forget, as any mention of been proud to be white, we are quickly reminded!!)I recommend this book as it is a fascinating read (a little boring when he talks about German politics) but most of it is very good. Hitler talks about germans doing national service BEFORE earning citizenship. He talks about fighting terror with terror and blames abortions and Christianity for poor birth rates amongst germanic people and blames this and LIBERTY for Multi-culturalism and promotes the idea of a strong national dictator. He even talks a lot about England and the British Empire as he explains that he too wants to gain land for his own people by expanding his borders, not by colonising. He tells us that England had weakened herself by dividing our people through colonising the world and splitting up (I.e USA) and allowing ourselves to be conquored through peaceful immigration, losing our identity and connection to the mother land, England. England had an empire based on greed, Hitler wanted an empire to provide land for his RACE to prosper and multiply in a future 'possible' race war in Asia. (the English came from Germany, so this would have included us). He talks about England with great respect claiming England would be Germany's greatest ally in war making us invicable. All of this has been erased from history. (you aren't allowed to know this!!!!)
Hitler killed many people he saw as unworthy to breed (terrible- I know) but it was to provide a healthy nation for the future not just because of race hate. Hitler encouraged high birth rates amongst healthy German women whilst promoting mental and physical health and rejected city life for clean rural living providing an environment or healthy people to prosper. (look how fat and unhappy our kids are today) Sure he hated the Jews and blamed them for everything thats wrong with the world (read the book to find out why). Hitler rejects foreigners, partly because of rascism, but also to avoid mixing with other races into oblivion. And he was a cultured man who loved NATIVE germanic culture including the Pagan warrior religion of The ancient Germans, Vikings and my English/germanic anscestors. Hitler rejected globalisation to protect his race and national identity and so it is enivitable for us to become interested in Hitler as we see a rise in extremism against us, and we witness our own culture erased by newcomers. To put this in a modern context, Hitler wrote the book as he wanted to avoid what has happened to modern Britain and USA where its a sin to be proud of who we are, as we are too often branded as Rascists. Make your own mind up about Hitler and Nazism, try reading about it from the man himself.
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Customer Reviews
A good biography, 21 Sep 2008
I picked up the book as I wanted to watch the film. I always feel it is better to read a book then watch the movie to compare.
From the start I was drawn into the book. It is very easy to read and the details are just perfect. There are references to politics but thats a good break. Any intellect should be able to comprehend what is being described. The duchess valued politics so naturally the book should make references to it. There are references to political figures but they are refered to through out the book and you feel like you know them as well as the duchess and her family.
At times, I felt real sad for the duchess but at times I felt rather cross with her and her naivety; her gambling ways and her willingness to live with her husband's mistress. Even that in a way is very sad. She had to put up with it or she would have been forced to separate from her husband. In those days, the children remained with the father and his family if a couple separated or divorced. This meant, if Georgiana had separated from the duke, she would have been separated from the children too.
I could not put the book down once I had started. It was very good. I even thought about calling in sick at work to finish the book. I love my work so for a book to keep me away from my work says a lot about the book itself.
I would highly recommend it to anyone. A perfect biography.
Dissapointing, 20 Sep 2008
I was ready to have a great read about the rich and obviously interesting life of the duchess as they had just bought the movie out. I was dissapointed as the story was bogged down by long drawn out intervals of politics which was extreamly difficult to read and follow. There are many chararcters but they were never built up just breezed accross. Between these intervals you do get a sense of how and why she was so looked up to although to me it felt like something I was going to be tested on later not to be enjoyed. It could have been told much better in a more coherant manner and I was never drawn in or had much compassion for any of the characters I just didn't feel they had been introduced. I was a spectator and I love to be drawn in to the action.
So much more than a film tie in..., 10 Sep 2008
The film "The Duchess", while enjoyable enough, shouldn't be seen as simply the content of this book on screen. The book is a mere cupcake compared to the rich dark fruit cake of Foreman's biography!
Georgiana was married to the much older Duke of Devonshire at the age of 17, and during the rest of her life became a well known wit, fashion icon, political mover and shaker, and gambling and opium addict. Oh, and she also lived in a menage with her husband's mistress. Foreman charts the rise and fall of Georgiana's life, giving insight not only into the woman herself but the political and social word in which she lived.
Foreman's style is clear and illuminating, and the combination of clear-eyed historical detail and compassionate approach to her subject make this an unforgettable read.
