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 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.

Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.

For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.

History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.

A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.

I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.

I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!

This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)

A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.

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.

Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.

For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.

History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.

A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.

I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.

I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!

This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)

A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.

highly informative and a super read., 03 Oct 2008
After reading Robert Harris's novel Pompeii I was keen on gaining more knowledge about both the people and the town that was overcome by the eruption of Vesuvius , so this books publication allowed me that opportunity.

The amount of information conveyed is awesome and the life of the various citizen's of Pompeii is truly bought to life , the book is written in a scholarly way as befits a Cambridge Don but in no way does this get in the way , she paint's a fantastic picture of the place and it's culture , organisation and politics as well as spicing thing's up by many reference's to the sexual liberation of the era.

A very well written book and did everything I asked of it.

Changing views of Pompeii, 22 Sep 2008
There has always been, since the first discovery, conflict over the meaning of the archeological findings. Some texts are more rigid than others, for example the splendidly illustrated 'Complete Pompeii' by Berry. This new volume has a more laid back approach and all, or at least most, of ones long set assumptions are questioned. So, this is not a guide to carry round the site but a superb contemplation of how life in the town might have been, Like the "Triumph', Prof. Beard shakes the established ideas and stimulates. I found it hard to put down.

Time Travel back to 79AD, 22 Sep 2008
Professor Beard tells the tale of ancient Pompeii in a highly readable and authoritative way. Drawing from the work of historians and archaeologists present and past she transports the reader back to Pompeii's last days. Along the way assumptions are challenged about the number of brothels, or the date of the volcanic explosion which condemned the town into a memory. Wheel ruts and the rules of the road come alive. I suspect that a visit to Pompeii will never be the same again.

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.

Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.

For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.

History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.

A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.

I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.

I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!

This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)

A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.

highly informative and a super read., 03 Oct 2008
After reading Robert Harris's novel Pompeii I was keen on gaining more knowledge about both the people and the town that was overcome by the eruption of Vesuvius , so this books publication allowed me that opportunity.

The amount of information conveyed is awesome and the life of the various citizen's of Pompeii is truly bought to life , the book is written in a scholarly way as befits a Cambridge Don but in no way does this get in the way , she paint's a fantastic picture of the place and it's culture , organisation and politics as well as spicing thing's up by many reference's to the sexual liberation of the era.

A very well written book and did everything I asked of it.

Changing views of Pompeii, 22 Sep 2008
There has always been, since the first discovery, conflict over the meaning of the archeological findings. Some texts are more rigid than others, for example the splendidly illustrated 'Complete Pompeii' by Berry. This new volume has a more laid back approach and all, or at least most, of ones long set assumptions are questioned. So, this is not a guide to carry round the site but a superb contemplation of how life in the town might have been, Like the "Triumph', Prof. Beard shakes the established ideas and stimulates. I found it hard to put down.

Time Travel back to 79AD, 22 Sep 2008
Professor Beard tells the tale of ancient Pompeii in a highly readable and authoritative way. Drawing from the work of historians and archaeologists present and past she transports the reader back to Pompeii's last days. Along the way assumptions are challenged about the number of brothels, or the date of the volcanic explosion which condemned the town into a memory. Wheel ruts and the rules of the road come alive. I suspect that a visit to Pompeii will never be the same again.

Entertaining and informative, 07 Oct 2008
I really enjoyed this book . Obviously you can't expect to have a very detailed account of 2000 years of history in just over 500 pages, but I found it informative in that there were a lot of things I didn't know. OK, perhaps some of them weren't really worth knowing, and maybe the historica acuracy was questionable in places, but as a light-hearted 'potted history' I thought it worked well. Humour is very subjective and I see that several reviewers of this book didn't think it was at all funny, but I was quite amused and after I'd read out several 'funny bits' to my husband he decided he had to read it for himself. He wasn't as enthusiastic as me as he prefers more heavyweight reading, but I really enjoyed it. As someone else has said, history books can be very dry and boring and this was a refreshing change.

Not as funny as it thinks it is..., 21 Sep 2008
This book is not as funny as it thinks it is. In the preface the author claims it is very different from the classic 1066 and All That. I would agree. That one was funny and just the right length. This I found too long. About two thirds of the way through it was becoming a real slog. Yes, there were parts that made me snort with laughter, but by and large it was a bit tedious and I really had to dig in deep to force myself to finish it.

