Best read in a longtime.

Very jealous of Boris' command of English and descriptive style. Super interesting read. I am now filled with useless but interesting info about my city

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2 people found this helpful

Some digressions which detract from the overall narrative

This is an entertaining and informative book - which you would expect considering the author’s standing. However there were a few chapters which I fast forwarded. I was keen to learn of the social, economic, religious and political developments of London.
There was not enough emphasis on this as the author tended to focus on biographies of individuals. Whilst relevant, they were over long and failed to add to the chronological detail which makes a book like this worthwhile.

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Boris is a fanboy! And so am I!

This is my second book by Boris Johnson. I bought it after having listened to "The Churchill Effect".

As an anglophile and knowing London a little, the theme of the book appealed to me. And having liked my first book by Mr. Johnson quite a lot, the choice was made quite easily.

Again, all in all, a very enjoyable book: serious, but not too much so; at times funny and at others emotional; factual, well written and well read, partially by the author.

But there's more than 'simply' history in this book. Throughout it, Boris Johnson incorporates two major characters as a guide between the people he's talking about. The main character being, of course, the City of London itself and the second one being nothing else than his bike!

As in the book about Churchill (which I'd like to recommend again here), one gets more than a glimpse in the author's liking and preferences. Certain historical figures or even rock stars have clearly taken up some space in Boris' heart and the listener can feel it.

Again, as a Belgian, I know almost nothing about the politician, but I certainly do like the author and his work.

Recommended!

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Good but Poorly Produced

If you could sum up Johnson's Life of London in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating and engaging.

How could the performance have been better?

The engineering is very very poor. The first millisecond of each new break sentence is missing. When Johnson himself is narrating (the book is poorer when he does) you can hear him turning paper pages over. Shockingly shabby standards.

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

Enjoyed the content and the nature of subject selection!

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Would have preferred author to read whole book

Excellent book, and although the second (main) reader was good, the few chapters Boris read exuded the author's passion for the city in a way someone else could never manage.

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Fantastic

I have so enjoyed this book...what a very clever, eloquent man is Boris Johnson. This should be required reading in all schools! So proud of him and our beloved London!

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Bit of a mish-mash - like London itself

Some parts are a lot more interesting than others. Boris has a magpie sensibility which hones in on certain sparkly individuals and ignores everyone else. He has soft spots for Robert Hooke and John Wilkes of the 17th and 18th centuries, whom he focuses on to the detriment of everyone else alive at the time. The 75 minutes spent just on John Wilkes was immensely tedious after the first 20 minutes. I felt a bit like a tourist who was persuaded to visit several worthy sites when I'd rather have been walking round more entertaining venues. Altogether a bit of a mish-mash.

Boris only reads a very few bits at the beginning and the end, giving the impression that he just turned up for the first day of recording. So one star off for that, and another deducted for my pet hate of lazily chopping the audiobook into 20 minutes chunks rather than proper chapters.

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Great read

Really interesting and enjoyable 'read' about the history and culture of London. Really enjoyed this book.

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Best history teacher ever!

This is a marvellous book using London as the centre point for a wide ranging history of the capital and people associated with it. So at times London itself is not quite in the picture. Boris writes in a lively and totally engaging way. I only dropped it from a 5 star to a 4 star book because the final chapter is more of a mayorial speech and poor production means you can hear Boris turning the pages! But highly recommended.

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Not read by Boris

Would you try another book written by Boris Johnson or narrated by Boris Johnson and Jot Davies ?

Not unless it was really read by Boris

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Not read by Boris

Would you be willing to try another one of Boris Johnson and Jot Davies ’s performances?

Only Boris

Any additional comments?

The graphic of this book clearly states "Read by the author". Sadly this is not the case. It should say "Read a little bit by the author". So if you are expecting Boris to read his book then don't buy this

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10 people found this helpful