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vnnbrg's review against another edition
Na zo’n 300 blz (van de 688) afgehaakt. Leek me een boeiende bijspijkercursus over deze clusterfuck en hoewel vermakelijk geschreven, ook extreem gedetailleerd en daardoor vaak erg langdradig. Net als bij de echte Brexit vind ik het halverwege tijd om wat leuks te gaan doen.
mwx1010's review
5.0
It's unusual to throw terms like "definitive" around about histories written so soon after the events they describe. In this case however it seems likely that this will end up standing as the definitive account of the UK's Brexit referendum campaign and the (very) early repercussions.
Shipman has clearly had tremendous access and weaves his various sources together well to create a coherent overall narrative that highlights the politicking, venality and downright incompetence on both sides of the campaign.
Shipman has clearly had tremendous access and weaves his various sources together well to create a coherent overall narrative that highlights the politicking, venality and downright incompetence on both sides of the campaign.
smallridge's review against another edition
5.0
Hard to add the rave reviews this book has already received and it more than lives up to the hype. Detailing the events in the many different camps (Stronger In, Vote Leave, Leave.eu, Cameron's circle, The Labour Party and more) it really feels like the definitive account of Brexit. The size of it might initially put some people off but it is an accessible read, written in clear and articulate prose and often has the tone of a thriller or high drama, which feels appropriate for the subject matter.
Personal highlights are:
- Explaining the relationship between Michael Gove and Boris Johnson, dating all the way back to university.
- The insights into the thoughts and conflicts in the Cameron-Osborne inner circle during the referendum.
- Showing the role of the influential Steve Baker in the referendum.
- Sketching out the character of the often caricatured Dominic Cummings.
- The (comparatively) brief but cutting descriptions of the Labour campaign.
With endless gems of quotes and information you can really sense just how much background research went into making this book and it all pays off. To my mind, this novel is the pinnacle of political journalism.
Personal highlights are:
- Explaining the relationship between Michael Gove and Boris Johnson, dating all the way back to university.
- The insights into the thoughts and conflicts in the Cameron-Osborne inner circle during the referendum.
- Showing the role of the influential Steve Baker in the referendum.
- Sketching out the character of the often caricatured Dominic Cummings.
- The (comparatively) brief but cutting descriptions of the Labour campaign.
With endless gems of quotes and information you can really sense just how much background research went into making this book and it all pays off. To my mind, this novel is the pinnacle of political journalism.
mickymac's review against another edition
5.0
Insight and analysis of the shock shift of our time
Excellent assessment, shrewd analysis and well judged prose, this is journalism at its best. Capturing the overconfident Remainers bemused by real people and the bickering Brexiters, this shows how close and complex the unexpected result was.
Excellent assessment, shrewd analysis and well judged prose, this is journalism at its best. Capturing the overconfident Remainers bemused by real people and the bickering Brexiters, this shows how close and complex the unexpected result was.
craiglister's review against another edition
4.0
In the future, when history students are studying what the hell happened in Britain during the infamous Brexit Referendum, I have no doubt Tim Shipman’s Brexit books will be on the to-read syllabus. This is the most highly detailed and well-sourced recount of what the hell happened during the referendum.
As a Brit, I find this book infuriating. Not because it's wrong or bad because it's neither of those things but because the players representing Remain put their own interests ahead of the nations. You can't deny that if Cameron put country ahead of the party, the Leave campaign would have been less effective. If Corbyn campaigned more instead of doing the bare minimum, it would have swung more Labour Leavers to vote remain. It was a mess and still is. What the decisions that were taken during this time will lead us to I don't know.
If you're interested in British politics and how it works or just want more info on Brexit than I recommend this book to you and its follow-up.
As a Brit, I find this book infuriating. Not because it's wrong or bad because it's neither of those things but because the players representing Remain put their own interests ahead of the nations. You can't deny that if Cameron put country ahead of the party, the Leave campaign would have been less effective. If Corbyn campaigned more instead of doing the bare minimum, it would have swung more Labour Leavers to vote remain. It was a mess and still is. What the decisions that were taken during this time will lead us to I don't know.
If you're interested in British politics and how it works or just want more info on Brexit than I recommend this book to you and its follow-up.
amaryllys's review
5.0
Unbelievable, how Tim Shipman could transform a 32-hours long book on politics into a fascinating story
whatmeworry's review against another edition
4.0
Halloween has passed without us leaving the EU (thank goodness) and appropriately enough I finished Tim Shipman’s ‘All Out War’ today.
It’s a compelling and meticulous account of the Brexit Referendum that’s extremely readable despite the complexity of the events being relayed. It’s a fascinating book and achieved for me the author’s intended aim of giving readers on either side of the debate a better understanding and appreciation of the motives of the other side.
Perhaps unsurprisingly (given that the author is political editor of The Sunday Times) it does a much better job of explaining the Tory side of the story than it does the Labour one. The Conservative players are fully formed characters with motivations and personalities, whilst Labour is more or less portrayed as a big dysfunctional blob. Not sure if this is bias on the part of the author or just a result of Labour players being less willing to talk to him, but it cost the book a star for me.
Nevertheless, it’s a book I throughly recommend and I’ll be diving into the sequel very soon.
It’s a compelling and meticulous account of the Brexit Referendum that’s extremely readable despite the complexity of the events being relayed. It’s a fascinating book and achieved for me the author’s intended aim of giving readers on either side of the debate a better understanding and appreciation of the motives of the other side.
Perhaps unsurprisingly (given that the author is political editor of The Sunday Times) it does a much better job of explaining the Tory side of the story than it does the Labour one. The Conservative players are fully formed characters with motivations and personalities, whilst Labour is more or less portrayed as a big dysfunctional blob. Not sure if this is bias on the part of the author or just a result of Labour players being less willing to talk to him, but it cost the book a star for me.
Nevertheless, it’s a book I throughly recommend and I’ll be diving into the sequel very soon.
dazzle's review against another edition
3.0
Just gonna preface this - this is my view and opinions. I will not get into a political debate with anyone.
I don’t know how to sum up my feelings about this.
My rating is a 3 star.
I spent the entirety of the book not really understanding who everyone was and the roles they played (other than the top people in each camp) but that I link that more to my ignorance on how the government is structured as a whole (I have a very, very basic understanding) than to Shipman’s writing.
In terms of being informed about Brexit, it hasn’t changed my opinion. It has softened my anger towards the Leave campaign to some extent, in others I am just as angry, just as frustrated and just as disgusted as I was when this was all happening.
I still think the Remain campaign did a terrible job at campaigning. They should have done better.
They all lied. They all failed the British people.
In my opinion. Don’t come for me.
Ultimately this book did what it outlined in the introduction. It educated me on how the campaigns really went, how we really came to have the result we did and I have more of an understanding of both sides of the arguments and slightly less hostility to the people I oppose.
But I stand by my thoughts and opinions. I stand by my vote.
I’m interested to read his next book about Brexit… I think I’ll wait until all this bullshit is over first though.
I don’t know how to sum up my feelings about this.
My rating is a 3 star.
I spent the entirety of the book not really understanding who everyone was and the roles they played (other than the top people in each camp) but that I link that more to my ignorance on how the government is structured as a whole (I have a very, very basic understanding) than to Shipman’s writing.
In terms of being informed about Brexit, it hasn’t changed my opinion. It has softened my anger towards the Leave campaign to some extent, in others I am just as angry, just as frustrated and just as disgusted as I was when this was all happening.
I still think the Remain campaign did a terrible job at campaigning. They should have done better.
They all lied. They all failed the British people.
In my opinion. Don’t come for me.
Ultimately this book did what it outlined in the introduction. It educated me on how the campaigns really went, how we really came to have the result we did and I have more of an understanding of both sides of the arguments and slightly less hostility to the people I oppose.
But I stand by my thoughts and opinions. I stand by my vote.
I’m interested to read his next book about Brexit… I think I’ll wait until all this bullshit is over first though.