Author:Len Deighton
'The most honest attempt yet to tell how the Battle of Britain really was' Andrew Wilson, Observer
History is swamped by patriotic myths about the aerial combat fought between the RAF and the Luftwaffe over the summer of 1940. In his gripping history of the Battle of Britain, Len Deighton drew on a decade of research and his own wartime experiences to puncture these myths and point towards a more objective, and even more inspiring, truth.
'Revolutionised thinking about the Battle of Britain in a way that has not been seriously challenged since' The Times
Revolutionised thinking about the Battle of Britain in a way that has not been seriously challenged since.
—— Robert Dawson Scott , The TimesMust surely rank as the most honest attempt yet to tell how the Battle of Britain really was.
—— Andrew Wilson , ObserverThe research was so meticulous that his conclusions, chiefly that the Few were very brave but their leaders were daft, could not easily be set aside. Indeed, they are now part of the orthodoxy.
—— The IndependentThe best, most dispassionate story of the battle I have read and I say that even though the book destroyed many of my illusions and, indeed, attacks the validity of some of what I wrote as an eyewitness.
—— Drew Middleton , New York Times Book Review[We learn] that British anti-aircraft fire was ineffective, that some R.A.F. ground personnel fled under fire, that the Admiralty provoked costly skirmishes ...The book resounds with exploded myths.
—— Leonard Bushkoff , Washington PostDeighton has shown himself to be the most protean of British best-sellers.
—— John Sutherland , London Review of BooksTobias Kelly's book takes five pacifists, four men and one woman, and skilfully weaves their stories into a broader narrative . . . A long and proud tradition of being permitted to act according to conscience is very much part of Britain's self-image . . . that there was space for pacifists to lay claim to the values of sacrifice and citizenship while not taking up weapons, ultimately played a not insignificant role in Britain's record of tolerance
—— Mark Bostridge , Times Literary SupplementThis is a sympathetic and nuanced study that challenges the overly simplistic wartime narrative that pervades British culture
—— History TodayThose lucky readers who come to Christopher de Bellaigue's book in proximity to reading Mantel can suddenly have a new panel thrown open to them like an unfolding altarpiece ... all written in the present tense. This creates the obvious sense of liveliness and urgency ... Bellaigue sets about the task with such confidence and skill that it works ... a dazzling and dark work. Witty and often wise, it speaks to the frailties and the precarity of power
—— David Aaronovitch , The TimesVivid and compelling ... He presents his story like a novel, but it is not fiction; every detail has been diligently researched, for example by perusing diaries in difficult Venetian dialect ... Whether he is describing a lavish dinner for Italian merchants on the Bosporus, the stately progress of Suleiman's armies through the Balkans or a mass circumcision, he has an eye for the colourful, absurd and ironic ... As this book shows, living in the penumbra of such supreme power can be seductive and intoxicating. But the end of the story is often tragic
—— EconomistWolf Hall for the Ottoman Empire ... History at its most gripping
—— Daily TelegraphThis account really grips... it does so by bringing out the fascinating individuals, the adventure, the lurid details, the barbarities, the opulence and squalor and near misses of the story
—— Melanie McDonagh , Evening StandardPoised effortlessly between two worlds and two ages, a book as pungent and mysterious as the age it depicts
—— RORY STEWART, former British Cabinet Minister and author of The Places In BetweenA complex piece of history told with extraordinary clarity
—— Spectator, *Best Books of 2022*Christopher de Bellaigue has a magic talent for writing history It is as if we are there as the era of Suleyman the Magnificent unfolds
—— ORHAN PAMUK, Nobel Laureate in LiteratureEssential reading for anyone wishing to understand political ambition and the role of narcissistic leaders and scheming courtiers in any age
—— ROBERT PESTON, Political Editor ITV NewsGripping, novelistic ... brisk and muscular ... written in a sure-footed historical present, the book creates a simulacrum of the 16th century through the painstaking accumulation of attested details ... [giving] the book its vividness and energy ... [De Bellaigue] writes with supreme confidence about power, diplomacy, clothing, avarice, war, statecraft and the exceptional brutality of the era ... While The Lion House unfolds like a novel, through scenes rich with authenticating detail
—— Marcel Theroux , The New York Times Book ReviewDe Bellaigue is a riveting and expert guide to the story of Suleyman's quest for power
—— PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk RoadsNarrated with a verve and flair that make the characters burst from the pages. Outstanding history and an incredibly good read
—— EUGENE ROGAN, author of The Fall of the OttomansExquisite ... So arresting is this book, so enveloping in the tensions of its narrative, that most readers will feel a pang of sorrow that the tale does not run on. The Lion House leaves us with a tease, or taunt: "Who, apart from God, can say what will come next?" A sequel, surely. Although it was the peak of the Ottoman Empire, Suleyman's reign also offers clear glimpses of a great decline to come. Who better to tell us about it than Mr de Bellaigue?
—— Wall Street JournalNon-fiction with the readability of a thriller. Unputdownable
—— VICTORIA HISLOP, author of The IslandSensuous and scholarly, meticulously researched and deliciously irreverent, The Lion House is an intoxicating journey through the Ottomans' golden age
—— AMBERIN ZAMAN, correspondent, Al-Monitor, Turkey correspondent for the Economist (1999-2016) and Fellow of the Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, DCReads like the most gripping fiction ... could very well be Netflix's next epic
—— Radio TimesThe Lion House presents a historical universe that captivates and astonishes and is near-impossible to put down. A superb example of historical literature and research
—— RICHARD WHATMORE, Professor of Modern History at the University of St AndrewsFull of breath-taking events at the cross-roads of empires at a moment in history when notions such as Europe, Asia, Christianity and Islam were infinitely more fluid and permeable than they are today
—— KEREM OKTEM, Professor of International Relations at Ca' Foscari University, VeniceOriginal... de Bellaigue... offers a vivid presentation of events, re-imagined as scenes and episodes... a different, literary kind [of history]
—— Noel Malcolm , Times Literary SupplementDe Bellaigue writes with impecable scholarship, piecing together contemporary accounts to create a thrilling narrative
—— Church TimesDe Bellaigue is an expert stylist, sensitive to rhythm and vocabulary, and passionate in his pursuit of the fugitive detail that gives meaning to a whole episode
—— Literary ReviewAn exhilarating read
—— Rose Shepherd , Saga MagazineAn engrossing book... This is history turned into drama and poetry, awesomely spectacular yet also intensely intimate
—— Yasmin Alibhai-Brown , iNewsThe world of Suleyman the Magnificent...is brought to life in this history
—— The Times, *The Year’s Top 50 Non-Fiction Books*