Audiobook Review: Andrew Marr's 'A History of Modern Britain'

I have been desperately short of time to read in recent months, but have been able to steal time during my lunch hour to listen to audio books on my tiny iPod (my book tardis). I'm just coming to the end of Andrew Marr's 'A History of Modern Britain' which is read by the author. This was originally produced for television (2007) and subsequently won a number of awards such as 'best history series' and 'best presenter'.

Marr has become a household name with his own high profile Sunday morning show 'The Andrew Marr Show' which replaced 'Breakfast with Frost' after Frost's retirement in 2005. It's telling that the show was originally called 'Sunday AM' but re-named in 2007, because Marr has gained so much in popularity.

British history was lacking in my education for various reasons (time spent in the Far East as a teenager saw me studying South East Asian history for a time), so I am probably the sort of person who can benefit a great deal from Marr's enthusiastic analysis of British (political) history, beginning after the Second World War. I am becoming hungry to understand more about the society I grew up in, and the political forces that shaped it and I am so glad I chose Marr. Of course this is journalistic, not academic, but the balance of content worked for me for what I want at this time.

As he moves through the decades, he brings to life the names I knew but haven't before been able to place in context. When he arrives in the years of my childhood and beyond, so much falls into place. He brings into the story, not just the remote playing out of the most powerful political lives, but the popular culture on the street. His analysis helps to show how things are interrelated, and moreover, he tells the story in such a compelling way, it acts as a wake up call to the importance of politics and the personal impact of the most powerful people in the recent history of our country. Following on from this logically, it helps put today in context. This has certainly made me more engaged with politics in the run up to the election, and I am recommending this audio book, and the television series. I understand that Marr is planning another series about the first half of the twentieth century. One to look out for.

Comments

[Emma]

Hello Richard.
It's good to get an educated opinion, plus some recommendations! I like recommendations that I can rely on. I will certainly follow them up.
Apparently, apart from getting the details wrong that you mention, the publishers were also sued for libel for getting facts wrong about an activist. The book was recalled and re-published.(More detail on Wikipedia.)
An interesting twist.
You're the first person to comment on my blog.
Perhaps there should be a prize?
Hope you are well too.
Emma

[Richard Ely]

Hi, Emma

Have been meaning to post a comment on your blog for a while and you've provided me with an opportune occasion to do so!

Can't say I'm a fan of this series, or of Marr in general, but I may be hard to please because I know the post-war period very well indeed and I found that Marr only skimmed the surface (understandable, in a way, given the time limits imposed) but, less forgivably, got some of his facts wrong (the Grosvenor Square demo was in 1968, not 67). And he does that thing that ALL commentators seem to resort to when describing the Feb '74 election - 'Ted Heath asked the voters, 'Who governs Britain?' They replied: 'Not you, mate!'' Actually, Anthony Howard repeated this hoary old chestnut last night on the beeb4 programme on elections.

A much better book on the 60s is Bernard Levin's Pendulum Years - Levin was the finest journalist of his generation and he doesn't just focus on politics and society but on the arts, too. On the seventies, I'd recommend Phillip Whitehead's The Writing On The Wall - a similar template to Levin's, not as well-written, but just as comprehensive.

Both are out of print, though you can get them easily from Abebooks/Amazon.

Hope you're well. I'm looking forward to the election, despite having no engagement with it at the moment. No doubt I shall stay up all night (again) wathing the results....

Hope you're well.

Richard.