- Unknown Binding
- Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (2004)
- ASIN: B0032DU2KA
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
The King Of Sunlight
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The King of Sunlight: How William Lever Cleaned Up the World
This is by no means an academic biography, and is an easy, somewhat lightweight read. Whether you enjoy it or not depends on what you want to get out of it.
The author is obviously fond of his subject, but was unable to make me feel strongly about him. It is a potentially interesting subject, but I was left with no strong desire to learn more about Port Sunlight or William Lever. I found this book a little too insubstantial and shallow for my liking, which was a bitter disappointment as I had really wanted to like it, having heard it recommended on Radio 4.
It reads more like a novel than a "serious biography". The writing style is very relaxed, and informal, more like a conversation than a work of non-fiction, but still does not really leave you very enlightened about the man behind Port Sunlight.
If you are just after something different to read about a different subject, then this is possibly the book for you. If you want something to get your teeth into that will leave you wanting to learn more about the history of Port Sunlight or the motivations of the man behind it, or even about the end of the Victorian era, then I suggest you carry on searching.
This is by no means an academic biography, and is an easy, somewhat lightweight read. Whether you enjoy it or not depends on what you want to get out of it.
The author is obviously fond of his subject, but was unable to make me feel strongly about him. It is a potentially interesting subject, but I was left with no strong desire to learn more about Port Sunlight or William Lever. I found this book a little too insubstantial and shallow for my liking, which was a bitter disappointment as I had really wanted to like it, having heard it recommended on Radio 4.
It reads more like a novel than a "serious biography". The writing style is very relaxed, and informal, more like a conversation than a work of non-fiction, but still does not really leave you very enlightened about the man behind Port Sunlight.
If you are just after something different to read about a different subject, then this is possibly the book for you. If you want something to get your teeth into that will leave you wanting to learn more about the history of Port Sunlight or the motivations of the man behind it, or even about the end of the Victorian era, then I suggest you carry on searching.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a great-granddaughter of Mary Lever Tillotson, sister to William Hesketh Lever, aka "The King of Sunlight", I was delighted to be given this book as a "special birthday" present earlier this month. Before opening the cover, I had no idea how highly entertaining and fascinating it would be. Leaving aside the family connection, Adam Macqueen's descriptions of a clever, down-to-earth and visionary entrepreneur had me in fits of laughter, although in contrast, a chapter relating what is thought to have happened to William's younger brother, James, was sensitively handled and in many ways a contrast to much of the rest of the book. Some of William Lever's late 19th and early 20th Century ideas of the "duties" of an employer would be regarded as nothing less than expected in the 21st Century, and this book gives a witty and perceptive insight into his life and times. In my childhood, I felt that over the years, my family had been blessed with somewhat more than its fair share of what some might label "eccentrics". Thanks to Adam Macqueen's book, I feel others now have an insight into one of these, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys being entertained whilst reading a biography - and challenge anyone who thinks biographies are boring old tomes to say this of "The King of Sunlight" once they have read it. I found it a hard book to put down.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The premise of this book is the story of a soap company that would eventually become Unilever and its founder and directing mind, William Lever. It doesn't sound promising, but, like many obscure corners of history that have been illuminated by fascinating, lucid and readable biographies and histories, this is the window to a wide and startling vista.
I came to read the book after hearing excerpts of it on BBC Radio 4's `A Good Read'. It sounded interesting in the round, but what really made me pay attention was the detail on Rivington. Rivington is a village in the moorland above Chorley and Bolton. It has medieval tithe barns, a quaint village centre, strange follies and the most amazing terraced gardens, ornamental lake and Roman ruins.
As a child I was taken there for Sunday walks, climbing the stone steps to a strange grotto that, in my mind, was permanently winter. The waterfall would be petrified, frozen solid in mid-tumble, and the landscape glistening as a pallid sunlight reflected from a thick and universal spread of frost.
In short it seemed a magical and strange place. So I was much obliged to the author of this book for providing some illumination as to how Japanese gardens and intricate terraces had been transplanted to this windswept and remote corner of Lancashire.