The history, man, 14 Sep 2008
It is a sad commentary on the teaching profession that so many English people find their own history so boring. The Irish, Welsh and Scots endlessly argue about their history and what it says about their current situation, but English people generally are pretty ignorant about what makes them, well, English. John O'Farrell has a mission to re-ignite some interest and understanding this actually quite gripping subject. He re he takes on the persona of an enthusiastic young-ish history teacher, probably wearing a wooly jumper, to re-tell the last 2000 years of British (or as he confesses, mostly English) history. He spices up the tale throughout with mock-dialogue, pop culture references and anachronous quips. Surprisingly this doesn't get wearing, though this is a long book. The story is fairly conventionally told, all kings and queens and great men, no space for revisionism and only odd flashes of explanation. Nonetheless it reads like a novel and throughout there is a firm insight into the arbitrary lottery of history. The book concludes at the end of the Second World War, undoubtedly Britain's `finest hour' and therefore on an upbeat and surprisingly nationalist note.

Accessible History, 12 Sep 2008
British history for me is endless dull school lessons spent gazing out of the window at the sports fields wishing I was out there. Don't ask me about what happened in the 1900 or so years of British history not covered by WWI, the industrial revolution or the cholera outbreak of the 1850s.

I have picked up and put down a number of different books on British history including Simon Schama's History of Britain and This Sceptred Isle, but have found them impenetrable never progressing beyond the Danelaw. This book however is very easy to read, (I am told) is accurate and funny (unfortunately all too rare in history books).

Tiresome, 05 Sep 2008
Just a pain to read - contains fake conversations throughout imagining what people might have said at the time. These are not funny and just get irritating. Missed opportunity.

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

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.

Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.

For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.

History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.

A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.

I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.

I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!

This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)

A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.

highly informative and a super read., 03 Oct 2008
After reading Robert Harris's novel Pompeii I was keen on gaining more knowledge about both the people and the town that was overcome by the eruption of Vesuvius , so this books publication allowed me that opportunity.

The amount of information conveyed is awesome and the life of the various citizen's of Pompeii is truly bought to life , the book is written in a scholarly way as befits a Cambridge Don but in no way does this get in the way , she paint's a fantastic picture of the place and it's culture , organisation and politics as well as spicing thing's up by many reference's to the sexual liberation of the era.

A very well written book and did everything I asked of it.

Changing views of Pompeii, 22 Sep 2008
There has always been, since the first discovery, conflict over the meaning of the archeological findings. Some texts are more rigid than others, for example the splendidly illustrated 'Complete Pompeii' by Berry. This new volume has a more laid back approach and all, or at least most, of ones long set assumptions are questioned. So, this is not a guide to carry round the site but a superb contemplation of how life in the town might have been, Like the "Triumph', Prof. Beard shakes the established ideas and stimulates. I found it hard to put down.

Time Travel back to 79AD, 22 Sep 2008
Professor Beard tells the tale of ancient Pompeii in a highly readable and authoritative way. Drawing from the work of historians and archaeologists present and past she transports the reader back to Pompeii's last days. Along the way assumptions are challenged about the number of brothels, or the date of the volcanic explosion which condemned the town into a memory. Wheel ruts and the rules of the road come alive. I suspect that a visit to Pompeii will never be the same again.

Entertaining and informative, 07 Oct 2008
I really enjoyed this book . Obviously you can't expect to have a very detailed account of 2000 years of history in just over 500 pages, but I found it informative in that there were a lot of things I didn't know. OK, perhaps some of them weren't really worth knowing, and maybe the historica acuracy was questionable in places, but as a light-hearted 'potted history' I thought it worked well. Humour is very subjective and I see that several reviewers of this book didn't think it was at all funny, but I was quite amused and after I'd read out several 'funny bits' to my husband he decided he had to read it for himself. He wasn't as enthusiastic as me as he prefers more heavyweight reading, but I really enjoyed it. As someone else has said, history books can be very dry and boring and this was a refreshing change.

