Elizabethans cover art

Elizabethans

How Modern Britain Was Forged

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About this listen

The Sunday Times bestseller THE STORY OF BRITAIN during the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Find out how Britain changed in this entrancing, lively portrait of Britain’s Elizabethan Age by bestselling writer and broadcaster Andrew Marr

Britain changed fundamentally during the Queen’s long, distinguished reign. So who made modern Britain the country it is today? How do we sum up the kind of people we are? What did it mean to be the new Elizabethans?

In this wonderfully told history, spanning back to when Queen Elizabeth became queen in 1953, Andrew Marr traces the people who have made Britain the country it is today. From the activists to the artists, the sports heroes to the innovators, these people pushed us forward, changed the conversation, encouraged us to eat better, to sing, think and to protest. They got things done. How will our generation be remembered in a hundred years’ time? And when you look back at Britain’s toughest moments in the past seventy years, what do you learn about its people and its values?

In brilliantly entertaining style and with unexpected insights into some of our sung and unsung heroes, this is our story as Elizabethans – the story of how 1950s Britain evolved into the diverse country we live in today. In short, it is the history of modern Britain.

FEATURING: David Attenborough. Marcus Rashford. Jan Morris. Diana Dors. Bob Geldof. David Olusoga. Elizabeth David. Zaha Hadid. Frank Crichlow. Quentin Crisp. Dusty Springfield. Captain Tom – and many others

Activists Cultural & Regional Europe Great Britain Military Politics & Activism Royalty

Critic reviews

‘Like The Crown in book form: a stream of intriguing stories producing a mosaic that the reader, with expert steers from Marr, can glue together’ Guardian

Praise for Andrew Marr’s previous books

‘It is the clarity of his judgements, the arresting insights and the irrepressible wit that keep us hanging on to his words. Among his other qualities, Marr is the ideal history teacher that most people never had at school . . . A damned good read . . . This book will be read with pleasure, for Marr's ironic tone and ever-present pleasant presence.’
Bernard Crick, Edinburgh Review

‘A fine example of popular history . . . engaging and intelligent.’
Financial Times

‘He has the rare gift of being able to explain complex issues in a few crisp sentences.’
Sunday Telegraph

All stars
Most relevant
A great listen, diverse & thoroughly informative although the narrator does seem to ‘drone on’ a bit a times

Bite sized history

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Great book. Entertaining. But the narrator’s intonation is terrible. He is frequently putting emphasis on the wrong words and losing the meaning of sentences and phrases, to the point where it’s obvious he is not paying attention to the meaning of the text he is reading.

Entertaining cultural history but terrible narration

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This book is excellent, please give us volume two. The performance and stories were brilliant. Great value.

A must read

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Another excellent read from Andrew Marr, especially good to read at this time of the Platinum Jubilee.

An excellent read

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Every word this man says is a tonic of reason nd intelligence.
And it's read clearly and beautifully.
A must have!

Pure wisdom

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