Margot at War: Love and Betrayal in Downing Street, 1912-1916 Pdf, Epub, Ebook
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MARGOT AT WAR: LOVE AND BETRAYAL IN DOWNING STREET, 1912-1916 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Anne De Courcy | 384 pages | 12 Nov 2015 | Orion Publishing Co | 9781780225906 | English | London, United Kingdom Margot at War: Love and Betrayal in Downing Street, 1912-1916 PDF Book 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.