Insider gossip’s never been so much fun
(WH Allen £20)
sIttING on the knee of his classicist grandfather, the blond-haired infant destined to be prime minister lapped up stories of roman heroes and the ceaseless competition between macho males, driven by self-belief and worshipped by adoring crowds. He saw himself in the same light. still does.
that, and a disloyal father who slapped around Boris’s mother, are the keys to his flaky, driven-but-distracted personality, according to this wellsourced, persuasive account. tellingly, his first cuckolded wife recalls ‘he never lied; he just has his own attitude to the truth’. It’s damning stuff, but whether Bower’s searing analysis i s Boris’s epitaph or just the half-time report in a much longer game remains to be seen.
A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama
(Viking £35) ‘MIGHt as well put that smart mouth of yours to use,’ the young obama’s grandfather told him.
the family imagined he would turn out to be some hot-shot lawyer. He aimed much higher, with the White House in his thoughts very early on.
His journey there and his initial two years in office are combed through in this memoir, which has sold close to a million copies. Don’t be put off by its size — 750 pages. He writes with an eye for detail that brings the politics alive.
a surprising wistfulness runs through it, an acknowledgement of opportunities missed and ‘ a desire to turn back the clock’.
BLOOD AND OIL by Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck
(John Murray £20) GaMe of thrones has nothing on Mohammed bin salman’s grab for power in saudi arabia, the cunning, lies, threats and murderous ambition with which an also-ran of a prince in his early 30s carved his way to the top of the royal heap documented here in chilling detail. after
promising an end to corruption, he quickly began feathering his own nest and ruthlessly disposing of anyone in his way. The butchering of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been linked to the Saudi government. Still the world falls at his feet. As Pakistan PM Imran Khan said: ‘he’s a spoiled brat, but we can’t afford to stand up to him.’
DIARY OF AN MP’S WIFE by Sasha Swire (Little, Brown £20)
A SOCIALLY-distanced Christmas seems a cert for the family of MP hugo Swire, given that invitations must surely have dried up since publication of wife Sasha’s intimate observations on her Tory pals.
No one likes a snitch, but this is snitching of the highest order. Insider gossip has never been more fun as she dishes the dirt on Dave (Cameron) and co, exposing their smutty ‘lad culture’ conversations. ‘ugh, men!’ she writes.
But between the bitchiness and character assassination there’s also shrewd political insight, not least about the snooty remain camp who casually dismissed the views of Brexiteers like her.
RAGE by Bob Woodward
(S&S £25) AS DONALD Trump clings on to the Oval Office by his fingernails, Washington’s most eminent journalist dissects his first term and, after 17 interviews with the president, concludes he is simply ‘the wrong man for the job’.
In a devastating cri t i que, Woodward cites a l ogjam of problems — Trump’s oversized personality, lack of trust in those he appointed, unwillingness to acknowledge error, failure to do his homework, or to be a caring, healing voice.
Above all, he lambasts him for revelling in ‘ perpetual rage’, stoking deep- seated hatreds among the people and making no effort to bring the country together.
A riveting read, even though he doesn’t address why half of America keeps voting for Trump.