Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
21 used & new from £9.00

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Them and Us: The American Invasion of British High Society
 
See larger image
 

Them and Us: The American Invasion of British High Society (Hardcover)

by Charles Jennings (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £20.00
Price: £15.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £4.51 (23%)
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 7? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
14 new from £10.75 7 used from £9.00

Frequently Bought Together

Them and Us: The American Invasion of British High Society + Last Curtsey + Singled Out:
Price For All Three: £26.10

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Them and Us: The American Invasion of British High Society by Charles Jennings

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Last Curtsey by Fiona MacCarthy

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Singled Out: by Virginia Nicholson

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Singled Out:

Singled Out:

by Virginia Nicholson
4.0 out of 5 stars (17)  £4.94
Last Curtsey

Last Curtsey

by Fiona MacCarthy
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £5.67
Black Diamonds: The Rise and Fall of a Great English Dynasty

Black Diamonds: The Rise and Fall of a Great English Dynasty

by Catherine Bailey
4.6 out of 5 stars (27)  £6.99
Bright Young People: The Rise and Fall of a Generation 1918-1940

Bright Young People: The Rise and Fall of a Generation 1918-1940

by D.J. Taylor
3.4 out of 5 stars (5)  £6.99
Madresfield: One House, One Family, One Thousand Years

Madresfield: One House, One Family, One Thousand Years

by Jane Mulvagh
3.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £6.49
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: The History Press Ltd (15 Jul 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0750943564
  • ISBN-13: 978-0750943567
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.2 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 88,982 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Financial Times, Lionel Shriver, September 1 2007
'my copy of Them and Us is flagged with far more wonderful passages than this review can accomodate...Jennings draws on sources such as Evelyn Waugh and Edith Wharton; his prose often rises to the wit of the former and the elegance of the latter'

The Spectator, Brian Masters, September 8 2007
'he writes with gleeful banter, a sure grasp of the style which enlightens a subject...and a sense of historical truth tinged with fun'

See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unhappiness beneath the wealth and privilege, 12 Sep 2007
By Ms. Susan A. Fisher "Susie Fisher" (London UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I liked this book. It took a very tart look at the English aristocracy and an equally unforgiving view of those american arrivistes ready to sell their daughters into the peerage. The humour is nice and dry.

At the same time there are some tender and shocking insights into women such as Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough who otherwise have very little reality behind their dreamy photographs. Wallis Simpson emerges surprisingly as a real woman, out of her depth. The Prince of Wales is beyond belief.

I became more and more bound up in these improbable people as I read on.
What did all that wealth and privilege amount to?
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Over here, 5 Sep 2007
In Them and Us Charles Jennings turns his acerbic eye to the English upper classes in the early 20th century, as refracted through the 'invasion' of Americans who came to dominate high society in London between the wars.

In his last book, The Fast Set, Charles Jennings analysed and dissected the ambitions of a few extremely rich men whose sole purpose in life was to go very fast in a straight line, the author's joy at his subjects' unconscious absurdity seeping between the lines like excess engine oil. In Them and Us, Jennings again zeroes in on a cast of richly bizarre - and bizarrely rich - eccentrics whose behaviour inspires mystic wonder. Characters like the scandalizing 8th Duke of Marlborough, the obsessional William Waldorf Astor, the pointedly shameless Emerald Cunard, the utterly sinful Duke of Manchester, the doomed Edward VIII - all jostling for position from 1875 to 1936.

Such a parade of exotics gives Jennings ample room to relax into his style, wherein historical analysis is presented with a deceptively assured wit. Charles Jennings is possibly the best kept secret in British non-fiction: AJP Taylor genetically spliced with Peter Cook. Recommended.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback


Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

Discover Health & Beauty

 

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

More info on Wish Lists

 

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System
For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates