Would you try another book from Anne de Courcy and/or Patricia Gallimore?
Yes.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
I would have edited out a lot of repetitive detail.
What about Patricia Gallimore’s performance did you like?
Her narration style is perfect for this book.
Do you think Margot at War needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No.
Any additional comments?
This book is a fascinating social and political history of England in the early years of the twentieth century but I felt that the author's treatment of Prime Minister Asquith's obsession withVenetia Stanley frequently bogged the narrative down. There are far too many repetitive excerpts from his letters to her avowing undying, passionate, desperate love, to the point of overkill. The same goes for the descriptions of the couple's outings together and other interactions. The affair, which is a major theme of the book, would have been more effectively conveyed had the author used these extracts more sparingly. Apart from this, I really enjoyed the book. Many gaps in my knowledge of life in England at the time, the famous personalities of the day, what went on in politics behind the scenes, and the slow build up to the First World War were filled in. There is much detail of absorbing interest. . The central figure, Margot Asquith, was a woman of great character who bore with fortitude her husband's obsession with Venetia, and his daughter Violet by his first marriage. Here is a woman brought poignantly to life in her diaries and the author's portrayal of her is both sensitive and empathetic.