Margot at War: Love and Betrayal in Downing Street, 1912-1916 Pdf, Epub, Ebook

MARGOT AT WAR: LOVE AND BETRAYAL IN DOWNING STREET, 1912-1916 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

I felt the author was fairly "gentle" in depiction of Margot's character as I've always understood her to be a hard nosed outspoken women loathed by many - this book records history but doesn't clarify what Margot was really like, apart from being the long suffering wife of an With a fascination for this period of English history, I was keen to read this book which is reasonably well researched and written. However, while British establishment women had a front row seat, the ruling was very much done by their menfolk. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Life inside Downing Street would never be the same again. Fascinating portrait of the Asquith family during the years that Asquith was Prime Minister. They were oblivious to the storm clouds building in Europe. After her husband died, Clementine did not sleep another night there. A very enjoyable read. The Churchill trajectory to Number 10 took many twists and turns, and survived some spectacular descents and blunders, alongside an impulsive temperament in the man himself who often showed a lack of judgement. The best books seem to be ones which center on an event or a person involved in the war. Jul 19, Carolyn Harris rated it really liked it Shelves: history. Indeed, so eager were many young men not to miss out on the action that they clambered to enlist as quickly as possible and head off to the front. There are accounts of front line fighting, which of course was horrendous in that war, and she includes accounts of gas attacks and appalling injuries. He was then a married man with five children and Home Secretary. I thought this was an outstanding book, almost incomparable. The two were a special match — both were the children of exceptionally promiscuous and neglectful parents and neither had won parental love. Congratulations to Ms de Courcy. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. I had always been fascinated by Margot, a woman who largely created herself — by the time she was 25 she knew most of the cleverest men in England. The main focus is his second wife Margot and her life just before and during World War I but perhaps the most interesting parts of the book deal with Asquith and his devotion to his daughter's best friend Venetia Stanley. For all that, Asquith, whose father had been a wool merchant, made his way up through study at Oxford and opportunity in politics. Margot at War: Love and Betrayal in Downing Street, 1912-1916 Writer

Gradually, government by the people begins the decline of the old order, when the aristocracy ruled the country. Aug 23, Deb rated it liked it. Drawing on unpublished material from personal papers and diaries, Anne de Courcy vividly recreates this extraordinary time when the Prime Minister's residence was run like an English country house, with socialising taking precedence over politics, love letters written in the cabinet room and gossip and state secrets exchanged over the bridge table. Anne de Courcy Anne de Courcy is a well-known writer and journalist. I found the 'Betrayal' part of the book a bit of a sideshow but also fascinating. Return to Book Page. I sort of signed on for the gossip but found that Anne De Courcy does a beautiful job of making the human side of World War I in the British government come to life. So when the tide finally turns on the Asquiths, it is hard to garner much sympathy for them. People just went on living their normal lives. The leisurely social life and cosmopolitan cultural life of the Asquith family followed Edwardian patterns and seemed out of place in wartime, which undermined the family's popularity. Long separations certainly saved the Churchill marriage, but it was more than that. YES I have read and consent to Hachette Australia using my personal information or data as set out in its Privacy Policy and I understand I have the right to withdraw my consent at any time. Margot Asquith likewise loved the life her husband had offered her. Clementine, however, stood loyally by him and offered her best advice — that her husband should join up and spend time at the front. And so the Churchills would continue. Margot Asquith was perhaps the most daring and unconventional Prime Minister's wife in British history. Deal with them he did, as he also fell madly in love with Venetia Stanley. Flaubertian rated it really liked it Nov 21, Both women took particular care about their fashionable clothes — yet their obsessiveness had quite different origins. Thanks for telling us about the problem. But, having done it, he was ready to share the sacrifices of the poorest of his subjects. This book was sent to me by a dear friend. And, as they moved house and juggled the bad times, it was Clementine who had to manage the shifts, the children, the uncomfortable arrangements; Winston would absent himself to better digs where he could work and entertain. Ms DE Courcy's unbiased liking for her subject put me right off. Aug 22, Nick Pengelley rated it it was amazing. Margot at War: Love and Betrayal in Downing Street, 1912-1916 Reviews

