Margot at War
Love and Betrayal in Downing Street, 1912-1916
By: Anne de Courcy
Narrated by: Patricia Gallimore
Length: 16 hrs and 53 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-29-15
Language: English
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
3 out of 5 stars 3.3 (4 ratings)

Regular price: $32.96

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Publisher's Summary

Margot Asquith was perhaps the most daring and unconventional Prime Minister's wife in British history. Known for her wit, style and habit of speaking her mind, she transformed 10 Downing Street into a glittering social and intellectual salon.
Yet her last five years at Number 10 were a period of intense emotional and political turmoil in her private and public life. In 1912, when Anne de Courcy's book opens, rumblings of discontent and cries for social reform were encroaching on all sides - from suffragettes, striking workers and Irish nationalists. Against this background of a government beset with troubles, the Prime Minister fell desperately in love with his daughter's best friend, Venetia Stanley; to complicate matters, so did his Private Secretary.
Margot's relationship with her husband was already bedevilled by her stepdaughter's jealous, almost incestuous adoration of her father. The outbreak of the First World War only heightened these swirling tensions within Downing Street.
Drawing on unpublished material from personal papers and diaries, Anne de Courcy vividly recreates this extraordinary time when the Prime Minister's residence was run like an English country house, with socialising taking precedence over politics, love letters written in the cabinet room and gossip and state secrets exchanged over the bridge table.
By 1916, when Asquith was forced out of office, everything had changed. For the country as a whole, for those in power, for a whole stratum of society, but especially for the Asquiths and their circle, it was the end of an era. Life inside Downing Street would never be the same again.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful

3 out of 5 stars
By Marilyn on 02-03-18

Could have been better

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.

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5 out of 5 stars
By Robyn on 07-21-15

A book for lovers of English history

Another excellent book from Anne de Courcy which combines her usual comprehensive research, and facility with language. Although Margot is the focus, the book is as much a social history as a biography. It is full of fascinating detail on fashion, menus, etiquette, scandals, affairs, anti-Semitism, suffragettes, Home Rule, the role of newspapers and, of course, the scheming and shifting alliances of politics and the eventual removal of her husband from office. Everything is covered, from what to wear to the horrors of the Somme. Characters in Margot's family, social, and political circles are well drawn and their roles in political and personal intrigues make this book a page-turner for anyone interested in English history.Patricia Gallimore is a very competent narrator and she has the perfect voice for this biography.

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5 out of 5 stars
By iris on 03-28-15

Splendid and compelling.

After listening to the biographies of Jennie Churchill and Bertie the Prince of Wales I decided to continue reading around the period with this wonderful book. It only covers a period of four years but it does refer back to the origins of Margot Asquith and other important actors of the period. Lending heavily from Margot's diaries and research the author paints a picture of the private lives of a group of people at the heart of power as one of the most momentous historical events was about to happen. You can really live the beginning of the First World War as if you were there with vivid pictures of the mobilisation, troop movements and the emergency measures being enforced. Between 1912 and the outbreak of the War there was constant social tension on the domestic Front with workers demanding better working conditions and pay and the Suffragette movement as well as the Home Rule for Ireland question which was threatening to bring about civil war. The War and its aftermath has tended to dwarf the pre-War period as if the Edwardian era was some kind of Indian summer but as this book reveals it was anything but. I felt the story of the Suffragettes and the story of industrial tension was somewhat on the superficial side but as the central focus is Margot and her opinions as to what was going on I can hardly fault the author on this. As to the personal story of Asquith's falling in love with his daughter's best friend (he was 60 and she was 25) I couldn't help feeling there is no fool like an old fool. For Margot it was deeply humiliating and I feel sad that for the people of these times that the lack of efficient contraception could end marital relations if the wife had had dangerous pregnancies and was advised to have no more children. I preferred the political drama to the personal drama but both are extremely well-written and the narration is excellent. This is the first female narrator who has managed to imitate male voices without making my skin crawl.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful