The Asquiths
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
In confident late Edwardian Britain, one family - the Asquiths - rose to the top both in politics and society. Within a few years, however, they would come to epitomize the generations shattered by World War I. This book recounts their lives as Britain descended into turmoil, with the Asquith sons fighting in the trenches as their father, the Prime Minister, struggled to direct the bloodiest war in his country's history. The emotional nature behind the urbane public persona of Asquith himself is revealed for the first time: his heartbreak at his first wife's sudden death, his painful and tortuous courtship of the extraordinary Margot Tennant, and the ups and downs of their marriage, which remained strong despite his notorious liaisons with younger women and her volatile and moody personality. Margot's remarkable role as the most intriguing - in both senses - of primeministerial wives is fully explored: her feuds with Lloyd George, her mistrust of the gutter genius Winston Churchill, and her hatred of Lord Northcliffe, the press baron who ultimately drove her husband from power in 1916.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0719554578
ISBN13:9780719554575
Release Date:September 2002
Publisher:John Murray Publishers
Length:528 Pages
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Thank you Colin Clifford for exceptional, sensitive book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Thank you Colin Clifford for your exceptional, sensitive book. I just finished reading it and I wanted more! I got so used to being in the presence of the Asquith family members and their friends, so skillfully and patiently described. Your book gave me a real taste of those times. The characters are so real, so honestly shown, with such understanding and insight. I was laughing and crying with them and sometimes was irritated by them. A very needed book, giving a balanced and compassionate view not only on the Asquiths, but on many other aspects of our history, and maybe serving as a warning... One cannot avoid certain analogies that come to mind about the management of the war exposed in the book and the same problem in our contemporary times.
An engrossing opportunity to learn from the past
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
"An extraordinary political family in times of triumph and catastrophe, wonderfully and painfully delineated. I was engrossed" wrote Antonia Fraser. I also was engrossed. This is a real 'What happens next?' pageturner. The mistakes now seen to have been made in the prosecution of The Great War now seem the clearest of danger signals warning of the mistakes that would be made in 'negotiating' (without including the beaten enemy in the negotiations) the Treaty of Versailles. The glimpses of the incipient genius of Winston Churchill are particularly illuminating. World War Two,the holocaust and even our current problems in Mesopotamia are present like horrors waiting in the wings as this fascinating true story is unfolded. The vivid WW1 trench warfare descriptions made me realise once more the tremendous debt that we, the living, owe to these who sacrificed everything for us.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
