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Fame is the Spur
"When they buried the Old Warrior there was only one small wreath to go on the coffin... John Hamer Shawcross never forgot that moment.
Hamer Shawcross is born into a poor but aspirational working-class family in Manchester. Studious and hard-working, he becomes a socialist activist, goes into politics and rises to becomes part of the privileged upper classes he began by opposing. Hamer’s trajectory is mirrored by the rise of the Labour movement in Britain from the mid-19th century to the 1930s.
This wonderfully perceptive study of a career politician serves as a telling elegy for the Labour Party."
Hamer Shawcross is born into a poor but aspirational working-class family in Manchester. Studious and hard-working, he becomes a socialist activist, goes into politics and rises to becomes part of the privileged upper classes he began by opposing. Hamer’s trajectory is mirrored by the rise of the Labour movement in Britain from the mid-19th century to the 1930s.
This wonderfully perceptive study of a career politician serves as a telling elegy for the Labour Party."
672 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
37 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
About the author
Howard Spring
64 books35 followersHOWARD SPRING was an immensely popular and successful writer, who enjoyed a large following of readers from the 1940s to the 1960s; and though, since his death in 1965, he has become rather neglected, his books are still worth seeking out for their terrific storytelling and the quality of the writing. He was certainly painstaking and professional in his approach. Every morning he would shut himself in his study and write one thousand words, steadily building up to novels of around one hundred and fifty thousand words. He rarely made major alterations to his writings (all completed with a dip-in pen!).
Howard Spring started out as a journalist, but from 1934 produced a series of best-selling novels, the most successful of which were My Son My Son and Fame is the Spur.
He was born in Cardiff in 1889 in humble circumstances, one of nine children and the son of a jobbing gardener who died while Howard was still at school. He left school at the age of 12 to begin work as an errand boy, later becoming an office boy at a firm of accountants in Cardiff Docks, and then a messenger at the South Wales Daily News. Spring was keen to train as a reporter, and was largely self-taught --he spent his leisure time learning shorthand and taking evening classes, where he studied English, French, Latin, mathematics and history. He mastered English grammar by studying a book on the subject by William Cobbett.
He worked his way up to become a reporter on the South Wales Daily News, and then in 1911 he joined the Yorkshire Observer in Bradford. By 1915 he was on the Manchester Guardian –proof that he was a young man with much talent. Soon afterwards he was called up for the Army Service Corps, where he served as a shorthand typist. After the war, he returned to the paper in Manchester and worked as a reporter on a paper that allowed journalists to write and express themselves. In 1931, after reporting on a political meeting at which Lord Beaverbrook was the speaker, Beaverbrook was so impressed by Spring's piece (he described the man as ‘a pedlar of dreams’) that he arranged for Spring to be offered a post with the Evening Standard in London, where he eventually became a book reviewer –a successor to Arnold Bennett and J.B. Priestley.
At the same time, Spring was developing his ambition to become a full-time writer. He thought he could do a lot better than many of the so-called authors whose books he was asked to review! His first book, Darkie and Co, came out in 1932 (in this period he wrote a number of children’s books for his sons), followed by his first novel, Shabby Tiger (September 1934) and a sequel, Rachel Rosing (1935).
His first major success came in February 1938 with My Son, My Son (originally titled O Absalom, but, happily, changed when William Faulkner used a similar title in the United States), and in 1939 he was able to move to Cornwall to become a full-time writer (he and his wife, Marion, eventually settled at The White Cottage in Fenwick Road, where they remained for the rest of their married life). In 1940, his best-known work, Fame is the Spur, the story of a Labour leader's rise to power, was published. This is without doubt a superb novel, and probably the one book by Spring that is still being read more than 40 years after his death.
During the war years Spring wrote two other novels, Hard Facts (1944) and Dunkerley's (1946), and, subsequently he published There is No Armour (1948), The Houses in Between (1951), A Sunset Touch (1953), These Lovers Fled Away (1955), Time and the Hour (1957), All The Day Long (1959) and I Met a Lady (1961). Spring also produced three volumes of autobiography--Heaven Lies About Us (1939), In the Meantime (1942); and And Another Thing (1946)—which were later published in one volume as The Autobiography (1972). His last book was Winds of the Day (1964).
