No comments about The Biography of Florence Nightingale.

4 comments about Mrs. Keppel and Her Daughter.

1. After having read this book, I can't stop thinking about it and pondering what makes us happy in life. The people in this story, constrained by the morals of their time, sought happiness through influence, fame, wealth, and sexual relationships with varying success. Today, although our society is more open and free, achieving happiness is still a challenging business. As I read about Violet Trefusis' unhappy life, I wondered how different it would have been had Vita Sackville-West eloped with her. What if their times had been more accepting of openly homosexual relationships. What if Violet had been able to live within the lie of her marriage. If this story had played out today, could it have ended with happiness for Violet. Are things so different for us today.

   Souhami's version of the affair between Violet and Vita leaves one feeling angry and annoyed at Vita. If Vita had been honest about their relationship, Violet may have learned to accept her life without the possiblity of a long term relationship with Vita. Violet may have healed emotionally and been able to get back on track in life. Instead, Souhamis portrays Violet as a victim and her life damaged by her unrequited passion for Vita. Vita held out false hopes to Violet by waffling and lying to Violet about their relationship, while actually having no intention of ever leaving her marriage. Vita was not very honest and if she had been a man, she would have been called a cad.

   I plan on re-reading A Portrait of a Marriage to see if Vita can change my mind. But my first reading of that book several years ago left me unconvinced and Souhamis has written an interesting and convincing portrait of Violet as the victim.

   I highly recommend this book. This is a story about human relationships - husband/wife, mother/daughter, lover/loved, not just the lesbian relationship between Violet and Vita. It is about how these people were able to resolve (or not) the many issues in their lives and the kind of happiness they achieved.




2. Most of us are commoner, middle class and heterosexual. We don't give thought to other worlds until something strange happens--the murder of Versace or the death of Princess Diana. This book lifts up the rug on these two worlds and allows us to glimpse at something quite alien from our own. Beneath the upper crust of society there is a social dictum that allows the rich and the well-connected to be "doing it and excusing it" as long as it's done with discretion. Behind the facade of certain marriages are gay people in hiding--arranged marriages of convenience. It is a social hypocrisy that didn't start with the Edwardian era but it certainly continues through today. Billed as a double bio, this book is more the biography of Violet Trefusis, lesbian daughter of Alice Keppel, King Edward VII's mistress and the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker-Bowles. But to tell the story of Violet, one must understand Alice and the Edwardian social set. This story is a tour through strange worlds indeed, richly told with text from the letters and published works of the main characters. This is biography that gives you the pathos of real people. Diana Souhami tries to balance the scales by telling the story of the famous lesbian affair between Vita Sackville-West and Violet Trefusis from Violet's point of view. One feels sorry for Violet but also annoyed. How long does it take for Violet to accept that Vita isn't willing to commit to their relationship? Violet, the victim, is a self-deceiving at best, dense at worst. Violet hasn't inherited her mother's ability to make the best of whatever social situation she's in. That's the ultimate tragedy of it. The hypocrisy of society will be with us forever. Only the strong learn to use it to their advantage. It's a lesson we all learn, whatever our place in this world.



3. This is a terrific read. I couldn't put the book down. It doesn't have Violet Keppel Trefusis in the title but it is essentially about her and this is why I bought the book here on Amazon. It is the first book I read beyond Vita Sackville-West's own memoire of her relationship with Violet; this was published in Nigel Nicolson's 'Portrait of a Marriage' in 1973 - shortly after Violet's death in 1972. Like 'Portrait of a Marriage', the book only really comes (startlingly) alive when we get to the affair with Vita that was cut short to avoid public scandal. Violet was ostracised by English high society and would move to Paris in an unhappy marriage with Denys Trefusis to rebuild her life. The affair with Vita is the book's tour de force. The book draws from a wide range of references and Souhami's own valuable research which gives new insights. It includes excellent portraits of the main actors, Violet's extraordinary childhood, the hypocritical Edwardian values and conventions - exemplified by the pragmatic Alice Keppel- that Violet found so offensive. And, Violet and Vita's powerful, beloved, trust fund controlling mothers - Alice Keppel and Victoria Sackville.
   