Not as funny as it thinks it is..., 21 Sep 2008
This book is not as funny as it thinks it is. In the preface the author claims it is very different from the classic 1066 and All That. I would agree. That one was funny and just the right length. This I found too long. About two thirds of the way through it was becoming a real slog. Yes, there were parts that made me snort with laughter, but by and large it was a bit tedious and I really had to dig in deep to force myself to finish it.

The history, man, 14 Sep 2008
It is a sad commentary on the teaching profession that so many English people find their own history so boring. The Irish, Welsh and Scots endlessly argue about their history and what it says about their current situation, but English people generally are pretty ignorant about what makes them, well, English. John O'Farrell has a mission to re-ignite some interest and understanding this actually quite gripping subject. He re he takes on the persona of an enthusiastic young-ish history teacher, probably wearing a wooly jumper, to re-tell the last 2000 years of British (or as he confesses, mostly English) history. He spices up the tale throughout with mock-dialogue, pop culture references and anachronous quips. Surprisingly this doesn't get wearing, though this is a long book. The story is fairly conventionally told, all kings and queens and great men, no space for revisionism and only odd flashes of explanation. Nonetheless it reads like a novel and throughout there is a firm insight into the arbitrary lottery of history. The book concludes at the end of the Second World War, undoubtedly Britain's `finest hour' and therefore on an upbeat and surprisingly nationalist note.

Accessible History, 12 Sep 2008
British history for me is endless dull school lessons spent gazing out of the window at the sports fields wishing I was out there. Don't ask me about what happened in the 1900 or so years of British history not covered by WWI, the industrial revolution or the cholera outbreak of the 1850s.

I have picked up and put down a number of different books on British history including Simon Schama's History of Britain and This Sceptred Isle, but have found them impenetrable never progressing beyond the Danelaw. This book however is very easy to read, (I am told) is accurate and funny (unfortunately all too rare in history books).

Tiresome, 05 Sep 2008
Just a pain to read - contains fake conversations throughout imagining what people might have said at the time. These are not funny and just get irritating. Missed opportunity.

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 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.

Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.

For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.

History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.

A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.

I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.

I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!

This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)

A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.

highly informative and a super read., 03 Oct 2008
After reading Robert Harris's novel Pompeii I was keen on gaining more knowledge about both the people and the town that was overcome by the eruption of Vesuvius , so this books publication allowed me that opportunity.

The amount of information conveyed is awesome and the life of the various citizen's of Pompeii is truly bought to life , the book is written in a scholarly way as befits a Cambridge Don but in no way does this get in the way , she paint's a fantastic picture of the place and it's culture , organisation and politics as well as spicing thing's up by many reference's to the sexual liberation of the era.

A very well written book and did everything I asked of it.

Changing views of Pompeii, 22 Sep 2008
There has always been, since the first discovery, conflict over the meaning of the archeological findings. Some texts are more rigid than others, for example the splendidly illustrated 'Complete Pompeii' by Berry. This new volume has a more laid back approach and all, or at least most, of ones long set assumptions are questioned. So, this is not a guide to carry round the site but a superb contemplation of how life in the town might have been, Like the "Triumph', Prof. Beard shakes the established ideas and stimulates. I found it hard to put down.

Time Travel back to 79AD, 22 Sep 2008
Professor Beard tells the tale of ancient Pompeii in a highly readable and authoritative way. Drawing from the work of historians and archaeologists present and past she transports the reader back to Pompeii's last days. Along the way assumptions are challenged about the number of brothels, or the date of the volcanic explosion which condemned the town into a memory. Wheel ruts and the rules of the road come alive. I suspect that a visit to Pompeii will never be the same again.

Entertaining and informative, 07 Oct 2008
I really enjoyed this book . Obviously you can't expect to have a very detailed account of 2000 years of history in just over 500 pages, but I found it informative in that there were a lot of things I didn't know. OK, perhaps some of them weren't really worth knowing, and maybe the historica acuracy was questionable in places, but as a light-hearted 'potted history' I thought it worked well. Humour is very subjective and I see that several reviewers of this book didn't think it was at all funny, but I was quite amused and after I'd read out several 'funny bits' to my husband he decided he had to read it for himself. He wasn't as enthusiastic as me as he prefers more heavyweight reading, but I really enjoyed it. As someone else has said, history books can be very dry and boring and this was a refreshing change.