They just wore her out. Neither woman could be said to lack forbearance or temerity and yet their life-saving loyalty to their respective husbands saw them bow to the prevailing mores. If I don't give this 5 stars it's not because the writing isn't vivid, it's more that while the history is wonderful stuff, Margot Asquith herself is not a particularly interesting person and the biographer's attempts to make her so don't particularly work. But I was enthralled by the politics of the period, what with proroguing Parliament to bring the House of Lords to its knees, suffragettes beating PM Asquith around the head with whips, and Ireland, Ireland, Ireland We also learn of the nurses who dealt with the wounded, in unbelievable conditions of dirt, infection and deprivation. Despite the year age gap, Asquith became besotted with Venetia to the point where he was receiving and writing her love letters crammed with state secrets in cabinet meetings while crucial war policy was under discussion. Life inside Downing Street would never be the same again. This website uses cookies. For the country as a whole, for those in power, for a whole stratum of society, but especially for the Asquiths and their circle, it was the end of an era. The Dardanelles campaign quickly spelled the end for Churchill, and his reputation has ever since been shackled with his responsibility for its failure. War was, for most of the population, a distant thing which took place in far off lands and many thought the war would be over by Christmas. Close cookie policy overlay. The questions of Irish Home Rule, the Suffragette movement, the changing economic society, as well as the on-going diplomatic questions as Germany and Great Britain jockeyed for power, were all problems to be dealt with. Enlarge cover. More and more, she was asked to check his speeches, hear out important moments of strategy. An interesting read about a turbulent period in British history. Anne de Courcy: 'The prime minister fell in love with his daughter's best friend'. She loved the challenges as he did. Their marriage survived, however, because of a bond that was never severed. The only criticism is that too much space is provided for Asquith's pathetic love letters. Other editions. For anyone not so interested it would probably be a tad tedious. Greatness has been humbled and the education of women has forced such transparency. When his wife, Helen, died of typhoid, he began to chase her and the match was largely frowned upon. The author has used many letters, diaries and other personal documents, as well as newspaper articles and official documents, so this feels like an intimate portrait of a marriage, as well as a slice of history. Winston was impulsive and the one in charge — he would scoff at moments of indebtedness, work on new ways to earn some money or be pulled up by the kindness of friends. The title, "Margot at War" seems able to be construed two different ways. We begin in a golden Edwardian summer, when Margot has been married for seventeen years. To be a formally educated woman was to be tagged a blue stocking. And no Hollywood endings either. The war was going badly, government and military scandals abounded, and the Prime Minister was writing copious numbers of love letters, often containing government secrets. Downing Street during World War One was the scene of not one, but several love triangles involving two Prime Ministers, their wives, mistresses or would be mistresses and assorted besotted family members. For the country as a whole, for those in power, for a whole stratum of society, but especially for the Asquiths and their circle, it was the end of an era. After her husband died, Clementine did not sleep another night there. A very enjoyable read. Oct 27, Susan rated it it was amazing. The best books seem to be ones which center on an event or a person involved in the war. Asquith himself was aware Margot did not feel for him as he did for her but after their marriage they became a devoted couple. He did. Neither man, Asquith or Churchill, is fully understood without knowing the part played by their strongest supporters, their wives. The Churchill trajectory to Number 10 took many twists and turns, and survived some spectacular descents and blunders, alongside an impulsive temperament in the man himself who often showed a lack of judgement. It was a timespan that began with various seminal events. This book was sent to me by a dear friend. May 24, Jan Duthie rated it liked it. Jul 19, Carolyn Harris rated it really liked it Shelves: history.

Margot at War: Love and Betrayal in Downing Street, 1912-1916 Read Online

Margot Asquith likewise loved the life her husband had offered her. Historical memory is no longer complete without the full human picture. I write fiction - some of it has involved British prime ministers - but anything I could imagine would pale next to the reality of what happened in those fateful years. They just wore her out. I sort of signed on for the gossip but found that Anne De Courcy does a beautiful job of making the human side of World War I in the British government come to life. Jan 12, Russell James rated it it was amazing. The questions of Irish Home Rule, the Suffragette movement, the changing economic society, as well as the on-going diplomatic questions as Germany and Great Britain jockeyed for power, were all problems to be dealt with. On the other hand, suffrage. The title, "Margot at War" seems able to be construed two different ways. Yet her last five years at Number 10 were a period of intense emotional and political turmoil in her private and public life. Their daughter-in-law, Pamela Digby, estimated that while Clementine devoted her life to Winston, she may have spent up to eighty per cent of their marriage without him. Despite reservations, she seemed to be a caring step-mother and had five babies herself — sadly, only two lived. Her son Puffin became a film director. Known for her wit, style and habit of speaking her mind, she transformed 10 Downing Street into a glittering social and intellectual salon. Certainly Asquith was in love with Venetia. Unfortunately, after the birth of her last child, she was advised by her doctors not to have more children. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Margot Asquith was perhaps the most daring and unconventional Prime Minister's wife in British history. As he did. Asquith himself was aware Margot did not feel for him as he did for her but after their marriage they became a devoted couple. They married after the death of his first wife, with whom he had four sons and one daughter, Violet. To outsiders and family, there were times where Clementine appeared highly strung and frail or needing extra care. The Viceroy's Daughters. YES I have read and consent to Hachette Australia using my personal information or data as set out in its Privacy Policy and I understand I have the right to withdraw my consent at any time. Although both interesting I felt the Churchill book was the better of the two but both worth reading. All in all I found this quite a sad book, full of unfulfilled people and lost opportunities. Fascinating portrait of the Asquith family during the years that Asquith was Prime Minister. But as I suggested at the beginning that this book wasn't really about Margot or HH, but is a fascinating read of British political history, one of the best I have read, and for that I would recommend it widely. Yet her last four years at Number 10 were a period of intense emotional and political turmoil in her private and public life. He wrote her love letters every day, often while in government sessions. Life inside Downing Street would never be the same again. The Beeb would do well to consider this book as the basis for a television series - it would leave Downton Abbey in the dust!

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