   The book firmly sides with Violet and balances the negativity of the Nicolson view of Violet as a dangerous and even evil seductress. Souhami makes Violet's tragedy painfully palpable. Vita on the other hand is not treated sympathetically. There are two sides to every story and this is Souhami's defense of Violet.
   
   Souhami rushes through Violet's later life (in Paris and Florence) offering selected vignettes of Violet as a troubled, perhaps deluded woman who was 'unaware of the figure she cut'. She says 'Her messiness, her chaos, her constant painting of her face, seemed to signal inner distress.' How far Violet might have been damaged by the consequences of her relationship with Vita, her isolation and alienation (she was different in many ways and could not 'fit in'), and her sometimes violent marriage with Denys is unknown. Souhami provides no analysis but she provides information; readers have to make their own judgement.
   
   After the near public disaster of her failed relationship with Vita, it couldn't have been easy to 'be' Violet; her armoured bombastic,'camp' public personality purposely hid too much of the sensitivity of her true self. She would never put herself at emotional risk again. What was left was a too colourful, too strident, too clever (very well read and multi-lingual but not, being born in 1894, University educated), self-indulgent take me or leave me woman; she drew strong reactions. She regained the love of her mother. She lived in the sensation of the moment because it was too painful to look back. She played at romance but would never totally commit herself again. She was a talented writer but never fulfilled her potential. She was generous, witty, mischievous and fun-loving. She was fantastical and wrapped herself up in half truths. She was happiest, away from the strictures and demands of Parisian and Florentine high society, in the enclosed freedom of her tower at St. Loup with her intimate friends. Vita visited and felt very much that she was in a 'spiritual home'.
   
   Despite the different sadnesses that haunt this book, Souhami also has a good eye for comedy and the absurd and I laughed out loud on a few occasions. When I finished the book, I missed Violet and went on to find out more about her - some of which I reflect here. This is a compliment to Souhami as well as to Violet who I admire despite her flaws. Violet had a great sense of humour and an infectious joie de vivre, she was before her time and classless in many ways. Self analytical, she acknowledged her flaws and failures. She had a keen, sometimes scornful, ironic eye and a keen, sometimes scornful, sense of the irony of her own life. Vita would describe Violet as dangerous but worthy to her son Ben just before he was about to meet her; even Vita could be tongue tied when describing her! Some of the other reviews here are critical of Violet; I find her fascinating in a good way.
   
   This is the best record of Violet's life. I would recommend that it be read alongside 'Violet to Vita' (her letters) and her memoire 'Don't Look Around' from which the reader can judge for themselves the big gap between her early private and later public persona. 'Violet Trefusis' by Philippe Jullian and John Phillips, the Eve section of Vita Sackville-West's 'Challenge' and Violet's novels 'Broderie Anglaise' and 'Hunt the Slipper' are also valuable references. All are available on Amazon USA and UK at good prices.
   



4. Alice, Mrs.George Keppel, known in Court circles as "Little Mrs.George", was the mistress of Edward the 7th for many years, until his death. It's a well known story that Queen Alexandra sent for her to attend the death bed of her husband, but what I hadn't known before is that Edward had sent Alice a letter, years before, expressing his wish that she might be allowed to say goodbye in the event of his approaching death. She'd kept this letter which she sent to the Queen, virtually forcing her to accede to his wishes. With this same determination and strength, she proved herself to be the perfect mistress for Edward, always ready and willing to satisfy his appetites and, at the same time, using his influence to acquire enormous wealth and social prestige. At that time in the beginning of the 20th century, the position of Royal Mistress was still held to be a position of social esteem, providing, and this was a BIG proviso, that the affair was handled with absolute privacy and tact, and with no hint of scandal. Alice's daughter, Violet, whose parentage was uncertain, was another matter. In her teenage and early years, she conducted a violently passionate love affair with Vita Sackville-West which lasted for some years until her possessiveness proved too much for Vita. This book will be fascinating for history buffs as it gives a wonderful insight into the morals and mores of Edwardian times, which Violet found to be hypocritical but which allowed people who were often married for convenience and to propagate family lines, to live their lives with a semblance of normality. Violet was a supremely self absorbed woman and, like many of her class at that time, idle and self indulgent through a lack of purpose, except her own pleasure. I found it to be a marvellous read.

5 comments about Queen Mary 1867-1953.

