Scan barcode
jamesfh's review against another edition
3.0
More a crowd-sourced diary of the 90s than a history, and selective in what it remembered. But an entertaining and opinionated overview of what it did cover.
mwx1010's review against another edition
4.0
The third and final volume of Turner’s social history of modern Britain, this was an interesting read as it is now sufficiently close to the present day that I remember living through most of the events depicted.
It’s weaker than its two predecessors but that’s partly a function of lack of distance and partly more of an issue with the tune than the player. It’s a good capping off of the series, but there’s likely to be a more comprehensive analysis written, most likely when the dust has further settled.
It’s weaker than its two predecessors but that’s partly a function of lack of distance and partly more of an issue with the tune than the player. It’s a good capping off of the series, but there’s likely to be a more comprehensive analysis written, most likely when the dust has further settled.
mrshev's review against another edition
2.0
I think the problem with books written about history is that if they are within your own memories of that period then you have already formed a judgement of them.
This book reads like a love letter to John Major who, in the author’s eyes, can do no wrong and was a paragon of virtue, truth and integrity in the seedy world of British politics - which is pure fantasy. He was an insipid, uninspired and unimaginative man who happened upon being Prime Minister. Blair (in hindsight a one-dimensional delusionist and media junkie) - entered office after years of Tory infighting with a great deal of hope. The author seems to not recall that. He also does not recall what was actually happening in Europe and the U.S. which was seismic.
He quotes Drop the Dead Donkey a bit too much and writes off Britpop with the same disdain as a Findus pancake. Dance music? Rave culture? Grunge? The Internet? Monica? It’s like the author just listened to every episode of Today in Parliament and turned it into the Diary of Adrian Mole. There must be better recent histories out there.
This book reads like a love letter to John Major who, in the author’s eyes, can do no wrong and was a paragon of virtue, truth and integrity in the seedy world of British politics - which is pure fantasy. He was an insipid, uninspired and unimaginative man who happened upon being Prime Minister. Blair (in hindsight a one-dimensional delusionist and media junkie) - entered office after years of Tory infighting with a great deal of hope. The author seems to not recall that. He also does not recall what was actually happening in Europe and the U.S. which was seismic.
He quotes Drop the Dead Donkey a bit too much and writes off Britpop with the same disdain as a Findus pancake. Dance music? Rave culture? Grunge? The Internet? Monica? It’s like the author just listened to every episode of Today in Parliament and turned it into the Diary of Adrian Mole. There must be better recent histories out there.
roba's review
4.0
While I voted in the 90s, my main information came from The Time, The Place and Official PlayStation Magazine. This is a really good catch-up on what went on politically, and it reassuringly reveals that basically no-one read the Maastricht Treaty, so I can forgive myself for not really knowing what it was at the time.
Outside of politics, there is some slightly unconvincing cultural analysis - the popularity of Terry Pratchett and Harry Potter indicate a surge in interest of different types of spirituality, apparently - and it feels a little disconcerting that the most quoted source is Drop the Dead Donkey. But the political story it tells is fairly compelling.
Outside of politics, there is some slightly unconvincing cultural analysis - the popularity of Terry Pratchett and Harry Potter indicate a surge in interest of different types of spirituality, apparently - and it feels a little disconcerting that the most quoted source is Drop the Dead Donkey. But the political story it tells is fairly compelling.
More...