A great disappointment, 12 Aug 2008
Although 'Georgiana' is competently written and well-researched, I am frankly amazed that it has achieved such massive success and popularity since its first publication ten years ago. As other reviewers have pointed out, it perhaps fulfills a useful purpose in putting women back in the 'front-line' of the eighteenth-century political scene but, speaking for myself, I found the exhaustive discussion of the ups-and-downs of the Whigs and Tories tedious in the extreme and an almost total turn-off. This was doubly disappointing, since the rave reviews had led me to expect so much more.
Strangely enough, the most engaging part of the book was the introduction, in which the author writes with real verve and enthusiasm of how she was first 'introduced' to the duchess and how her sympathy and interest grew to such an extent that a full-length biography seemed to be the natural and inevitable conclusion. Would that this enthusiasm had percolated through to the rest of her work which I found to be both turgid and dull. Comparisons have already been drawn to the infinitely warmer, livelier and more approachable biographies of Flora Fraser, Claire Tomalin and Stella Tillyard. Being very familar with the writing of all these authors, and a great fan to boot, I am left to wonder why THIS work should be so celebrated, so well-regarded - and, sad to say, so completely over-hyped.
Engaging, 07 May 2008
I have given this review 5 stars because I think the book is well researched and an engaging read. It easily moves through the early life of the duchess (who originates in the Spencer family) and her movement through 'the ton'. The author clearly highlights the role of a women in the regency type period - feminism was unheard of and yet here we have a woman influencing politics and refusing to be constrained by her gender. The only negative comment I can make (and this is not a reflection on the book at all) is that I am not sure that I would like Georgiana very much and whilst I have sympathy for her loveless marriage, I find it hard to find empathy for a woman who lived in to such excess when many women of the era would have been grateful for a fragment of the fortune she had.
A brilliant read, but a bit over political, 03 May 2007
I found this book absorbing from the minute I picked it up. Amanda Foreman managed to mix the political elaments with the more social side of her life, to keep it interesting and to keep our attention. Even though I had been warned that it was heavily political, I still found it managable. However, as the book came towards the end, I felt that maybe Amanda Foreman was being pressed by her publishers to get it finished or maybe she was restricted to a limited word count. It seemed to become very rushed, brushing over elements in her life that I felt should have been covered, such as 'Little G's' wedding, both daughters' period of being debutante's and her sister Harriet's affairs, which saw her baring more illegitimate children, instead of only focusing on her political attributes. Maybe it was simply due to the fact that there are little surviving sources, but the fact that the last chapters are only appromimatly 10 pages long stays alot! Overall, It's a good read and I do recommend it, but be prepared to read alot about 18th Century politics.
An exhaustively researched yet highly accessible book, 09 Jan 2005
I found this absolutely compelling; I simply couldn't put it down. I found the politcal angle paticularly absorbing; the extra juice was just an added bonus! I also loved how Foreman points the reader to the ironies which pepper Georgina's life.It's really got me hooked on 18thc social and political history. I'm lucky enough to have a history degree, but this book is so accessible you don't need one; Foreman just guides through giving you all extra info without sounding patronising. This has to be the best researched biography I've read... if only my academic reading was as fun.
a well-crafted, sympathetic and vivid portrayal, 21 Dec 2001
Clearly well-researched, this biography of one of the eighteenth century's most enigmatic figures conveys vividly the tumultous world of eighteenth century politics alongside that of Georgiana's private life. A pioneer in women's involvement in politics, her role as a campaigner and society hostess placed her in the centre of the Whig party throughout its years of opposition; prominent men instinctively sought her advice. As well as highlighting G's pivotal political role, Foreman succeeds in capturing the moral ambiguity of the age in the private dilemmas her heroine faces: a hopeless addiction to gaming, her husband's mistress being her best friend, forcing to choose between her lover and her children etc. Although from an age difficult to empathise with, Foreman never the less makes G and her world instantly accessible. An Interesting and insightful read.
A privilege to read, and a joy too, 01 Oct 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!
Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.
The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.
The whole book is delightful - a personal narrative by an extremely personable old man. I've read several first-hand accounts by Great War veterans before, but this is in a league all of its own, both for the scope of Henry's story, and for the engaging way he tells it.
I can't recommend this book too highly.
A fitting account of our hero...Well done Henry. Fantastic!!!!, 29 Sep 2008
I just love to read these accounts of the life of a true hero that has lived through numerous decades and gives us an insight into the d | | |