1. Once in awhile I can judge a book by its cover-I have now owned a copy for 11 years and I also re-read it once a year or so. Mr Pope-Hennessey does a brilliant job bringing a huge cast of charachters to life, and Queen Mary herself is a fascinating study in early 20th century womanhood. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about women in the royal family. All the elements are there, in great detail-but don't expect dirt digging. But you will not be dissappointed!



2. While it's not the fashion these days for biographers to betray afffection for their subjects, James Pope-Hennessy clearly held his in the highest regard. Although born into the fringes of Germano-British royalty, the one-time May of Teck was, by the end of her long life, an icon of British life (she pops up in the oddest places, from a cameo as a waving hand in Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" to a recent BBC film in which she is portrayed by Miranda Richardson as the mother of what we would now call a "differently abled" child).
   
   Pope-Hennessy's biography is at once a respectful portrait of the Queen and a fascinating glimpse into royal life between the Crimean and Second World Wars. It bristles with colorful supporting characters, from the spiteful Lady Geraldine Somerset (whose fly-on-the-wall perspective as a lady-in-waiting gave ample room for her spleen) to the Queen's doting aunt, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg Strelitz, to the exceedingly patient Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, who had the dubious honor of hosting the elderly queen during her wartime evacuation from London. Presiding over them all is the vast and benevolent Princess Mary Adelaide, the Queen's mother and a memorable figure in her own right. The author bids farewell to the Princess in a lyric passage that would seem at home in Woolf and that, as a teenager first reading the book, made me weep.
   
   With lengthy excerpts from letters and other primary sources, unfailingly acute and frequently amusing observations of the foibles of royalty and those around them, and, in the end, a remarkably balanced view of the Queen, this book is both a model of how an authorized biography can be written and an invaluable resource for those interested not just in the life of one woman but in the times in which she lived.



3. Before I read this biography I had no interest in the Victorians, didn't think much of the Royal Family and thought all biographies were boring. This book changed all that. It was the story of a remarkable life, well told, and it covers an important period in history it was good to read- in fact, it deserves to rank as the best biography ever written, even though it's 47 years old!



4. After all the gleaming reviews of this book, and because of my interest in the Windsor Royal Family, I read this book with initial relish, and growing ill-ease. It is pure hagiography, the besotted official biographer writes well, and with great love of his subject, but there in no real study of the character of the woman, nor the impact on her of the abdication crisis; no sense of the Queen having the slightest character flaws, or any strong life experiences. What was her voice like: did she have a non-English accent; what about the anti-German sentiment in the country during WWI how did she deal with it? Nothing of this nature was discussed in any detail in this book. It is official court writing; and if you think that that tells you anything insightful or perceptive, then you might like this book. It was all right, but so much was left out that it could have been around 100 pages and could have told this same story. After reading it I feel I know very little about anything other than garden parties, trips to the Continent to visit a beloved aunt, and that the Queen was generally a nice but just moderately intelligent person. I am not looking for shocking details such as the euthanizing of her husband or how she treated her children, but some verisimilitude on real life issues would have been nice. This is evidence that court approved and appointed biographers don't tell very much of the story.



5. I have owned this book for nearly three decades and have read it several times, and each time is a joy. This book. by far, has to be one of the best "official" biographies of a monarch. When it first came out in 1959/1960 it was a bestseller on both sides of the pond as they say. Take a few hours with it and you will see why. You won't be disappointed!
   
   James Pope-Hennessy does a brilliant job of evoking the life and times of this dignified lady. This book was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II so therefore Mr. Pope-Hennessy had access to all the royal files as well as to the people that knew Queen Mary best. While the book is exhaustive it is by no means dull as the author is a fine writer and knows how to spin a tale. The reader will be enchanted by stories of the young princess growing up as well as inspired by her stalwart devotion as consort during some of the most tumultuous times in England's history. I defy any reader not feel the proverbial lump in their throat when near the end of her life, Queen Mary, aged and infirm, stands at attention as her son's (George VI) coffin passes the palace and utters the phrase, "There he goes," as tears roll down her cheek.
   
   From Mary herself, to her entertaining mother The Duchess of Teck, to the tragic Prince Eddy, to King George V and finally King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Mary's circle comes to life through anecdote after anecdote. The author also has a fine feel for the eras that surrouded Queen Mary: Victorian, Edwardian, WWI and WWII and into the modern age.
   
