Perilous Question: The Drama of the Great Reform Bill 1832 - Brossura

Fraser, Lady Antonia

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0753829223 ISBN 13: 9780753829226

Casa editrice: W&N, 2014

Riassunto

The two-year revolution that totally changed how Britain is governed.

Internationally bestselling historian Antonia Fraser's new book brilliantly evokes one year of pre-Victorian political and social history - the passing of the Great Reform Bill of 1832, an eventful and violent year that featured riots in Bristol, Manchester and Nottingham.

The time-span of the book is from Wellington's intractable declaration in November 1830 that 'The beginning of reform is beginning of revolution' to 7 June 1832, when William IV reluctantly assented to the Great Reform Bill, under the double threat of the creation of 60 new peers in the House of Lords and the threat of revolution throughout the country. Wider themes of Irish and 'negro emancipation' underscore the narrative.

The book is character driven; we learn of the Whig aristocrats prepared to whittle away their own power to bring liberty to the country, the all-too-conservative opposition who included the intransigent Duchess of Kent and Queen Adelaide and finally the 'revolutionaries' like William Cobbett, author of Rural Rides.

These events led to a total change in the way Britain was governed, a two-year revolution that Antonia Fraser brings to vivid dramatic life.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

Antonia Fraser creates gorgeous portraits of the landed aristocrats, who fought for the Great Reform Bill of 1832. It is a remarkable story told by an excellent storyteller (David Aaronovitch THE TIMES)

Fraser's rollicking history ... brisk engrossing narrative ... as a pure storyteller she has few equals (Dominic Sandbrook SUNDAY TIMES)

Antonia Fraser's superb narrative of the passing of the Great Reform Bill of 1832, one of the most potentially revolutionary moments in British politics, provides incisive pen portraits of all the major protagonists (DAILY TELEGRAPH)

Britain, 1832. The 'perilous question' of the country's corrupt electoral system - is causing uproar. From the complacent Prime Minister, to radicals calling for revolution, Fraser expertly sketches the key players in a dramatic period of British history. (HISTORY REVEALED)

[I]n her usual elegant style Antonia Fraser recounts the furore over constitutional reform as a thrilling adventure story (Jad Adams BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE)

Antonia Fraser's sheer stamina - she is now in her eighties and a national institution - is an object lesson for younger historians. The clear joy and fascination she continues to feel for her subject shine through (Lucasta Miller OXFORD REVIEW)

The book take the reader through a complex political landscape with the humour, detail and keen-eyed observations that have made Fraser one of the country's most successful historical authors. In fact, this is historical writing at its best because it actually reads like a superb political thriller (SURREY LIFE)

A political thriller - Borgen in the era of Middlemarch ... It is a remarkable story told by an excellent storyteller, with a flair for character and a rare sympathy for context (David Aaronovitch THE TIMES Book of the Week)

This is history as it should be written: lively, witty and, above all, a cracking good read. I found it almost impossible to put down (Jane Ridley THE SPECTATOR)

Not a typical summer blockbuster, but Fraser's analysis of the years preceding the Great Reform Act of 1832 is a rollicking good read, with rakish revolutionaries and reforming heroes (VOGUE)

Descrizione del libro:

From beloved historian Antonia Fraser, the two-year revolution that totally changed how Britain is governed.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: W&N
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0753829223
• ISBN 13: 9780753829226
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 448