It is relevant to note that many of his books had Manchester settings, which led to him being referred to as ‘The Manchester Man’, and
Howard Spring started out as a journalist, but from 1934 produced a series of best-selling novels, the most successful of which were My Son My Son and Fame is the Spur.
He was born in Cardiff in 1889 in humble circumstances, one of nine children and the son of a jobbing gardener who died while Howard was still at school. He left school at the age of 12 to begin work as an errand boy, later becoming an office boy at a firm of accountants in Cardiff Docks, and then a messenger at the South Wales Daily News. Spring was keen to train as a reporter, and was largely self-taught --he spent his leisure time learning shorthand and taking evening classes, where he studied English, French, Latin, mathematics and history. He mastered English grammar by studying a book on the subject by William Cobbett.
He worked his way up to become a reporter on the South Wales Daily News, and then in 1911 he joined the Yorkshire Observer in Bradford. By 1915 he was on the Manchester Guardian –proof that he was a young man with much talent. Soon afterwards he was called up for the Army Service Corps, where he served as a shorthand typist. After the war, he returned to the paper in Manchester and worked as a reporter on a paper that allowed journalists to write and express themselves. In 1931, after reporting on a political meeting at which Lord Beaverbrook was the speaker, Beaverbrook was so impressed by Spring's piece (he described the man as ‘a pedlar of dreams’) that he arranged for Spring to be offered a post with the Evening Standard in London, where he eventually became a book reviewer –a successor to Arnold Bennett and J.B. Priestley.
At the same time, Spring was developing his ambition to become a full-time writer. He thought he could do a lot better than many of the so-called authors whose books he was asked to review! His first book, Darkie and Co, came out in 1932 (in this period he wrote a number of children’s books for his sons), followed by his first novel, Shabby Tiger (September 1934) and a sequel, Rachel Rosing (1935).
His first major success came in February 1938 with My Son, My Son (originally titled O Absalom, but, happily, changed when William Faulkner used a similar title in the United States), and in 1939 he was able to move to Cornwall to become a full-time writer (he and his wife, Marion, eventually settled at The White Cottage in Fenwick Road, where they remained for the rest of their married life). In 1940, his best-known work, Fame is the Spur, the story of a Labour leader's rise to power, was published. This is without doubt a superb novel, and probably the one book by Spring that is still being read more than 40 years after his death.
During the war years Spring wrote two other novels, Hard Facts (1944) and Dunkerley's (1946), and, subsequently he published There is No Armour (1948), The Houses in Between (1951), A Sunset Touch (1953), These Lovers Fled Away (1955), Time and the Hour (1957), All The Day Long (1959) and I Met a Lady (1961). Spring also produced three volumes of autobiography--Heaven Lies About Us (1939), In the Meantime (1942); and And Another Thing (1946)—which were later published in one volume as The Autobiography (1972). His last book was Winds of the Day (1964).
It is relevant to note that many of his books had Manchester settings, which led to him being referred to as ‘The Manchester Man’, and
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 11, 2021
I loved this. It’s the kind of book that I haven’t read for years - a big, bulky look at the working classes and their struggle for equality in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. There is plenty to be critical of - it can occasionally be melodramatic, there’s probably more coincidence than would ever be likely and the parts set in South Wales can be a bit too twee and sentimental, but overall it is just a great read.
I particularly loved the early years in Manchester and Bradford and recognised so many of those principled working class chapel characters from when I was growing up a whole century later. Given the subject matter it’s hard not to occasionally fall to moralising but I thought that this was on the whole limited or nuanced, and I found the book full of wise and prophetic words about politics, those attracted to political life and the final corrupting influence of power, with of course particular reference to the Labour Party and its internal struggles as with electoral success it has to pivot from aspiration to pragmatism.
This won’t suit everybody but I found myself eager to read more of these types of books again, although maybe it’s one to put off if you haven’t yet grown cynical of politics and politicians..
I particularly loved the early years in Manchester and Bradford and recognised so many of those principled working class chapel characters from when I was growing up a whole century later. Given the subject matter it’s hard not to occasionally fall to moralising but I thought that this was on the whole limited or nuanced, and I found the book full of wise and prophetic words about politics, those attracted to political life and the final corrupting influence of power, with of course particular reference to the Labour Party and its internal struggles as with electoral success it has to pivot from aspiration to pragmatism.
