Our head office is located on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Your cart Close. Imprint Basic Books. Readers also viewed. Left loading Find a book you'll love, get our newsletter name email. Berlinski's account of the case for free markets is--as a primer for the non-economist--lucid and lively She's colorful--thanks in part to some enjoyable inside track from Charles Powell--about Thatcher's relationships with Gorbachev and Reagan.
She begins with an intuition that Thatcher was a figure of lasting worldwide importance and, more narrowly, one who clearly saw the challenges of her day. She ends with conclusions to the same effect. She makes her journey from hunch to sober appraisal ours as well, leading us back through a fresh look at the issues and personalities as she asks the pertinent and the impertinent questions and challenges the assumptions of the players and their own conclusions about what happened and why.
As an interviewer, Ms. Berlinski is subtle and dogged. The book is all the better for being a work of synthesis as well as analysis. Without being hagiography, it is about as powerful a defence of Thatcher's record as is likely ever to be written. Her encounters with Neil Kinnock are tactical masterpieces, where she draws the Welsh windbag out and then deflates his woolly thinking with as much cool, perhaps cruel, precision as Thatcher herself did.
Probably the most well-written political biography for casual readers I have ever read. Kudos to Claire Berlinski for writing a "glasnost" narrative with many transcripts of the interviews she conducted, and with copies of original state documents that is both visually and aurally informative AND deeply analytical.
This book was well planned to answer questions from people who grew up in post-cold war west. I would have ignored the question of how Thatcher used her femininity had I written this Probably the most well-written political biography for casual readers I have ever read. I would have ignored the question of how Thatcher used her femininity had I written this book, but Berlinski does not, which as it turns out is perfect to attract younger readers.
However, for those of us more interested in how the Iron Lady came by her policies and how she prepared the country to receive them, this also is an excellent book.
I would have preferred larger pictures, but they are used in black and white to make a point, as are her diagrams which map out and spell out the problems of a more socialized post-war Britain. I am astounded to read Thatcher and company describing economic problems in moral terms and it makes me think that it was she and not the Americans who were the true leaders in the cold-war. Though there are some lewd comments from her detractors, I highly recommend for mature youths.
Jan 19, Tortla rated it really liked it Shelves: feministy , memoiry , schooly , writing-on-writing , historical-fact.
Informative and amusing. I particularly enjoyed the footnotes and whatnot which explained Britishisms. And the overall sense of humor with which Berlinski wrote this. Her bias as a narrator was made very obvious, as part of the whole format of the book interspersed with transcripts of the interviews used to gather the information for the book's main narrative.
Mixing up the narrative with quotations and excerpts of interviews and other such documents kept it interesting, as did Berlinski's sen Informative and amusing. Mixing up the narrative with quotations and excerpts of interviews and other such documents kept it interesting, as did Berlinski's sense of humor I wish I had a copy of the book on hand so I could give an example of it.
But trust me, it was the main thing that kept me reading. I don't like history OR politics. And I don't think I share Berlinski's awe over Thatcher.
But I appreciated the way Berlinski presented these things. Some of the block-quotes and interviews and particularly the Shakespeare interspersed in the last chapter became annoying. But I appreciated what Berlinski was doing. Jan 16, Steve. It didnt even hint at WHY it was called the Iron lady. It might as well have been the Ironing lady for all the housework she was doing. Remedy this with a couple of books on the subject 1, The President, the Pope and the Prime Minister by J O'Sullivan to be fair this one take a broader look at the face o Went to see the Mel Streep movie The Iron Lady the other day and thought it was awful This one is much the better.
Lots of good, telling interviews with people who were around at the time Ingram, Lawson, Kinnock etc Lots of colour and opinion from the author. Critical, fair and lots of good questions answered. Jan 23, Geoffrey Hazelton rated it it was amazing. A great description of the ills of Socialism broadly defined as "social justice or equity"as the goal, forced redistribution of wealth as method, and the State as the agent. This is especially relevant in today's climate of militant public unions and the current influence of the far left on the Democratic Party.
When Margaret Thatcher came to power the British were further down the road to Socialism than the USA is today and this book describes how Thatcher reversed that direction with a strong A great description of the ills of Socialism broadly defined as "social justice or equity"as the goal, forced redistribution of wealth as method, and the State as the agent. When Margaret Thatcher came to power the British were further down the road to Socialism than the USA is today and this book describes how Thatcher reversed that direction with a strong will based on her values and an appeal to the voters of the moral superiority of Capitalism over Socialism.
Feb 14, Amy Sawyer rated it really liked it. Very enjoyable read. I loved how Ms. Berlinski provided multiple views to events and issues addressed in the book; you almost feel as though you are being given a tour guide of important as they happen. Another feature I must praise is the author's honesty.