Not as funny as it thinks it is..., 21 Sep 2008
This book is not as funny as it thinks it is. In the preface the author claims it is very different from the classic 1066 and All That. I would agree. That one was funny and just the right length. This I found too long. About two thirds of the way through it was becoming a real slog. Yes, there were parts that made me snort with laughter, but by and large it was a bit tedious and I really had to dig in deep to force myself to finish it.

The history, man, 14 Sep 2008
It is a sad commentary on the teaching profession that so many English people find their own history so boring. The Irish, Welsh and Scots endlessly argue about their history and what it says about their current situation, but English people generally are pretty ignorant about what makes them, well, English. John O'Farrell has a mission to re-ignite some interest and understanding this actually quite gripping subject. He re he takes on the persona of an enthusiastic young-ish history teacher, probably wearing a wooly jumper, to re-tell the last 2000 years of British (or as he confesses, mostly English) history. He spices up the tale throughout with mock-dialogue, pop culture references and anachronous quips. Surprisingly this doesn't get wearing, though this is a long book. The story is fairly conventionally told, all kings and queens and great men, no space for revisionism and only odd flashes of explanation. Nonetheless it reads like a novel and throughout there is a firm insight into the arbitrary lottery of history. The book concludes at the end of the Second World War, undoubtedly Britain's `finest hour' and therefore on an upbeat and surprisingly nationalist note.

Accessible History, 12 Sep 2008
British history for me is endless dull school lessons spent gazing out of the window at the sports fields wishing I was out there. Don't ask me about what happened in the 1900 or so years of British history not covered by WWI, the industrial revolution or the cholera outbreak of the 1850s.

I have picked up and put down a number of different books on British history including Simon Schama's History of Britain and This Sceptred Isle, but have found them impenetrable never progressing beyond the Danelaw. This book however is very easy to read, (I am told) is accurate and funny (unfortunately all too rare in history books).

Tiresome, 05 Sep 2008
Just a pain to read - contains fake conversations throughout imagining what people might have said at the time. These are not funny and just get irritating. Missed opportunity.

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.

Beautiful and necessary, 07 Sep 2008
A fascinating book about the interior lives of ordinary Russians during the Stalinist period. Based on hundreds of family archives and several thousand interviews with survivors, it tells us more about the Soviet system than any other book I know. Beautifully written, it is a rich and deeply moving history, universal in its themes, which leaves the reader awed, humbled, yet uplifted by the book's humanity. Figes takes us into 'whispered' lives, going again and again to specific people with names and families, to reveal the human suffering, the personal betrayals and moral compromises, the acts of love and kindness, and the sheer resilience that defined private lives in the Stalin period. The opportunity to hear these Russians speak of these things as individuals, in their own voices, is overwhelming, and a gift to all of us. Orlando Figes visits their ordeals with enormous compassion, and he brings their history to life with his superb story-telling skills. I hope he writes forever.

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.

Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.

For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.

History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.

A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.

I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.

I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!

This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)

A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.

highly informative and a super read., 03 Oct 2008
After reading Robert Harris's novel Pompeii I was keen on gaining more knowledge about both the people and the town that was overcome by the eruption of Vesuvius , so this books publication allowed me that opportunity.

The amount of information conveyed is awesome and the life of the various citizen's of Pompeii is truly bought to life , the book is written in a scholarly way as befits a Cambridge Don but in no way does this get in the way , she paint's a fantastic picture of the place and it's culture , organisation and politics as well as spicing thing's up by many reference's to the sexual liberation of the era.

A very well written book and did everything I asked of it.

Changing views of Pompeii, 22 Sep 2008
There has always been, since the first discovery, conflict over the meaning of the archeological findings. Some texts are more rigid than others, for example the splendidly illustrated 'Complete Pompeii' by Berry. This new volume has a more laid back approach and all, or at least most, of ones long set assumptions are questioned. So, this is not a guide to carry round the site but a superb contemplation of how life in the town might have been, Like the "Triumph', Prof. Beard shakes the established ideas and stimulates. I found it hard to put down.