And once I had started reading the book it was clear that not only would my interest in a local beauty spot be satiatied, but that this was a wide-ranging and interesting book which, although having William Lever and his soap business as the central focus of attention, also covered the British Empire, the Liberal Party, old age pensions, garden cities and much more.
William Lever is presented sympathetically - it is obvious that Mr MacQueen is struck by the common affliction of biographers in his growing affection for his subject. But this is backed by the legacy of the man, which, whilst not completely apart from the times, was markedly different to the Victorian factory owners in this dark corner of Britain.
Mr MacQueen makes it clear that this book should not be read as a comprehensive biography of the man. William Lever's life is detailed, but is also used as a launch pad to some fascinating discourses on everything from the brutal history of Belgian Congo to the more obscure Parliamentary rules.
This book was a joy to read, and should whet the appetite to at least visit Port Sunlight, Rivington and the Isle of Harris and Lewis. So far I've got two out of the three, and the very brief but alluring introduction of the Western Isles has meant that I will try and head to the furthest reaches of Scotland sometime soon.
I came to read the book after hearing excerpts of it on BBC Radio 4's `A Good Read'. It sounded interesting in the round, but what really made me pay attention was the detail on Rivington. Rivington is a village in the moorland above Chorley and Bolton. It has medieval tithe barns, a quaint village centre, strange follies and the most amazing terraced gardens, ornamental lake and Roman ruins.
As a child I was taken there for Sunday walks, climbing the stone steps to a strange grotto that, in my mind, was permanently winter. The waterfall would be petrified, frozen solid in mid-tumble, and the landscape glistening as a pallid sunlight reflected from a thick and universal spread of frost.
In short it seemed a magical and strange place. So I was much obliged to the author of this book for providing some illumination as to how Japanese gardens and intricate terraces had been transplanted to this windswept and remote corner of Lancashire.
And once I had started reading the book it was clear that not only would my interest in a local beauty spot be satiatied, but that this was a wide-ranging and interesting book which, although having William Lever and his soap business as the central focus of attention, also covered the British Empire, the Liberal Party, old age pensions, garden cities and much more.
William Lever is presented sympathetically - it is obvious that Mr MacQueen is struck by the common affliction of biographers in his growing affection for his subject. But this is backed by the legacy of the man, which, whilst not completely apart from the times, was markedly different to the Victorian factory owners in this dark corner of Britain.
Mr MacQueen makes it clear that this book should not be read as a comprehensive biography of the man. William Lever's life is detailed, but is also used as a launch pad to some fascinating discourses on everything from the brutal history of Belgian Congo to the more obscure Parliamentary rules.
This book was a joy to read, and should whet the appetite to at least visit Port Sunlight, Rivington and the Isle of Harris and Lewis. So far I've got two out of the three, and the very brief but alluring introduction of the Western Isles has meant that I will try and head to the furthest reaches of Scotland sometime soon.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Witty and Highly Readable Account of this Fascinating Man
This is a highly readable and quite funny biography of William Hesketh Lever, the immensely successful industrialist and purveyor of soap to the world. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dr. R. Brandon
A founder who would support terrorism and murder
All sounds lovely and dandy, But Unilever have become a company known to support terrorism and a murderous regime, and they are proud of it! Read more
Published 3 months ago by salwa
Top Marks
I enjoyed reading this informative book about William Lever's life and business empire. I also bought several copies for friends and family - all of whom commented on how good a... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr_MeAgain .
Funny and readable
This book is written in very crisp, lighthearted way, not a dry academic tone or tome.It zips along, but manages to give a good portrait of the man and the times. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Pattycake
A ripping yarn? Perhaps, but not history.
While this particular version of Leverhulme's biography is entertaining, the somewhat creative narrative style is typically journalistic; unsurprising given that the author seems... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Maurice Halton
Excellent biography.
The book takes you through the life of William Lever starting from his middle class background in Bolton. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2009 by book mallard
A True Lancashire Man
As a frequent visitor to Rivington ,this book regails the life of local philantronphist and fills in the gaps of the life of the enigma that was William Lever. Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2007 by L. Barrow
ALL BUBBLES AND FROTH
Forgive me for raining on the parade of stars that have been showered on this particular book. It is undoubtedly slick, stylish and sometimes very amusing. Read more
Published on 19 Dec 2005
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