Stop at Nothing: The Life and Adventures of Malcolm Turnbull

by Annabel Crabb

In Stop at Nothing Annabel Crabb brings all her wit and perceptiveness to the story of Malcolm Turnbull. This is a memorable look at the Prime Minister in action - his flaws and achievements - as well as his past lives and adventures.

Drawing on extensive interviews with Turnbull, Crabb delves into his university exploits - which included co-authoring a musical with Bob Ellis - and his remarkable relationship with Kerry Packer, the man for whom he was first a prized attack dog and then a mortal enemy. She examines the extent to which Turnbull - colourful, aggressive, humorous and ruthless - has changed.

Crabb tells how he first lost, and then won back, the Liberal leadership, and explores the challenges that now face him today as the forward-looking leader of a conservative Coalition.

'The most incisive portrait of Turnbull that's been written.' -David Marr

Annabel Crabb is one of Australia's most popular political commentators, is the presenter of Kitchen Cabinet and writes for The Drum.

Genres: Politics, Biography, Nonfiction, Australia, Biography Memoir

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Annabel Crabb has been a journalist since 1997, beginning her career at Adelaide’s Advertiser and moving on to cover politics first for the Age and then for the Sydney Morning Herald, where she was a columnist and sketch-writer. She is the author of Losing It: The Inside Story of the Labor Party in Opposition (2005) and the Quarterly Essay Stop at Nothing: The Life and Adventures of Malcolm Turnbull, which won a 2009 Walkley Award. She is presently the ABC’s chief online political writer.

Reviews

[Jessica Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

UPDATE: He made a bit of a mess, didn't he? Can't forgive what he did to our ABC. Not a great lagacy at all. He played to too many interests. But Crabb wrote a wonderful profile, she's fantastic.

Australian politics, here I am. Well only thanks to Annabel Crabb. Sure, Turnbull is an interesting person. I mean I don't see myself voting 'right', like ever, but it almost seems like he could be a labor leader. He's intelligent and I'm not feeling sick at the thought of his reinstatement--here at the end of a long winter election--like I was for Tony Abbott. However, who knows if his brilliance is a treasure or a curse. He's quoted, at the end of this extended essay as saying something about how he is unsure if he's in the future or in the past - which is so true. For the most part his cleverness, semblance of empathy, dabble with the arts, grizzly deal-making capacity, uh should make for a fine leader? At least, should fend off more leadership spills, right? Leaving us back to mostly ignoring our politicians, no fun.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never really looked into the politics of my own country that much - America is just so much crazier and more sensational. At the end of the day, even now, Aussies are better at leaving politics to the politicians. Since identifying more consciously as a conservative personally - this was after the general awkwardness of the Abbott government - I aligned myself with the Liberals only by default. I am now much more inclined towards the Australian Conservatives rather than the Liberals.

Anyway, I didn't know much about Malcolm Turnbull. He seemed like any other Liberal politician. I was never up to date with the day-to-day going-on of the Australian parliament. Naturally, then, it was my wife who chose this book; she is a somewhat-conservative Catholic Labour supporter. She also likes the writer and commentator, Annabel Crabb.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. It never comes off an obnoxious hit-piece, which is quite significant since Crabb is a Left wing writer. It is often very funny and occasionally quite moving in its humane treatment of the complicated personage that was our mercurial two-time prime minister until Treasurer Scott Morrison ousted him. Crabb provides a brief but informative overview of Turnbull, some of his more memorable moments, his triumphs and failures, and the overall direction that Australian politics seems to be heading in.

[Neens West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it in the street library and read it in a day. Crabb's wit made it worth reading.

[Benjamin Farr · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, albeit compact, analysis of Australia’s 29th Prime Minister. Upon reading this book it’s very evident that Annabel Crabb was a worthy winner of the Walkley Award for feature writing for this extended essay, as it’s beautifully written, succinct, fair and factual, combined with Crabb’s unmistakable charm and wit. An excellent book -- not because of voting allegiances or intentions, but because it’s a genuinely good read.

[Brendan Waite · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story of a man who is prepared to do most anything to get and achieve his goals is spectacularly well written.
I am no Turnbull fan. No L/NP fan. But, let's not kid ourselves... Annabel Crabb can write.
No matter how distasteful I find the subject matter I'll always read what she has written.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extended version of Crabb's Quarterly Essay, it is wonderfully prescient. Very neatly, Crabb moves from interesting anecdote to anecdote, laying out a complicated character and the deep reservations of the Liberal Party towards Turnbull that would eventually be his undoing.