Time Travel back to 79AD, 22 Sep 2008
Professor Beard tells the tale of ancient Pompeii in a highly readable and authoritative way. Drawing from the work of historians and archaeologists present and past she transports the reader back to Pompeii's last days. Along the way assumptions are challenged about the number of brothels, or the date of the volcanic explosion which condemned the town into a memory. Wheel ruts and the rules of the road come alive. I suspect that a visit to Pompeii will never be the same again.

Entertaining and informative, 07 Oct 2008
I really enjoyed this book . Obviously you can't expect to have a very detailed account of 2000 years of history in just over 500 pages, but I found it informative in that there were a lot of things I didn't know. OK, perhaps some of them weren't really worth knowing, and maybe the historica acuracy was questionable in places, but as a light-hearted 'potted history' I thought it worked well. Humour is very subjective and I see that several reviewers of this book didn't think it was at all funny, but I was quite amused and after I'd read out several 'funny bits' to my husband he decided he had to read it for himself. He wasn't as enthusiastic as me as he prefers more heavyweight reading, but I really enjoyed it. As someone else has said, history books can be very dry and boring and this was a refreshing change.

Not as funny as it thinks it is..., 21 Sep 2008
This book is not as funny as it thinks it is. In the preface the author claims it is very different from the classic 1066 and All That. I would agree. That one was funny and just the right length. This I found too long. About two thirds of the way through it was becoming a real slog. Yes, there were parts that made me snort with laughter, but by and large it was a bit tedious and I really had to dig in deep to force myself to finish it.

The history, man, 14 Sep 2008
It is a sad commentary on the teaching profession that so many English people find their own history so boring. The Irish, Welsh and Scots endlessly argue about their history and what it says about their current situation, but English people generally are pretty ignorant about what makes them, well, English. John O'Farrell has a mission to re-ignite some interest and understanding this actually quite gripping subject. He re he takes on the persona of an enthusiastic young-ish history teacher, probably wearing a wooly jumper, to re-tell the last 2000 years of British (or as he confesses, mostly English) history. He spices up the tale throughout with mock-dialogue, pop culture references and anachronous quips. Surprisingly this doesn't get wearing, though this is a long book. The story is fairly conventionally told, all kings and queens and great men, no space for revisionism and only odd flashes of explanation. Nonetheless it reads like a novel and throughout there is a firm insight into the arbitrary lottery of history. The book concludes at the end of the Second World War, undoubtedly Britain's `finest hour' and therefore on an upbeat and surprisingly nationalist note.

Accessible History, 12 Sep 2008
British history for me is endless dull school lessons spent gazing out of the window at the sports fields wishing I was out there. Don't ask me about what happened in the 1900 or so years of British history not covered by WWI, the industrial revolution or the cholera outbreak of the 1850s.

I have picked up and put down a number of different books on British history including Simon Schama's History of Britain and This Sceptred Isle, but have found them impenetrable never progressing beyond the Danelaw. This book however is very easy to read, (I am told) is accurate and funny (unfortunately all too rare in history books).

Tiresome, 05 Sep 2008
Just a pain to read - contains fake conversations throughout imagining what people might have said at the time. These are not funny and just get irritating. Missed opportunity.

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.

Beautiful and necessary, 07 Sep 2008
A fascinating book about the interior lives of ordinary Russians during the Stalinist period. Based on hundreds of family archives and several thousand interviews with survivors, it tells us more about the Soviet system than any other book I know. Beautifully written, it is a rich and deeply moving history, universal in its themes, which leaves the reader awed, humbled, yet uplifted by the book's humanity. Figes takes us into 'whispered' lives, going again and again to specific people with names and families, to reveal the human suffering, the personal betrayals and moral compromises, the acts of love and kindness, and the sheer resilience that defined private lives in the Stalin period. The opportunity to hear these Russians speak of these things as individuals, in their own voices, is overwhelming, and a gift to all of us. Orlando Figes visits their ordeals with enormous compassion, and he brings their history to life with his superb story-telling skills. I hope he writes forever.

