The Young Melbourne & Lord M |
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David Cecil
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Pages: 566 (Paperback)
ISBN: 1842124978
Pub: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Pub date: 2001-10-18
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 232529
Reader Reviews:
The ultimate historical political biography...? (3/3 people found this helpful)
This was one of JFK's top ten books, that's a well-known fact. But what did President Kennedy find so alluring in a story of a man in a time when leading politicians were as amorous as they were glamorous? What was so appealing in a story of a man who lived for politics during the week and for women and good times at the weekend? Melbourne is certainly not one of Britain's great Prime Ministers. But this is one of the best prime ministerial biographies. Although it was written a long time ago, it's fresh and full of wit. It details how the old roué was frequently spurned by women - his wife ran off with Byron, Queen Victoria first doted on him, then later ignored him. What makes reading this book so enjoyable nearly 200 years after Melbourne was at the height of his powers is the writing. It pulls you into a world of intrigue, love, lust and power when Britannia ruled the waves and decisions made in London's ivory towers affected people around the world. I wonder what Cecil would have come up with writing about a truly great character. I've read many books about most of the important British PMs. In my opinion there have been better politicians, but few better political biographies.
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