The Tories is, to borrow a phrase from W.S. Gilbert, a pudding full of plums – but it is a pudding nonetheless. Alan Clark is quite right to warn readers in his introduction that this is not a conventional history of the Conservative Party in the twentieth century. Instead, it could be described as a personal commentary on selected political events, sometimes with an insider's insights. Clark assumes a good working knowledge on the part of the reader, as key figures and events arrive on the scene unheralded and unglossed. Furthermore, there are many lacunae where Clark shifts focus from one period to another without bridging the two. The book's principal attraction is also its Achilles heel: Clark himself. His biting wit and caustic judgements are counterbalanced by his labyrinthine syntax and apparent disregard for the suggestions of his editor. His choice of topics are also idiosyncratic (very little, for example, on the changing relationship with the press). Clark is refreshingly upfront about his historical heroes and villains, and is highly entertaining in his assessments. Surprisingly, the chapters covering Clark's own time as an MP offer only a slight overview of the momentous Thatcher years compared to a more extensive analysis of the Major premiership. Recommended, but only for fans of Alan Clark's writing. ( )

Great history writing - British politics in the twentieth century come to life in this book. Clark's politician's eyes and awareness give him an added dimension as a political historian. You do finish the book regretting that the periods of the Labour administrations with the Conservatives in opposition are rather glossed over (of course deliberately in a book called 'The Tories'). But a more complete picture would have made the book an indispensable modern history of the United Kingdom.

After reading this book you will be even more cynical about politicians and party politics: "Practically every Tory leader, with the possible exception of Stanley Baldwin - and even he said that leading the Conservatives was like driving pigs to market - came, in their different ways privately, but quite strongly, to dislike the party which had put them at its head." And incidentally this sentence with its succession of clauses is typical of Clark's slightly old-fashioned writing style.

Margaret Thatcher comes across as much more likeable than I remember - not that that was difficult - and John Major too: how can you not have a new respect for a guy who decided "on the first morning of his election defeat on 2 May 1997, to resign instantly, absent himself from Westminster, and go to watch cricket." ( )