In June 1983 Margaret Thatcher won the biggest increase in a government’s parliamentary majority in British electoral history and proceeded to transform relations with Europe, prioritize British industry, and reinvigorate the economy. For the only time since Churchill, Britain had a central place in dealings between the superpowers. But even at her zenith, Thatcher was best by difficulties. She regularly faced calls for resignation, grew isolated in her own government, butted heads with the Queen, bullied her senior colleagues, and was deceived by her closest ally, Ronald Reagan, during the U.S. invasion of Grenada.
Boasting unprecedented access to Thatcher colleagues, friends, family, and all her government and private papers, Moore offers a groudbreaking and essential portrait of a titanic figure, with all her capabilities and flaw, during the years of her greatest power. Thatcher storms from these pages as from no other book.
“[A] remarkable achievement….[Moore] writes clearly and honestly, never letting his essentially positive view of Thatcher get in the way of his ‘public interest’ duty to present us with the evidence as he finds it….His mastery of the vast range of topics with which Thatcher herself had to grapple is absolute, his marshaling of evidence adroit, and his judgments deliberate and fair. Moore remains on target to produce the definitive ‘case for the defense’ of this titanic and still controversial figure. His work will very likely stand alongside that of John Morley, official biographer of Gladstone, as one of the masterpieces of British political history.” —Richard Aldous, The New York Times
“Margaret Thatcher was no ordinary politician: She was a force of nature. Any attempt to capture in words a leader so utterly sui generis requires abilities of the highest order. It was not the least of her feats to have found in Charles Moore the ideal biographer. His work not only does justice to her achievements but comes as close as possible to evoking what she was really like. It is not just authorized, but authoritative. Indeed, I venture to say that Mr. Moore’s “Margaret Thatcher” is one of the greatest political biographies ever written.” —Daniel Johnson, The Wall Street Journal
“Moore’s biography is a superb achievement: an authoritative, readable, humane account that reveals some disagreement with Thatcher’s policies but also a thoroughgoing effort to understand her perspective. It is just the right point of view for approaching a polarizing figure….The next volume of Moore’s outstanding biography will be the last. It is sure to be a treat.” —Michael O’Donnell, Chicago Tribune
“Monumental…[Moore] is both sympathetic and balanced, never a sycophant. The first volume of his authorized biography was hailed as masterly. In this volume, too, covering the period of her greatest power, 1982 to 1987, Moore combines massive research, prodigious depth of analysis and fascinating narrative detail….I found it riveting.” —Elaine Showalter, The Washington Post
“One of the many achievements of Charles Moore’s biography of Thatcher is to recall into vivid life not only the British prime minister herself, but the political era to which she gave her name …. Moore writes perceptively and sensitively about what it meant for Thatcher to smash that glass ceiling against which Hillary Clinton bumped so hard in 2008—including the many ways that politics is inescapably, not arbitrarily, different for women than for men….Magnificent.” —David Frum, The Atlantic
“[Moore] is surprisingly evenhanded….readers inclined to be as fair-minded as he will find much of interest in his account of her years in power.” —Kirkus Reviews *starred review*
"Using the abundant and illuminating sources he had full access to, including government and personal papers, private diaries, personal notes, and so much more, Moore creates a carefully detailed portrait of a leader he characterizes as 'more famous on the world stage than any British prime minister except for Sir Winston Churchill.'....A chronology of world events, copious notes, and an extensive bibliography enhance an exhaustive narrative that will fascinate students of contemporary British history and politics." —Booklist
“Hard to put down….This is an excellent book and brings Mrs. Thatcher back into the forefront long after her departure from the political scene. IT is informative and interesting and belongs on the library shelf of anyone who appreciates the intricacies of British politics.” —New York Journal of Books