This won’t suit everybody but I found myself eager to read more of these types of books again, although maybe it’s one to put off if you haven’t yet grown cynical of politics and politicians..
December 13, 2017
This is the second Spring novel reissued by Apollo, following last year’s release of My Son, My Son. It traces the rise and fall of England’s Labour Party through the imagined course of politician John Hamer Shawcross, who rises above his working-class Manchester upbringing to make something of himself. The novel, reminiscent in style of the work of Arnold Bennett, moves back and forth between the protagonist’s childhood and his older age. Have all his titles and successes brought him over to the side of the establishment? We learn more about Shawcross’ career from his diary entries and public addresses. The most captivating of the novel’s subplots concerns Shawcross’ wife Ann’s involvement with the suffrage movement. It’s clear the portrait of an idealistic politician who loses his way resonates with readers today, though personally I found Fame significantly less compelling than My Son.
See my full review at Shiny New Books.
See my full review at Shiny New Books.
September 17, 2020
This is a truly great and under appreciated book.
I started reading it at 18 around the time I was leaving school. I stopped quite early on when the story is still in Manchester. In part I stopped reading it because life got in the way, but also because I didn’t want to know how the story turned out. I still had political ambitions then and the book was in any case influencing me too much.
Also, I had been left a 1796 cavalry sword by my grandmother (a dress sword, but it hung on the wall) and I tried to run a mile without being out of breath each morning. The driving demons of life are captured rather too perfectly in the book. So I let it go and only recently had a desire to return to it.
Thirty five years later I feel that was probably a good choice as I’m better balanced now and more able to understand how things turn out and my sympathies with the characters have changed. That is something to reflect on. The brilliance of Howard Spring to capture the demons of youthful ambition and perspective of age.
My knowledge of Peterloo and the birth of the Labour party has always been good. I found the coverage of the Suffragette movement in the book enthralling, even though it wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know. Once again, a changed perspective.
It is interesting how important Marcus Aurelius’ writings are in this book, just as they are for Lee in East of Eden. Is that a function of the time it was written I wonder? In any case I will read Marcus Aurelius.
The book also resonates with me because it was finished in Mylor, so there are Cornish connections as well as the Welsh and London storylines. I’ve also learnt more about Bradford.
This is a book about life. It is well worth reading.
I started reading it at 18 around the time I was leaving school. I stopped quite early on when the story is still in Manchester. In part I stopped reading it because life got in the way, but also because I didn’t want to know how the story turned out. I still had political ambitions then and the book was in any case influencing me too much.
Also, I had been left a 1796 cavalry sword by my grandmother (a dress sword, but it hung on the wall) and I tried to run a mile without being out of breath each morning. The driving demons of life are captured rather too perfectly in the book. So I let it go and only recently had a desire to return to it.
Thirty five years later I feel that was probably a good choice as I’m better balanced now and more able to understand how things turn out and my sympathies with the characters have changed. That is something to reflect on. The brilliance of Howard Spring to capture the demons of youthful ambition and perspective of age.
My knowledge of Peterloo and the birth of the Labour party has always been good. I found the coverage of the Suffragette movement in the book enthralling, even though it wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know. Once again, a changed perspective.
It is interesting how important Marcus Aurelius’ writings are in this book, just as they are for Lee in East of Eden. Is that a function of the time it was written I wonder? In any case I will read Marcus Aurelius.
The book also resonates with me because it was finished in Mylor, so there are Cornish connections as well as the Welsh and London storylines. I’ve also learnt more about Bradford.
This is a book about life. It is well worth reading.
Read
July 30, 2011My father recommended this one to me years ago. Until then, I could hardly call myself a political being, and I read it more out of respect for dad than a willingness to embrace the subject matter. But like dad, the themes in this book have stayed with me over the years. It is about politics in Britain, but it allows the reader to take from it what he or she wishes. What stood out for me in the story was the suffrage of women - something that, as a 'modern' girl, I was completely unaware of. I have a feeling that my father and I got totally different things from this novel and it is quite old fashioned by today's standards, being published in 1940, but I highly recommend it.
