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Product Description
Sunday Telegraph
'he strongly evkes the personalities of these dialectical sparring partners'
Independent
`compelling interest'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The story of Gladstone and Disraeli is the story of British parliamentary politics for much of the nineteenth century. In The Lion and the Unicorn, Richard Aldous tells the tale with a masterly admixture of narrative panache, dramatic intelligence and sheer enjoyment that makes him the natural successor to Lytton Strachey and Simon Schama. Aldous is a historian who combines incisive political commentary with the gusto and empathy of a great biographer. The result is a book that charts the growth to political maturity of two bitter rivals who between them dominated Westminster and party politics in Britain for decades.
In less able hands, The Lion and the Unicorn would falter under the pressure of disclosing so much material (and telling two life stories at once), but from the outset Aldous reassures the reader as to his strategic brilliance in handling so complex a narrative. The book begins with the funeral of Benjamin Disraeli in 1881. From that unexpected vantage point,Gladstone surveys the six decades of their relationship which, as Aldous remarks, would come to define Britain itself.
I recommend this book unreservedly for its sheer narrative power(especially with regard to Gladstone's anguished private life which is poignantly portrayed against the backdrop of high drama in the Commons) and for its pellucid discussion of Whig and Tory reform bills by which Britain somewhat indirectly attained the full practice of democracy. Above all, perhaps, The Lion and the Unicorn vividly reanimates the chronicle of British political life in the nineeteenth century at a time when our sense of Britain's imperial past has either faded or fallen into disrepute. This clever and gripping book should restore perspective to that past; it should be read by anyone who wishes to understand the formative impact of personality on British politics.
In less able hands, The Lion and the Unicorn would falter under the pressure of disclosing so much material (and telling two life stories at once), but from the outset Aldous reassures the reader as to his strategic brilliance in handling so complex a narrative. The book begins with the funeral of Benjamin Disraeli in 1881. From that unexpected vantage point,Gladstone surveys the six decades of their relationship which, as Aldous remarks, would come to define Britain itself.
I recommend this book unreservedly for its sheer narrative power(especially with regard to Gladstone's anguished private life which is poignantly portrayed against the backdrop of high drama in the Commons) and for its pellucid discussion of Whig and Tory reform bills by which Britain somewhat indirectly attained the full practice of democracy. Above all, perhaps, The Lion and the Unicorn vividly reanimates the chronicle of British political life in the nineeteenth century at a time when our sense of Britain's imperial past has either faded or fallen into disrepute. This clever and gripping book should restore perspective to that past; it should be read by anyone who wishes to understand the formative impact of personality on British politics.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book, quite simply is excellent. It thoroughly researched, well written and an entertaining, nay, gripping read. Complex subject matter is dealt with masterfully, rendering it understandable and not diminishing its complexity. Gladstone and Disraeli are portrayed as human, not simply worshipped. Both a treated fairly and to book is very balanced. The primary source material is often familiar but is very well delivered nonetheless. The collection of images selected is arresting and enlightening, complimenting the wonderful imagery of the text.
An excellent book to grab the attention of a simply curious history-lover, or primer/introduction to give hope to the downhearted and bored A-level/degree student of British political history.
An excellent book to grab the attention of a simply curious history-lover, or primer/introduction to give hope to the downhearted and bored A-level/degree student of British political history.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Great rivalries always fascinate. And great rivalries up and down the greasy pole of politics are always going to have verve and drama in the hands of a good narrative writer.
And Richard Aldous is certainly that. This sympathetic, wry account of how two absolute opposites - culturally and psychologically as well as politically - smashed into each other as the British Empire reached its apogee hurtles along at a fantastic pace. The drama's driven not only by the characters but by the pendulum of power constantly swinging between them so that when Disraeli's stock is high, Gladstone's is inevitably low; and vice versa. This is history which, in Alan Bennett's phrase, is very much `just one thing after another', and the pace never slacks. Disraeli and Gladstone loathed each other in an age when that didn't necessarily follow, in politics; but it was also an age in which the idea of a `party machine' emerged, the Liberals coalesced into form and the Conservatives redefined themselves not once, but twice. The political landscape suffered tremors; Gladstone and Disraeli rode the unrest (and sometimes caused it), flinging rocks at each other whilst fighting to stay on their feet.
True, sometimes the reader might wish for a little more background colour - some more detail in the prose, or a greater sense of context. But this - and the anticipation that a smattering of typos will be corrected in the paperback - is small beer. In fact, `The Lion and the Unicorn' wouldn't be the book it is if it were slower - and as it is, it's unputdownable.
Firmly recommended. Great fun.
And Richard Aldous is certainly that. This sympathetic, wry account of how two absolute opposites - culturally and psychologically as well as politically - smashed into each other as the British Empire reached its apogee hurtles along at a fantastic pace. The drama's driven not only by the characters but by the pendulum of power constantly swinging between them so that when Disraeli's stock is high, Gladstone's is inevitably low; and vice versa. This is history which, in Alan Bennett's phrase, is very much `just one thing after another', and the pace never slacks. Disraeli and Gladstone loathed each other in an age when that didn't necessarily follow, in politics; but it was also an age in which the idea of a `party machine' emerged, the Liberals coalesced into form and the Conservatives redefined themselves not once, but twice. The political landscape suffered tremors; Gladstone and Disraeli rode the unrest (and sometimes caused it), flinging rocks at each other whilst fighting to stay on their feet.
True, sometimes the reader might wish for a little more background colour - some more detail in the prose, or a greater sense of context. But this - and the anticipation that a smattering of typos will be corrected in the paperback - is small beer. In fact, `The Lion and the Unicorn' wouldn't be the book it is if it were slower - and as it is, it's unputdownable.
Firmly recommended. Great fun.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A very English feud
Richard Aldous manages to recreate the political and personal magic and friction between two great political rivals, which endured for many eventful decades during the mid to late... Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2009 by M. Benjamin Pite
Extremely enjoyable for a student of Victorian politics
As a postgraduate student of history I have become intrigued by Victorian politics and this book was a satisfying taster of two of Britain's most extraordinary politicians. Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2009 by Stephen T. Lowrey
This is the way history should be written
This magnificent account of the rivalry between Gladstone and Disraeli is a revelation for anyone who, like me, thought history was a boring list of kings and queens. Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2008 by Alan Lenton
What a great read!
I teach history and have been teaching A level 19th century England, including Gladstone and Disraeli. This book naturally was recomended to me and what a good choice it was. Read more
Published on 6 May 2008 by SJ SMART
The end of an era
This book was hard reading. By that I mean that it took a lot of effort to reach the halfway mark. From that point on, the narrative sped up and I found it hard to put down. Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2008 by David R. Griffiths
Gripping narrative
As a relative newcomer to Victorian political history, I found this to be a fascinating introduction. Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2007 by Blencathra
Moderate book but easy to read.
The Lion and the Unicorn is a moderate book which sheds light on the relationship between Disraeli and Gladstone. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2007 by HBH
A delightful reminder of a pivotal relationship
There have been many biographies of Disraeli and Gladstone individually. Both sorts of biography necessarily contain considerable information about the other person, as it is... Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2007 by A. J. Power
Gladstone Vs. Disraeli
This is a very refreshing read which manages to bring to life a period of history which I must confess to knowing very little about. Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2007 by Mr. S. A. Brown
"The Lion and the Unicorn were fighting for the crown
The Lion beat the Unicorn all round the town.
Some gave them white bread, some gave them brown:
Some gave them plum-cake and drummed them out of town. Read more
Some gave them white bread, some gave them brown:
Some gave them plum-cake and drummed them out of town. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2007 by Leonard Fleisig
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