   Some people have referred to this book as hagiography--a word I detest. It is ironic that what was once considered a brilliant work is today thought of in such light. Actually QUEEN MARY is biography the way biography used to be and still should be. Today there is to much emphasis on the inner thoughts of the subject (if an author does that then doesn't the nook become fiction) to all the salacious details that can be unearthed. I have often wondered why people write about someone just to tear them down.
   
   While Pope-Hennessy does a great job unravelling the life of George V's consort he doesn't resort to any kind of analysis of the woman, which would have been impossible as he did not know her. Therefore the reader is treated to a great story without all that armchair psychology that often bogs down royal biographies today. Sadly, this seems to have become the vogue in this genre in the late 1990s when all those books were written about the late Princess Diana of Wales and members of the House of Windsor.
   
   QUEEN MARY is the chronicle of a remarkable woman and remarkable times that is told with respect and objectivity. The fact that it is still in print says alot about the book itself. If you love history and royalty, and want to read a great biography as the genre should be written, sit down and have a cup of tea with QUEEN MARY, you'll be glad you did.
   ----Michael J. Powazinik

5 comments about Boswell's Presumptuous Task: The Making of the Life of Dr. Johnson.

1. Boswell's Presumptious Task (The Making of the Life of Dr. Johson) is an examination of a biographer creating a biography, or, in this case, THE biographer creating THE biography. This book is itself not quite a biography as it concentrates mainly, although not exclusively, on Boswell's life as it pertains to the creation of his book. It is also not a careful examination of the book Boswell wrote itself. Instead, it is a fascinating view of the human interactions, both between subject and author, but also those between the author and his sources before and after Johnson's death, that went into the creating process. The literary masterpiece that came to be the Life of Johnson was born out of the social and cultural mileau both men enjoyed in London and this is well recreated in this book. This is a readable, sometimes funny, sometimes touching book.



2. What more is there to say. Either you like non-fiction, or you don't. Don't expect to be reading anything other than a magnificent biography, the best I've ever read.



3. I thought this was an outstanding dual biography of Dr Johnson and James Boswell. I marveled continuously at how carefully and thoughtfully Sisman describes the selvages and biases of the cloth of these two writers' lives without unraveling them. The writing itself is exemplary. Sisman's book, along with Tomalin's biography of Pepys, are among the best biographies in recent memory.



4. I've never read the biography written by Mr. Boswell about his friend Dr. Johnson, but having finished this extremely well-written book concerning it, I am willing to give it a try. I've heard of Sam Johnson of course (what literary person has not), but knew really next to nothing about him, except that his biography was written by Boswell. Now this book has revealed in all its detail how that book came to be written, and it has sparked my great interest. That is the highest compliment which a reader can pay to an author, that his work has led the reader to another writing, based solely upon what the reader learned in the first book. Hats off to Mr. Sisman for a job well done!



5. This book tells the story of the greatest biographical masterpiece in the English language. In the course of it we learn to appreciate the skill, dedication, persistence and great art of Boswell. This is Sisman's description of Boswell as he wrote the life :
   
   "The story of Boswell's life as he wrote the epic Life of Johnson is itself an epic: in the process Boswell experienced an extraordinary degree of exhilaration and depression, pride, humiliation, confidence, doubt, satisfaction, hurt, loneliness, disillusionment and grief." A man of great ambition, Boswell had little to show for his efforts at the time of Johnson's death. Writing the biography "was his last hope of achieving anything worthwhile."
   
   But Boswell through his great diligence, his careful noting down of the words of his great friend, his artful reshaping of much of what he heard, his willingness to tell not simply of virtues but of faults, his ability to present the whole man, succeeded in giving the world the picture of the Great Cham which attracts and moves us to this day. Gruff, easily made irritable, but capable of incredible kindness, always fierce and fast in his remarks, tremendously knowledgeable, a loyal friend, the master maker of the Dictionary, Johnson is presented by Boswell as a fully rounded character.
   Sisman gives the background to the lives of these two giants of English Literature. He focuses on Boswell's preparation for the work and his ongoing method of execution. He reveals in details the way one great masterpiece of world- literature was made by someone often derided by those of his own time.

5 comments about Roosevelt and Churchill: Men of Secrets.

1. An enjoyable account of the circumstances that brought the two men together, and the relationship that they forged.

   Often political friendships form out of necessity and mutual self interest. And that is obvious in this case.

   But the fact that the two most remarkable and influential men (in a positive sense) were to forge such an important relationship makes for great reading.




2. In the beginning of the war, Roosevelt sensed that Churchill even before he became Prime Minister would be important to the war effort. As time went on these men united by a fear of Hitler these men became friends as well as comrades in arms. This book explores there relationship though a rather unique perspective their intelligence departments. It explores how they got their intelligence and what they did with the knowledge that they gained from it. Despite their friendship the used it to advance the agenda of what they wanted for their own countries. At times their intelligence departments actually came into conflict as they both had different hopes and ambitions. As the war progressed these difference became more important.

   I found the book very easy to read. Full of information that although I am a WW2 fanatic I have never seen before. I can recommend this book if you want to learn about the relationship of between these two men.




3. I really enjoyed this book, not because I enjoy reading about FDR all that much, but because it gives so much new information about how he prosecuted the war -- and because it does the same for Churchill, one of my most favorite flawed heroes. The author makes many points about what each knew, but would not tell the other, how at times both men knew that the other knew, but withheld, information, etc., and how they played their parts (and one another) in the delicate diplomatic dance in light of these things.

   While admiring much about FDR's service to America and the world in WW2, I have a general antipathy to FDR's character and the way he did some things; but I do give him credit for having known how to move the American people by degrees, almost imperceptibly when that was necessary, into position to crush the Nazis, and this book reveals more about how he accomplished this. His foresight, diplomacy, and preparations surely shortened the war and saved untold lives. Having Churchill woven in as an equal on the world stage and in relation to FDR gave it a very savory counterpoise.




4. Very informative, but not "a good read". I enjoyed "Franklin and Winston" much more.



5. One of my college history professor's once told me that a secret in international affairs means that it is something you only tell one person at a time. The perfect example of "secrets between friends" is FDR and Winston Churchill. They kept secrets from everyone, their staff, the people the led, and even their own families. However, they had few secrets with each other. Thus David Stafford's book "Men of Secrets" is a fitting title for the special relationship between two of the greatest leaders of all time.
   
   Stafford traces a very good outline of the secret services during WWII and how both FDR and Churchill played an intricate role in creating and developing both nation's intelligence services. Colorful characters abound, see anything relating to "Wild" Bill Donovan, in FDR's burgeoning spyring and in Churchill's the dashing Ian Flemming (author the James Bond novels).
   
   What I found most interesting about the book is the relationship between FDR and Churchill. There are many conflicts of personality and political ideals of the two leaders. For example, FDR championed the freedom of British India; yet ordered Japanese-Americans into internment camps. Similarly, Churchill espoused civil liberties in England while attempting to crush rebellions in Ireland.
   
   In conclusion, Stafford provides a great overview and introduction into the world of espionage during WWII. He also gives extraordinary insight into the minds of FDR and Churchill. Arguably, FDR and Churchill had profound affect on the course of WWII and the secret they had an upper hand in the struggle.

1 comments about The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr.

1. Revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr was one of the most important historical moments in Welsh history but its not very well covered by historians. R.R. Davies' effort to correct that situation proves to be somewhat successful. This book proves to be very well researched, quite informative about the revolt and its background as well as the consequences the people of Wales paid for supporting such a revolt. The author clearly gives out the causes and effects of Owain Gly Dwr's actions and results.
   
   Where the book fell short - at least in my humble opinion - was that its written without much flair or energy. The text - informative and interesting as they were - proves to be quite dry and unexciting. In some way, it was like reading a college text book.
   
   But the book was well supported with maps, figures and several family tree lines that help make the events and people more understandable. Ironic, as the author himself wrote, we seem to know more about Owain Glyn Dwr's revolt then the actual man himself. Lack of a primary sources even prevent us of knowing what he looked like much less, his personality or character.
   
   This book was primary written for serious student of the medieval period regarding Welsh and English history. A beginner reader may get bore with the text since the book is bit hard to "get into". Despite of the exciting title, its not a very exciting book to read.

3 comments about Henry V (English Monarchs).