September 16, 2014
I read this book in my mid teens (it belonged to my Mother) and it has stayed with me ever since (almost 50 years). Essential reading for anyone interested in learning about the struggles of the working class...leading to the formation of the Labour Party. Powerful and moving.
June 8, 2017
Howard Spring is one of my favourite authors and this is one of his most famous books. I loved it for the style, the emotion, the passion and the politics. If you've never read his work and you are interested in Labour political history, this will fascinate you.
October 17, 2018
FRom BBC Radio 4 Extra:
The story of Hamer Shawcross, from boyhood to his pursuit of power and fame early in 19th century England. Stars Ian McKellen.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012...
The story of Hamer Shawcross, from boyhood to his pursuit of power and fame early in 19th century England. Stars Ian McKellen.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012...
August 16, 2019
*A FEW MINOR SPOILERS*
A slow-burning saga about the rise to prominence of opportunistic, working-class J. Hamer Shawcross, whose soaring oratory and ability to weaponise his past catapult him to fame, as the fledgling Labour Party begins to crystallise. Beginning with a dying man’s memories of Peterloo, it follows Shawcross from an Ancoats slum to the House of Lords, and the labour movement from its birthing pains to the betrayal of 1930, incorporating – often realistically, though sometimes rather conveniently – the Welsh coalfields, Popular Front communism and the Suffragettes. It is flawed – its supporting characters, especially the female ones, aren’t nearly as interesting as its protagonist, and both its focus and its pacing can be confounding – but it’s also one of the most immersing and affecting books I’ve read in a long time, with spectacular set-pieces, a rich strain of irony and an insistent emotional pull that simply overwhelms you in its final hundred pages. There’s hurt and anger in Spring’s story of a man selling out his past, but there’s also realism, wisdom and a rich humanity, with none of the one-dimensional didacticism that can ruin political fiction, whichever side it falls.
The book endures because of its characters, but also because of its insights. Though the prose can border on the Victorian (its modernist flashes forward aside), its observations still feel incredibly contemporary. Perhaps that’s because whatever tags are applied – from Blairism through Brexit – the fights going on at the centre of British politics are always the same: self-interest versus society, and – particularly on the left – idealism versus pragmatism. For Shawcross, that’s a question not of principle but of expediency, and ironically he is a better private man at the end of the book – when he has fundamentally betrayed his former allies – than he is at the start, as he has discovered an honesty and empathy sorely lacking in his sabre-rattling days. But like the sabre snatched from the ground at Peterloo, he was once a symbol, and people need symbols.
A slow-burning saga about the rise to prominence of opportunistic, working-class J. Hamer Shawcross, whose soaring oratory and ability to weaponise his past catapult him to fame, as the fledgling Labour Party begins to crystallise. Beginning with a dying man’s memories of Peterloo, it follows Shawcross from an Ancoats slum to the House of Lords, and the labour movement from its birthing pains to the betrayal of 1930, incorporating – often realistically, though sometimes rather conveniently – the Welsh coalfields, Popular Front communism and the Suffragettes. It is flawed – its supporting characters, especially the female ones, aren’t nearly as interesting as its protagonist, and both its focus and its pacing can be confounding – but it’s also one of the most immersing and affecting books I’ve read in a long time, with spectacular set-pieces, a rich strain of irony and an insistent emotional pull that simply overwhelms you in its final hundred pages. There’s hurt and anger in Spring’s story of a man selling out his past, but there’s also realism, wisdom and a rich humanity, with none of the one-dimensional didacticism that can ruin political fiction, whichever side it falls.
The book endures because of its characters, but also because of its insights. Though the prose can border on the Victorian (its modernist flashes forward aside), its observations still feel incredibly contemporary. Perhaps that’s because whatever tags are applied – from Blairism through Brexit – the fights going on at the centre of British politics are always the same: self-interest versus society, and – particularly on the left – idealism versus pragmatism. For Shawcross, that’s a question not of principle but of expediency, and ironically he is a better private man at the end of the book – when he has fundamentally betrayed his former allies – than he is at the start, as he has discovered an honesty and empathy sorely lacking in his sabre-rattling days. But like the sabre snatched from the ground at Peterloo, he was once a symbol, and people need symbols.