It is rare to find an author who is honest with their readers as to when they are presenting their own opinion and does not atempt to mask a subjective opinion as fact or insert it as the opinion of the time, whether as dissenting or not.
Berlinski portrayed a very dynamic political personality honestly and thoughtfully with an incredible amount of objectivity. Mar 01, Matthew rated it it was ok. With such a title, I expected -- and didn't mind -- Berlinski's partisan approval of most things Thatcher. What was infinitely annoying, however, is how the title of the book could easily have been "Claire Berlinski gossips about Margaret Thatcher with people who knew Margaret Thatcher.
The answer to why Thatcher matters is in here, but clearly that mattered less to Berlinski than the titillation of hobnobbing with the Conservative With such a title, I expected -- and didn't mind -- Berlinski's partisan approval of most things Thatcher.
The answer to why Thatcher matters is in here, but clearly that mattered less to Berlinski than the titillation of hobnobbing with the Conservative and occasionally Labour elite. Jul 20, Greg Perciak rated it really liked it.
I always got a kick out of Maggie Thatcher and had read Berlinski's previous book - Menace in Europe - so I knew she's a good author. This is an unconventional biography more of a profile, actually , put together without regard for chronology, mostly from interviews with those who knew and worked with her, and with more than a few of the author's well-argued opinions.
It also contains a readable refresher in Economics I realize that doesn't sound exciting but the book actually improves as I always got a kick out of Maggie Thatcher and had read Berlinski's previous book - Menace in Europe - so I knew she's a good author. I realize that doesn't sound exciting but the book actually improves as it goes along. Jul 07, Sarah marked it as abandoned Shelves: politics-history.
Was looking for a fair, unbiased look at the Iron Lady's legacy. It was shallow and clunkily written and I regret Was looking for a fair, unbiased look at the Iron Lady's legacy.
It was shallow and clunkily written and I regret starting it in the first place. May 28, Quinndara rated it it was amazing. Enjoyed this book. The author's style was engaging.
I wanted to learn about Margaret Thatcher and her times. I wanted to know why the author thought MT mattered. I picked a good book to start with. In the author's words, Margaret Thatcher mattered because she could "sense the big picture" and could understand historical forces and "master" them.
Lenin had these abilities and so did Winston Churchill. Margaret Thatcher had these gifts. The author shows that M. Thatcher understood the big picture Enjoyed this book. Thatcher understood the big picture and how her understanding, convictions and policies reversed Britain's decline. Nov 25, Purple Wimple rated it it was amazing Shelves: western-civ. Wow, what a great read.
Berlinski has an eye for drama, and keys in to the battle between Scargill and Thatcher with skill. For those of us too young to remember it, this is a good way to learn about it, both the events, and the ideological undercurrents that drove history toward the conflict.
And it's a compelling treatment of Thatcher, which is a nice counterpunch to the prevailing leftist crap that swirls around us about her. Feb 10, Michael rated it it was amazing Shelves: politics-law-economics-and-philos. Berlinski is very much in the pro-Thatcher camp but her biography is fair, interviewing may of Thatcher's opponents except Scargill, who refused to be interviewed.
It does an excellent job of establishing the sorry state of Britain when she took power, the steps she took and the consequences. Definitely a must read. She includes a lot of verbatim transcripts with the principles, which is entertaining. British politicians actually tend to say things. Aug 28, Louise rated it liked it. First book on my book group list year. A reasonably well researched book , timeline jumps a little which could be confusing for anyone not overly familiar with UK modern history.
With hindsight it is easy to see just how important she was to ensuring the freedoms that Britain now enjoys. Looking forward to hearing what the book group made of it esp. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one ». With her recent account of the Thatcher legacy, this is the difficult and challenging context in which American journalist Claire Berlinski finds herself.
Amidst these stories, Berlinski uses a wealth of data from original interviews with key political figures such as Bernard Ingham, Neil Kinnock, and Nigel Lawson, as well as documenting a large amount of archival material from a diverse range of sources. She manages to succeed in recounting the major events of the Thatcher era in a well researched and highly sourced style. However, a biography of such a highly studied figure requires a strong narrative and original argument to tie and connect the key events under scrutiny.
According to Berlinski, the thread which connects all the major markers of the Thatcher revolution, such as economic policy and trade union reform, is the success which such policies had in defeating socialism. However, Berlinski is only able to uphold such a thesis by formulating a highly exaggerated description of pre-Thatcher Britain as a fundamentally socialist, perhaps even Marxist, state.
While she is correct to argue that the post-war consensus was fashioned by the British left, Berlinski is profoundly disingenuous in her description of what was an avowedly social democratic —not socialist — settlement, which promoted the goals of a mixed economy, the welfare state and full employment.
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