1. Prof. Allmand's biography of Henry V is the first coherent work on the subject for our generation. It is also the best bio on Henry V in the past 60-70 years. Allmand gives a fairly bare-bones analysis of King Henry V's brilliant but short life, and then expands in later chapters on several themes such as the royal family, law + order, and the like. Allmand's work is scholarly but does not drown the reader in details. Is a good read and moves along in a coherent manner. If you are looking to learn more about the man Shakespeare called "the Mirror of all Christian Kings" Allmand's deft work is a good place to start and a valuable resource.



2. As brilliantly portrayed by Mr. Allmand, Henry V personifies not only the fearsome and powerful character of a dark ages monarch, but also that one of a business-sound and strategy-aware leader. Whereas Shakespeare stresses Henry's prowess as a soldier and a hero, Allmand throws in unbeknownst traits: goal-oriented business planner, egalitarian political strategist, tireless academician, merciless warrior and fearing christian. Even though Mr. Allmand's prose teems with passive verbs and endless sentences, sometimes puzzling and even confusing the reader, his book is one of its kind.



3. As mentioned in a previous review, Mr. Allmand's narrative is not strictly chronological. Roughly the first half of the book is the chronology of Henry V's life (yes - Henry dies half way through the book), while the remainder touches on various aspects of royal life and a description of the late 14th and 15th centuries (for example, the second half of the book discusses Henry's military establishment, his relationship with his family, court life, and the Lollard movement).
   
   Personally, I did not care for the bifurcated structure. I believe Allmand could have incorporated the themes from the second half of the book into his chronological life of Henry in a seamless manner. As written, the book is disjointed and can be difficult to follow in some places.
   
   Overall, this is a good read, but not great.

5 comments about The Road to Nab End: A Lancashire Childhood.

1. William Woodruff and I have something in common; we were both born and reared poor in Lancashire, doubly lucky as Mr Woodruff puts it. The book itself is a reader, you pick it up and you can't put it down. There is always something else you want to read in the next chapter. It is a shame the book had an ending to it as it leaves you wanting more.

   Like one of the other reviewers I was a bit disappointed when the text was dumbed down, probably for our American cousins, as little discrepancies showed through the text. For instance, stating ten pennies instead of ten pence (we would have said it 'tenpunce') and the absolute glaring mistake of calling a tanner 6p when it should have been 6d and a dodger is 3d not 3p. Little details like this tend to eat at me.

   The book was easy to read and if you know a little about Lancashire, specifically Blackburn, you will find it fascinating.

   Tim Brimelow 19 May 2003




2. You don't have to have been born in Blackburn (as I was) to appreciate this wonderful true story of a childhood in poverty with all the wit and humour and honesty of the working class. Their hopes for a better and fairer future are vivid and the story ends with an emotional desire from the reader to know how and if this young man succeeds as he takes his steps away from Lancashire. Inevitably the reader will read the sequel Beyond Nab End which is even better but read this first.



3. This is a wonderful book which, as an Anglophile, I loved reading. Just a word to those who feel it some of the terms are American. Remember, please, that the author is now living in the US, and new terms become automatically one's own after a while. And yes, there is a sequel to this book!



4. I came upon this book after hearing brief snippets of it serialised BBC Radio 4 and the World Service.
   It had added interest for me as I know Blackburn (at least modern Blackburn) very well, it was later a surprise to discover I knew virtually nothing of the town.
   The book is evocative and stirring as you follow the authors journey from early childhood to his 16th year, when he finally leaves a deprived, economically and spiritual broken town for London, in hope of work and a better life.
   The journey in between is a rich array of colourful and long forgotton characters and ways of life. Most striking by far is the harshness of past societies in which the poor were virtually ground into the dirt and totally at mercy of commerce. Yet still the love and joy of these kindly, caring and sweet natured people shines through, it took a great deal to make them lose all hope. One cannot help but to think that these poor and hardworking forbares made more than a little of the muscle in the British national psyche.
   The Authors journey is one of love, loss and curiousity, his intelligence is meant for better things than the dust and grime of cotton mills but so hard worked are his people and he that this realisation is a long time coming.
   Highlights characters are Grandma Bridget and the lovley Aunts he visits in Summer. Quite a journey and very much a joy to read.



