Margot at War

Love and Betrayal in Downing Street, 1912-1916

By: Anne de Courcy

Narrated by: Patricia Gallimore

Length: 16 hrs and 54 mins

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Drawing on unpublished material from personal papers and diaries, Anne de Courcy vividly recreates this extraordinary time when the Prime Minister's residence was run like an English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.

©2014 Anne de Courcy (P)2015 Isis Publishing Ltd

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.

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.