The Summit: The Biggest Battle of the Second World War - fought behind closed doors Hardcover – 29 May 2014

Review

Utterly absorbing, minutely researched . . . The picture so gloriously painted here is of a three-week, intellect-sapping, emotionally-draining roller-coaster (Independent)

Brimming with the sort of vivid details that make the past come alive, The Summit is both an impressive work of scholarship and an absolute delight to read (Liaquat Ahamed, author of Lords of Finance)

Who would have thought that an account of an economic summit could be so absorbing? But it was no ordinary summit and Ed Conway's is an exceptional account (Evan Davis, TV and radio presenter and author of Made in Britain)

Brilliantly researched, and hugely entertaining, this is an essential book about one of the most important economic events of the twentieth century (Keith Lowe, author of Savage Continent)

What makes Conway's account distinctive is that it is such good fun . . . his jolly, colourful account makes a perfect introduction to one of the most important meetings of the past century (Dominic Sandbrook Sunday Times)

A rattling good read (Spectator)

History with scholarship and verve . . . This is a ripe, resounding story, brilliantly told (Observer)

Keynes's charisma and wit enliven the excellent narrative of Ed Conway (The Times)

As a case study in how to wrangle diplomats and politicians, Bretton Woods is without peer and it is harder to imagine a book that better shows why than The Summit (Times Literary Supplement)

Conway, who is economics editor of Sky News, has written an accessible and intelligent work, based on substantial archival research (Guardian)

Conway's book is a fine and timely reminder that there are alternatives if the political will and intellectual imagination can be found to grasp them (Irish Examiner)

A riveting tale with colourful attention to detail (The Times)

The scope of the subject matter is impressive, and the execution is outstanding (Kirkus)

A fascinating tale (Booklist)

A gripping story . . . an essential purchase (Library Journal)

With no false modesty, Conway calls [Bretton Woods] 'a gripping tale,' and he is right on target. A lively writer, he keeps the reader fully engaged from start to finish: everything you could wish for about Bretton Woods and its aftermath. Mr. Conway is as sound in his judgments as his scope is wide and his analyses probing (Washington Times)

As a financial journalist, Conway is drawn to the human dimension of the saga. He devotes as much attention to the ambience of the decaying Mount Washington Hotel and highlights the personalities of the negotiators as much as the national interests they represented. While there are countless stories of heroism on the battlefields in France, Conway brings us the story of a different sort of heroism that was brought out in the halls of the Mount Washington Hotel in rural New Hampshire (Daily Beast)

A gripping human tale . . . a fine, bold and balanced history of a momentous event (Morning Star)

An entertaining and insightful history. Readers will love how Conway skillfully brings to life the goings-on in what the British snobbily called 'the monstrous monkey house' of Bretton Woods (New York Times Book Review)

Book Description

A brilliant narrative history of the most colourful and important summit in history.