Fascinating insight into the lost tribes of France, 05 Oct 2008
A Francophile with a penchant for learning about France while taking cycling holidays there, Robb has written a brilliant evocation of a lost world, when most inhabitants of France from outside the Paris region did not speak French and did not think of themselves as being French, and then an equally fascinating story of how the railway and the bicycle allowed the French state to impose "Frenchness" on the country. The book draws on evidence mostly from pre-revolutionary France, but with enough from the nineteenth century to support the thesis that it was late nineteenth century technology that made the difference. The storied are fascinating - I was particularly amused to read of a (mildish) torture called "putting on pressure" that Breton women visited on men that they caught alone, and of the fact that in creating the shrine at Lourdes that village put another local place of pilgrimage out of business. You also discover that the original Tour de France was a series of circuits by artisan journeymen and that France had its own caste of "untouchables", the cagots.

If I think that there is any deficiency it is that there is no sense of connection between these simple, sometime primitive, often poor people and any kind of larger society. Most of these people would have had landlords, and not all would have been absentee ones. Even if they did not think of themselves as French, they would have known, and have had mutual bonds of obligation to, people who did. France, after all, produced enormous armies of conscripts throughout the revolutionary wars, and France was generally regarded as the richest country in continental Europe.

As an Brit reading this book one is bound to wonder whether the same could have been said of the British population at the same time, or whether Britain changed earlier, perhaps, because it is smaller and because enclosure changed the nature of agricultural society more even than industrialisation. Perhaps Mr Robb ought to start taking cycle touring holidays in Britain?


Fascinating. Eclectic. Readable., 07 Aug 2008
This is one of the most enjoyable books i have read in recent years, written in a wonderful accessible style, it contains marvellous detail, and unusual facts about all aspects of France. This is really a first class book, and a great summer read.

Discover the real France, 30 Jul 2008
Graham Robb is a serious scholar. He has written books on Balzac, Rimbaud, Victor Hugo and Baudelaire. This list also suggests another academic and personal passion - France. He earned a PhD in French literature at Vanderbilt University after his degree in modern languages at Oxford, and has since excelled as a writer. This is a rare fusion of scholarly research and revelatory fact, written in an accessible but highly literate and engaging style.

The book is quite difficult to pigeonhole. It is at times a travel book, based on Robb's own personal experience of cycling around France and getting a feel for the immensity of what the pre-industrial nation would have been. It is also an anthropological study of the French, and the development of the nation through history. In fact the central thesis, that the idea of a French nation is a purely modern conceit, occupies much of the book. Robb then sets out to describe what the modern republic replaced. The migrations of peoples, the intricate network of towns, villages and regions, the Babel tongued array of languages and dialects, the cast of untouchables and the tenuous attachment to Paris and royal control.

It is a biography of the French people, an erudite, if potted, ramble through folklore, local history, linguistics and sociology. Perhaps most startling is that the book manages to amaze on every page with facts that even those conversant with French history would be intrigued with. This is a history of the ordinary people, of the rhythms and nature of everyday life. It is an account of a nation held together by the loosest of binds, where the Paris elite could barely travel and expect to be understood outside the Ile de France.

This is at the heart of the book. Robb considers that the bulk of history written on France starts from the central conceit that Paris, king and court were somehow representative or integral to the rest of France. He demonstrates this falsehood with startling stories, from the existence and experience of an outcast group, the Cagot to the original `tour de France', conducted on foot by the apprentice bands of craftsmen and covering the vast internal migrations of workers, the daily grind and difficulty of peasant life, and the experience of those `explorers' who ventured into this misunderstood hinterland, are revealed in a delicious and gripping text.

If I was to be glib I could say this was a Bill Bryson for the literary set, but this would diminish both Robb and Bryson's work. It is a unique and fascinating ramble through French history, with a strong central argument that modern France, and with it the modern French, are a singularly modern creation. This was built over the rich and intricate patchwork of local and regional identities, which, Robb manages to argue with an erudite conviction, were far more interesting and noteworthy entities.

Robb won the 1997 Whitbread Book Award for best biography with Victor Hugo and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Rimbaud in 2001. I expect this book to win even greater praise. This was easily my non-fiction book recommendation of the year for 2007, and is a book I will return to. It was revelatory, lucid and vivid. Anyone with an interest in France, or in history, will be well served by getting this book as soon as possible.

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.

Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant f