A must-read for Salfordians

An intriguing book that does attempt to lose the hype surrounding the club to give an insight into both the Class of 92 and the plight of the players who find themselves in non-league football.

I found The Battle entrancing

Excellent ... [an] eye-opening account of the never-ending battles he fought

Fascinating ... the recollections of life with the British and Irish touring team leap out as highlights

A fascinating insight into what has driven him and how his approach to the game changed over time. The inner tensions of possibly the most intense competitor of his generation are laid bare in The Battle.

Revelatory ... Unflinchingly charts his personal evolution ... He is not at all easy on himself

It is pure O'Connell ... Players and coaches from all sports will have the pencil out, finding nuggets

Absorbing and compelling ... The O'Connell who dominates this book is the one who becomes fixated on the mentality of champions

O'Connell has emptied the tank here. ... What has come out ... is a psychological profile that is almost shocking at times in what it reveals about the bloody single-mindedness of the competitive gene

A fantastic book

He is a standard-bearer for the country and someone whose principles, moral compass, ideals and heroic virtue make us wish our children would aspire to be someone like him

An exceptional book ... tremendously honest

Engaging, honest and insightful. Terrific

Honest, fair and devoid of self-pity ... reflects on his life without a shred of hypocrisy or recrimination

A stunning achievement

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} Provides many revealing insights into the mind of a born winner

Brilliant, bruising

This is so much more than the story of their journey – it’s a superbly written, endlessly fascinating book encompassing history, geology, landscape, family memories, wars experienced and lives well lived.

One of the most unexpected and enjoyable reads of 2016… The book fizzes erudition and is delightfully leavened by the companionship of his aged and doughty father.

A very funny book - not jovial in the post-Wodehouse Boris mode but something more taught and Caledonian... The politician in Stewart never had a chance against the writer, a reliable adversary of consensus and cant.

Beautiful, evocative, and wise.

The Marches is a transporting work from a powerful and original writer.

This beautifully written account is a moving memoir of tales from along the route but also reflections on life and relationships – father and son on this their last journey together.

Rory Stewart is one of the most talented men of our era. The Marches takes us from Rory’s constituency to his family house is an attempt to understand the bloody history of the Scottish borders… The quest is fascinating even if the answers are elusive.

As the book unfurls, the march along the marches turns into a eulogy to his father, part memoir, part biography, always a love story. It also contains one of the most unflinching, moving descriptions of death I have read.

This beautifully written book is a haunting reflection of identity and our relationships with the people and places we love.

Stewart provides much food for thought about how we value our past history