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Bezig met laden... Head of State: A Novel (2014)door Andrew Marr
Bezig met laden...
Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. In need of a holiday read, I grabbed this from the library, intrigued that it was written in 2014, and was set in 2017, days before the Brexit referendum. In some ways it didn't disappoint. Marr writes well, describing places, people and conversations with an eye and ear for telling detail. The plot was beyond believable. The PM dies in office, days before the vote, and his inner circle strive to conceal the death. But Marr has his finger on the pulse, and in the end, I was persuaded that this fantastical plot was far too close to possible reality for comfort. All the same, politics isn't my world, and though I enjoyed his writing well enough, it wasn't my kind of tale. Two stars? No, make it three. Just. ( ) god i hate the word Brexit, why has that become our go-to word for this sorry mess? (why is it a subtitle on the goodreads title of this book?) Fortunately this book, written a couple of years before the real referendum and set in a fictional 2017, doesn't use the word Brexit. It's written as a prediction of what would happen. In some ways it didn't get it crazy enough, frankly, but in others it's pretty accurate. Currency loses value overnight, etc. The book is a bit bloated, overall. It has way too many characters, no true main character or protagonist, so I couldn't really care less when some of the final-hour reveals came by (e.g., two characters turn out to be siblings, but why does it matter?). But too many of the plot threads are left hanging, at the same time. It seems to be unsure how much it can take potshots at real-world figures. Rory Bremner, Jeremy Clarkson, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and the Milibands are namechecked (incidentally, Ed Miliband was the Labour leader for five years?? He made as much impression on me as a wet tea-towel...), but other characters are obvious ersatz versions of Theresa May, for example, and Twitter is renamed Witter. There's also a new King instead of Lizzy, and a Madame President in America - oh, if only! But some aspects of it worked well. The central thriller plot works really well, building up subtly, and revealing I’ve enjoyed reading Andrew Marr’s accessible history books, & was looking forward to a political thriller by an insider. But this was out & out farce. An interesting idea about the PM keeling over before the referendum vote & a plan to cover-up the event, but the characters were two-dimensional, and I didn’t gain any insight into the inner workings of the political class. Shame. Andrew Marr, Politikredakteur bei der BBC mit eigener Talkshow, ist in Großbritannien eher für seine historischen Sachbücher bekannt. Sein 1. Roman ist eine turbulente Politsatire um das Referendum zum Verbleib des Königreichs in der EU. Die konservative Partei Englands ist tief gespalten in Befürworter, Gegner und Unentschlossene. Wenige Tage vor der schicksalhaften Abstimmung verstirbt ausgerechnet der populären Premierminister in seinem Amtszimmer. Seine engsten Vertrauten sind so verzweifelt, dass sie beschließen, mithilfe eines dubiosen Multitalents die Öffentlichkeit erst mal über den Gesundheitszustand des Premiers im Unklaren zu lassen. Hier nimmt die Satire teilweise absurde Züge an. Dass trotzdem noch die meisten Pointen sitzen, liegt vor allem an den profunden Insiderkenntnissen und dem scharfzüngigen Humor des Autors. Unterhaltsame Satire auf den Politik- und Medienzirkus moderner Gesellschaften. Allen Bibliotheken mit entsprechender Leserschaft gerne empfohlen. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
The first novel from Britain's most celebrated political commentator is a gleefully twisted take on what goes on behind the door of 10 Downing Street. It's September 2017, and the United Kingdom is on the verge of a crucial referendum that will determine, once and for all, if the country remains a member of the European Union, or goes its own way. The stakes could not possibly be higher, and the outcome is delicately balanced. But, unsuspected by the electorate, and unknown to all but a handful of members of the Prime Minister's innermost circle, there is a shocking secret at the very heart of government that, were it to become known, would change everything in an instant. A group of ruthlessly determined individuals will stop at nothing - including murder - to prevent that from happening. Andrew Marr's first novel is a darkly comic tale of deception and skulduggery in Downing Street and Whitehall. Making full use of his unrivalled inside knowledge of the British political scene, Marr has created a sparkling entertainment, a wholly original depiction of Westminster and its denizens, and a fascinating, irreverent glimpse behind the parliamentary curtain. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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