[Dilly Dalley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this at the end of 2018, a few months after the Liberal party had dumped Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in favour of the supposedly 'moderate' but really 'populist' Scott Morrison. After the by-election for Wentworth, where the Liberal party took a drubbing in a historically safe Liberal seat. After the massive win of the labor Party in the Victorian election and after Scott Morrison called an early end to Parliament for the year, so the Manus & Nauru doctors bill could not be voted upon and thus expose the Liberal Party to the embarrassing proposition of being outvoted in the House of Reps - not for 90 years has a sitting Govt lost a vote. So I thought, I might read that book of Annabel Crabb's to see what this Malcolm Turnbull phenomenon was all about. It would appear the Liberal Party would rather self-destruct than have him as leader.

It is an easy book to read and I read it pretty much in one sitting. The pace is light, witty, fast. The writing is a luscious, wordy, colloquial feast of anecdotes, political analysis and political history of strategies good and bad. You would want to be reasonably well versed in recent political events as the book offers only a basic chronology and fleshing out of events. That suited me though. I didn't want to get bogged down in explanatory history. I was much more interested in the personality and influences and experiences that had shaped the person, Malcolm Turnbull.

It is a clever book and I particularly enjoyed her balance between the grand sweeping story of his personality, the current state of Australian Politics, and the crazy whimsy and 'what if's' that can change the course of political history. The role of Andrew Robb in the loss of the ETS was fascinating and new to me.

This book, slightly longer than a quarterly essay, is worth an afternoon of your time.

[Luke Musto · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written and researched examination of its subject. Annabel Crabb is always highly intelligent, insightful and engaging, and she has used those qualities adeptly here. All things considered, the book has aged well, and it is interesting to note that many of Crabb's observations actually came to fruition as Turnbull's political career came to an end (particularly as to the need to manage and keep onside the conservative wing of the party, Turnbull's infamous loathing of campaigning and other examples). Turnbull has lived an interesting life and is an interesting person. There are many fun anecdotes throughout the book, however, many are a little dry if you aren't familiar with the business/corporate world. Even with this, and the age of the book, still recommendable to anyone interested in learning something about Turnbull's background.

[Laurence Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considerably updated compared with the original QE, and still just as excellent. Almost a new piece of writing save for a couple sections, with much more content concerning Turnbull's fall as Opposition leader, to his rather steady and predictable rise to the Prime Ministership, and finally a satisfying amount of insight into his Prime Ministership up until just before the 2016 election. Crabb remains the best writer/commentator on Turnbull, and this edition is well worth reading, even if you have already read QE34, like I had.

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Very repetitive in the beginning third, quite funny in the second third, ready for it to be done by the last third. I am biased because I don’t particularly enjoy essays, noting this was originally published in the QE. If Turnbull had finally had his own mandate as opposed to easing into Abbott’s (as mentioned in the book), perhaps we could’ve been a more innovative, climate change-believing country. But as Turnbull is quoted at the end: “I’m either ahead of my time or behind it. I just don’t know which.”

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read

An interesting book about the life and times of Malcolm Turnbull, good for bedtime reading. However the book suffers from excessive focus on political opinions. The book certainly put me to sleep!

[Eng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about Australia's ex-PM. I admire his stubbornness and persistence in accomplishing something that he perceived as right things to do. These attributes, however, impacted his career as a politician.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about Malcolm Turnbull and his past. I guess the problem with this book, is that it was written whilst Malcolm Turnbull was Prime Minister and talks about what he is going to do as PM. As we know, he is no longer PM as he was dumped in yet another Canberra blood letting.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast paced account of Turnbull’s life. Paints a fascinating picture of his ruthless ambition.

[Mugunth Subramanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a good insight into Malcolm Turnbull's life and his actions as politician.
I also liked the bits of contemporary political history connected with Malcolm Turnbull's political life.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and even if it was updated more than 5 years ago it still has relevance as Turnbull is still a player.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, you can tell the author is fond of the subject

[Kyst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and insightful look into a man who probably won't be shutting up any time soon.

[George Blair-West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insight into this complex character.

[SD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Held up so well on a re-read . Such a fascinating quarterly essay.

[Chris Lafferty · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining, informative and quick read

What a unique individual our Malcolm is ! Wish we had more independent thinkers in Parliament. This was an efficient introduction to an entertaining life

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the version of this book that was released in the lead-up to the 2016 Australian election, which has had a few updates and additions since the previous version as a Quarterly Essay (which came out seven years and a leadership spill ago). This was released at the same time (and same publisher) as a companion book on Bill Shorten – so there was opportunity to read biographies of both contenders for the Prime Ministership prior to the election (I just didn’t get to it in time.)

