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Review
‘A book which should be read by everyone with any interest in contemporary history of political affairs’ Norman Tebbit, Daily Mail
‘Some things in this life are priceless. So are Margaret Thatcher’s guts. They have left their mark on the world. So will “The Downing Street Years”’ Daily Express
Review
'A book which should be read by everyone with any interest in contemporary history of political affairs' Norman Tebbit, Daily Mail 'Some things in this life are priceless. So are Margaret Thatcher's guts. They have left their mark on the world. So will "The Downing Street Years"' Daily Express
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In this book, the prequel to her more successful (and essentially more interesting) volume entitled 'The Downing Street Years', Margaret Thatcher gives us a glimpse into her life, and the events and people who shaped her, basically, who made her who she is.
You'll learn about her time at university, her early days in politics from a personal standpoint (for instance, she used to do her own ironing to press dresses immediately before going out, as she couldn't afford to have them pressed, and other small details like this abound), early days in the government and then leading up to the time in opposition prior to the elections of 1979.
Thatcher also adds a postscript to this book, completed after the account of her time as Prime Minister, in which she gives her prescriptions for a better Britain and Europe (in some ways, she might agree that her stance on the Eurocurrency is a la Nancy Reagan, i.e., 'Just say No!'). She has a few swipes at John Major, the man she helped into power, perhaps hoping to be able to be an active and effective agent from behind the scenes. Major retaliates a bit in his own autobiography.
In all, unless you're REALLY into British politics or Thatcher personally, this book could be easily missed. Read 'The Downing Street Years', and, as I've seen you can often pick this book up for some bargain-bin price, buy it so as to have the set. And you might peruse a chapter here and there.
It does have a good style of writing, but goes on quite a bit. Historians will appreciate it, but I often wonder if politicians think that most will actually read through all this material, considering they are invariably written when the author is off the centre stage?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book provides a suberb and revealing insight into the mechanics of British politics and the strengths and weaknesses of the government, and the parties in opposition, from the middle of the last century.
The book is written in an incredibly clever fashion, and often one has to re-read a paragraph to clarify the real meaning of a statement or perhaps to analyse a seemingly innocuous 'throwaway' comment, which is really actually quite loaded.
After reading about the writer's formative and early career years, and the strength of character and love of her family, in particular her father; it becomes plain to see why she made such an impact on global politics, the economy, and Britain as whole.
On completing this book, and perhaps the previous volume, The Downing Street Years (which strangely preceded this book, yet covers later events), you will likely agree that Great Britain, and the planet as a whole, owes a great debt to Baroness Thatcher.
The book is written in an incredibly clever fashion, and often one has to re-read a paragraph to clarify the real meaning of a statement or perhaps to analyse a seemingly innocuous 'throwaway' comment, which is really actually quite loaded.
After reading about the writer's formative and early career years, and the strength of character and love of her family, in particular her father; it becomes plain to see why she made such an impact on global politics, the economy, and Britain as whole.
On completing this book, and perhaps the previous volume, The Downing Street Years (which strangely preceded this book, yet covers later events), you will likely agree that Great Britain, and the planet as a whole, owes a great debt to Baroness Thatcher.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Mrs. Thatcher formulates conservative political policy with precision; she also communicates it with persuasion. "Path to Power," the account of her pre-Downing street years, opens up some of the history behind those policy decisions. Throughout the book Thatcher marries personal insights with hard economic fact - trade unions, the Heath government, the press, fellow MP's, are all the subject of analysis interspersed with historical narrative of key events.
Mrs. Thatcher lets the reader in on how she herself was moved by events, admitting small missteps and regrets. Her accounts of press reactions to her early speeches against the Soviets are interesting, as is the narrative of the period immediately preceding her first election as PM. The various glimpses into the policy battles within the Heath government are also insightful, but for this reader is was a bit sad to read of some Tory MP's falling out of her favor. Margaret was good at Parliamentary debate, a good communicator; perhaps one can best quantify her success by noting the many policy initiatives that she later carried through Parliament as PM. One of these - privatizing nationalized industry - is now one of her legacies. As a speaker, the reader gets a sense of how she tended to frame issues in terms of their ultimate consequences; as an administrator, we get a view into how she would work to get the right people on her team.
I found it interesting to follow this work (and its sequel) with Major's autobiography (which extends the story of Tory governance to 1997) and with Heath's autobiography. (Major does a fine job describing relationships and interactions, while Heath tends to excel at covering interesting events and movements.)
"Path" seems a good personalized account of politics of the 1970's. The reader sees the beginnings in Mrs. Thatcher's methods; by the end, one sees a formidable, though occasionally struggling, voice for conservatism at the helm of the party. This book prepares one for the follow on and makes for rewarding reading.
Mrs. Thatcher lets the reader in on how she herself was moved by events, admitting small missteps and regrets. Her accounts of press reactions to her early speeches against the Soviets are interesting, as is the narrative of the period immediately preceding her first election as PM. The various glimpses into the policy battles within the Heath government are also insightful, but for this reader is was a bit sad to read of some Tory MP's falling out of her favor. Margaret was good at Parliamentary debate, a good communicator; perhaps one can best quantify her success by noting the many policy initiatives that she later carried through Parliament as PM. One of these - privatizing nationalized industry - is now one of her legacies. As a speaker, the reader gets a sense of how she tended to frame issues in terms of their ultimate consequences; as an administrator, we get a view into how she would work to get the right people on her team.
I found it interesting to follow this work (and its sequel) with Major's autobiography (which extends the story of Tory governance to 1997) and with Heath's autobiography. (Major does a fine job describing relationships and interactions, while Heath tends to excel at covering interesting events and movements.)
"Path" seems a good personalized account of politics of the 1970's. The reader sees the beginnings in Mrs. Thatcher's methods; by the end, one sees a formidable, though occasionally struggling, voice for conservatism at the helm of the party. This book prepares one for the follow on and makes for rewarding reading.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Another Dated Book From The "Blessed Margaret"
So far as I'm aware, Margaret Thatcher (the English Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990) wrote her biography in 2 parts. One focused on the 11 years she spent in power. Read more
Published 16 months ago by J. Bowen
Worthy but not essential reading
I read this book after The Downing Street Years, and would generally agree with other reviews: it is simply not as compelling as its predecessor. Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2006 by S. M. Saunders
A road less travelled...
In this book, the prequel to her more successful (and essentially more interesting) volume entitled 'The Downing Street Years', Margaret Thatcher gives us a glimpse into her life,... Read more
Published on 19 Dec 2005 by Kurt Messick
Not bad, but could do better!
I opened this book with no admiration for Mrs Thatcher and only curiousity as an excuse for doing so. By the time I had closed it I found myself admiring her more than I had. Read more
Published on 13 May 2001
A wide-ranging synthesis of Thatcher's political aims
The Path to Power is both a recollection by the author of her political formation and inspiration, and a forward-looking synthesis of her political, social, and economic thought. Read more
Published on 9 May 2001
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