5. One thing that poverty didn't diminish is Woodruff's powers of recall. Though, as soon as he becomes literate, one senses he'll inexorably transcend his meagre beginnings which ring most vividly in this tale. I loved the regional patois as much as the rising political conscience of the working class boy. The years roll by with the daily grind, humilities accompanying the unjust disenfranchisement of workers; Dickensian conditions that were worse in Lancanshire than other industrial zones. Woodruff's effortless prose is as tough as his father's persistent presence and as nuanced as his mum's mercurial mood shifts. Fortunately for readers,'Nab's End' is no end, but a beginning to further tales from post adolesence. Having just closed the covers on Roy McFadyen's, 'at A Cost', I opened Woodruff to discover a parallel story in times bedevilled by poverty and dire economic depression. If you want to visit the comparison and find, at a pinch, an even more extraordinary childhood,'At a Cost' is published and distributed by its author @ 15 Maryann Street, Golden Beach, Queensland, Australia 4551.

1 comments about Winston Churchill (Very Interesting People S.).

1. In perhaps the most succinct but certainly the most impeccably accurate biography of Winston Churchill ever written, Professor Addison's beautifully written narrative presents Churchill 'in the round.' Churchill lived 90 years and was intimately involved in many of the 20th century's most important events. Many good writers have given us LONG biographies of Churchill, but it takes a special talent to write a superb one in just over 100 pages.

4 comments about Michael Collins: A Life.

1. This was the first biography of Collins I read and it is a good one, though not as exhaustively detailed and annotated as Tim Pat Coogan's. The author is clearly an admirer of Collins but it does not seem to slant his portrayal of the man and he covers all the biographical bases in Collins' life--the quintessentially Irish childhood and indoctrinization with nationalist ideals from family and teachers; the years between 15 and 25 working in London; the participation in the Easter Rebellion and imprisonment in Wales; the return to Ireland and his destiny as leader of the Anglo-Irish War of Independence; and the transformation into statesman in the Treaty negotiations. What Mackay particularly brings to the portrait of Collins is a warmth that allows the reader to see the real man beneath the legend--the interactions with the men and women who shared his struggle or who opposed it, and the reaction of his countrymen to his leadership. Overall, an engrossing read.



2. This biography was my introduction to the life and times of Michael Collins and it was a good one, though not as detailed and extensively annotated as Tim Pat Coogan's. The author is clearly an admirer of Collins but the portrayal appears to be objective and covers all the biographical bases in Collins' life--the Irish childhood and indoctrination with nationalist ideals from family and teachers; the years between 15-25 working in London; the participation in the Easter Rebellion and imprisonment in Wales; the return to Ireland and rise to leadership in the War of Independence; and the transformation to statesman in the Treaty negotiations. What Mackay particularly brings to the portrait of Collins is a warmth that allows the reader to see the real man behind the legend--the interactions with the men and women who shared his struggle or who opposed him, and the reaction of his countrymen to his leadership and to his untimely death during the bitter Civil War at the hands of former comrades who in many cases still revered him. Overall, an engrossing read.



3. For anyone wishing to know more about the bombastic, bullish side of Michael Collins, look no further. James MacKay captures Collins' thoughts-- even the most flamboyant-- with style and verbal panache. It is clear that his work has been very heavily influenced by the biographies from Frank O'Connor and Tim Pat Coogan, but MacKay distinguishes himself by emphasizing Collins' personality and his military accomplishments. He describes Michael's physical stature (5'11" with a bulky build), Michael's nature (quick to laugh, quick to cry, quick to anger, and quick to make an apology), Michael's health (his bouts with pleurisy, Spanish flu, stomach and kidney problems), Michael's orderly manner (he hated pencil writing and signatures from rubber stamps), and Michael's many other contradictions. MacKay includes several b/w photos along with explorations of Michael's military brilliance, e.g. his ability to run an entire guerrilla war from the back of a bicycle. MacKay begins with Collins' boyhood and concludes with an epilogue regarding the aftermath of Collins' assassination. If you are curious about Michael Collins the man, I can strongly recommend MacKay's biography.



4. I must have ready a dozen or so bios of Michael Collins in the past few years and this is one of my favorites. Some of them seem to spend so much time on Michael Collins, the administrator, that they don't pay enough attention to Michael Collins, the human being. If you have to read one, I recommend this one. If you want a more exhaustive bio, then read Tim Pat Coogan. My other favorite is by Frank O'Connor.