First and foremost, I have to disclose that I read this mainly due to my appreciation of Annabel Crabb – specifically the podcasts she does with fellow journalist Leigh Sales, many of which feature Crabb mentioning the book she was trying to write about Turnbull. So really with a book like this, it’s important to maybe be clear about motive – as I wanted to focus more on the book itself, rather than my own feelings about Turnbull (which themselves shifted but didn’t really sway through reading it.)

I think the main thing that comes through in this book is the ability of Crabb to navigate the very thin line of seeming either too praising or too critical of Turnbull. In her other dealings with him – such as her TV show where she visits politicians’ homes to cook meals with them – she has gained a lot of criticism for the way she has behaved (weirdly, from both sides of the political divide). So while Crabb finds some very surprising and intriguing aspects about Turnbull and his life before and outside of politics, she is able to balance it with something that, well, explains why I’m still a bit ambivalent about him as a leader. She has also tracked down a lot of inside sources, who speak both on and off record, about the man we don’t see in front of cameras, which reveal some interesting insights.

It was really interesting just how much material Crabb could fit in a comparatively short book – it covered a broad range of topics and examples of Turnbull’s dealings with people – and yet I didn’t feel cheated that it didn’t pry too far into matters he would have been nervous about sharing. However at times I felt like the book was a little choppy and bitsy – I think its history as one format being turned into another, and then updated (to a very intense deadline for a very busy lady) has resulted in a book that could have had its edges smoothed. I feel that being such an immediate book of its time - I read it merely months after release and it’s already in need of updating following the election – as many political books like this are. I do feel that Crabb has enough material for a big biography of Turnbull (the type that come out in hardcover and to much fanfare).

The strange thing about this book is I felt like there wasn’t a conclusion – but then again, in the lead up to an election it was difficult to provide an objective one. I think now reading it with the hindsight of knowing he won the election neither spoils the story (as he now faces the challenges of a senate that will take careful managing, let alone his own party factions) nor does it enhance the story, as Crabb paints the story of a person who is, if nothing else, interesting regardless of which job he’s doing.

[Wayne Meyrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stop at Nothing by Annabel Crabb is a compelling and highly readable portrait of Malcolm Turnbull that succeeds less by myth-making and more by careful, curious storytelling.

Crabb is at her best here. Her voice is sharp, humane, and quietly amused, allowing the narrative to move with confidence while never tipping into reverence or cruelty. She has a rare ability to hold complexity without flattening it, and that skill serves Turnbull’s story well. The result is a portrait that feels balanced and intelligent rather than partisan.

What I appreciated most were the smaller, revealing details. The insights into Turnbull’s early life, his restless ambition, and his deep sense of personal destiny add texture to a public figure often reduced to slogans or political moments. Even readers familiar with his career will find new angles, particularly around the internal contradictions that shaped both his successes and frustrations.

This is not a full biography and it does not try to be. At times I wanted a little more space given to the consequences of power rather than the mechanics of ascent. Still, as an essay, it achieves exactly what it sets out to do. It explains how Turnbull came to be who he is, and why that mattered when it did.

A thoughtful, engaging listen that rewards attention and showcases Annabel Crabb’s talent for making Australian political life feel both intelligible and human

[Shani Hartley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the background of our PM, Malcolm Turnbull, liking and respecting the man depicted in these pages, with some reservation. However, my favourite tidbit is what I learned from these two sentences (p.131): "Cynics call this 'branch-stacking.' Euphemists call it 'growing democracy.'"
The book was an education about the vast differences between business and politics, something we are currently seeing played out in USA, in the extreme.
If you like Australian politics and/or want to learn how Malcolm Turnbull ticks, this book makes for an easy and enjoyable read.

[Mark Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, but one which I'd only recommend to people based in Australia, with a reasonable grasp on the current political context. Without that a lot of it wont make sense, and relevance would also be limited. Still, for Australians looking for some insight into our current Prime Minister it's well worth the read

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very keen to read this, given I'm a fan of the author. Insightful, slightly disturbing, and an important read. I have more understanding of Malcolm Turnbull, but admittedly I like him a bit less after reading it - a bit too ruthless.

[Karen Hapgood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annabel Crabb writes an entertaining story of Malcolm Turnbull. Easy and enjoyable read - even for people who are not naturally liberal fans.