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Hope and Glory

The Days That Made Britain

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Hope and Glory

By: Stuart Maconie
Narrated by: Stuart Maconie
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About this listen

In Hope and Glory, Stuart goes in search of the places, people and events of the century we have just left behind that have shaped the look and character of modern Britain. From the death of Victoria to the demise of New Labour, he takes a single event from each decade of the 20th century that offers up a defining moment in our history and then goes in search of its legacy today. The death of a queen, a bloody war, a nation on strike, a first broadcast, a ship coming into land, reaching for the top of the world, an epic football match, a youth rebellion, a pop concert and an election – each event in turn has shaped our national culture and spirit to make us who we are. Some were glorious days, some tragic, even shameful, but each has played its part – from sport to music, politics to war, industrial relations to exploration – in making modern Britain. 1901 – the death of Victoria and the rise of British women; 1916 - the First World War in the national psyche; 1926 - the General Strike and industrial conflict; 1936 – how the British invented television; 1948 – the docking of the Empire Windrush and multi-cultural Britain; 1953 – Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Everest and the tradition of British adventure; 1966 – how we won the World Cup and our continued obsession with the game we gave the world; 1977 – Royalists and Rebels, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and the rise of punk; 1985 – how Live Aid gave birth to celebrity culture; 1997 – the rise and fall of Blair’s spin revolution.

©2011 Stuart Maconie (P)2011 Random House Audio Go
Anthropology Europe Great Britain Travel Writing & Commentary Sports Funny England Witty Thought-Provoking War

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All stars
Most relevant
Mr. Maconie writes and reads this great book with compelling enthusiasm and wit. Covering a vast number of topics from the Windrush generation to the Sex Pistols via Queen Victoria and that World Cup dog, this is a comprehensive account of both good and bad sides of our complex history.

Entertained, Informed and Educated

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I am a huge Stuart Maconie fan, so you won't be surprised to find that I loved this Audiobook. I have read 4 of his books now but this is the first Audiobook of his I have listened to. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fascinating and informative, and read in typical Maconie style , it's just like listening to him on the radio or on a music documentary. The only minor criticism would be his attempts at accents (Billy Connolly) . I will always recommend anything I have read from Stuart and this is no exception.

Stuart At His Best.

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In anticipation of this brilliant author’s next book due this year (2023) I thought I’d re-read (well listen to) this excellent little book, to see if it is held up in what has been a completely crazy few years in UK politics. Mr Maconie picks a key date in each decade in the C20th and builds his hypothesis stating these dates are the key events of the century and that – avoiding spoilers – the last date is a significant, no turning back moment in the British ‘way of life’. I wondered if it would stand up now we have had 2010 – 2023, including 2016 (Brexit) and it really does. Maconie is an astute observer of society, both historian and anthropologist alike, and an adept commentator, particularly if you know what he sounds like, or, as in this case, listen to him. He brings his consummate professionalism as a radio presenter to the fore to enliven what is a very easy book to read already. So this book is a jewel, and in my mind should be a History Text book. But with where our ‘Punch & Judy’ politics is now - perhaps after a quick epilogue Mr Maconie would be to add a supplementary title to reflect this as Hype & Gory.

Hope and Glory (2023 Hype &Gory)

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it's a great collection of stories and travelogues, in service of a good overall idea.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's not fiction so no characters.

Which character – as performed by Stuart Maconie – was your favourite?

He's best as himself.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh quite a few times and was depressing in others - there's a lot of material here, both light and dark.

Any additional comments?

I'd avoided this book in the bookshops as it looked a bit worthy and was timed around the 2012 olympics and a lot of very iffy 'national story of Britain' books. However, Maconie is a better writer than most and his commitment to his concept here is very good. The idea is to go through 10 'key days' in the last 100 years of British history, and the critical events that happened on those days. It covers everything from the suffrage movement to the 1966 world cup and Live Aid. It's a mixture of travelogue and essay in each chapter, and is well written and well read. The only major issue is that some of the chapters - around the first world war, the crushing of the miner's strikes etc is very consistently downbeat and can be wearing to listen to for long periods.

Good but heavy going in some places

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This is well-researched, well-written and well-narrated. I have to confess that my own politics are almost diametrically opposed to Mr Maconie's, and one or two things did grate, but for anyone interested in recent political and social history of the UK, this book is a must have.

Enjoyed it despite myself

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