October 10, 2017
A fascinating book about the corruption of a labour politician into a member of the heriditary peerage, with an excuse for every betrayal along the way.
The depiction of the fight of the suffragettes - the protagonists wife becomes one - and the physical and mental abuse they encountered is one of the most moving parts.
There is also, of course, the Old Warrior's recount of the events of the Peterloo Masscacre, and the sabre which he took from St Peter's Field as a token of the oppression of the poor is a unifying factor, its presence in Hamer Shawcrosses' life forming a sort of leitmotif that runs throughout the story.
Sometimes the writing is uneven, and there are parts which I suspect had been pruned and edited, for their is insufficient detail; but overall, a read I would definitely recommend, particularly for those with rosy view of class relations in the UK between 1819-1939.
The depiction of the fight of the suffragettes - the protagonists wife becomes one - and the physical and mental abuse they encountered is one of the most moving parts.
There is also, of course, the Old Warrior's recount of the events of the Peterloo Masscacre, and the sabre which he took from St Peter's Field as a token of the oppression of the poor is a unifying factor, its presence in Hamer Shawcrosses' life forming a sort of leitmotif that runs throughout the story.
Sometimes the writing is uneven, and there are parts which I suspect had been pruned and edited, for their is insufficient detail; but overall, a read I would definitely recommend, particularly for those with rosy view of class relations in the UK between 1819-1939.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2023
First off, the title stinks. Was this Spring's title or some publisher wanting to title to sell.
This is a sprawling book that may have many lost within two chapters. This book can challenge a reader these days not used to the sliding back and forth in time and written with such elegance and flare. This continues throughout with, another issue, constant repetition. Though Spring's skills as a writer shines as each version is written differently and often from different angles.
The writing is phenomenal. Spring is not only mostly thorough writing the book, he also tells the story. As long and involved this is, the task was not easy. Spring lays out early the case for socialism and immediately ingrains each character to task. Following the lot is fascinating as Spring intertwines and reveals the outcomes he creates. The reader would be not paying attention to miss being in each area written. Settings are very well constructed.
The perspectives alter along the way as to what each is experiencing. As the book goes on each character then alters here and there and those perspectives also are also presented. The dialogue reflects that as characters are written as they are and alter as the life Spring writes changes.
I should add, that I'm politically on the conservative/Tory side and very much disagree with the viewpoint being pressed here. That may have helped me notice the worse part of the book: Lack of writing of the Tory viewpoint. Minor abstracts are included at times, but entirely unlike the socialist (and communist) side written, the Tory viewpoint is an empty shell. Tom Hannaway character represents the viewpoint. Hannaway starts off vividly detailed and then more mentioned than ever explained as he becomes a leader of the Tory Party. Was Spring lacking knowledge of the party or intentionally leaving out the views to not encourage otehrs?
This is an outstanding books.
A note of time I took to read the book: I started in January 2023 and then had to lay it down due to projects and knowing I needed time to properly take the book in. Came back to it the last week of May and finished June 3rd, 2023.
Bottom line:
I recommend this book. 10 out of ten points.
This is a sprawling book that may have many lost within two chapters. This book can challenge a reader these days not used to the sliding back and forth in time and written with such elegance and flare. This continues throughout with, another issue, constant repetition. Though Spring's skills as a writer shines as each version is written differently and often from different angles.
The writing is phenomenal. Spring is not only mostly thorough writing the book, he also tells the story. As long and involved this is, the task was not easy. Spring lays out early the case for socialism and immediately ingrains each character to task. Following the lot is fascinating as Spring intertwines and reveals the outcomes he creates. The reader would be not paying attention to miss being in each area written. Settings are very well constructed.
The perspectives alter along the way as to what each is experiencing. As the book goes on each character then alters here and there and those perspectives also are also presented. The dialogue reflects that as characters are written as they are and alter as the life Spring writes changes.
I should add, that I'm politically on the conservative/Tory side and very much disagree with the viewpoint being pressed here. That may have helped me notice the worse part of the book: Lack of writing of the Tory viewpoint. Minor abstracts are included at times, but entirely unlike the socialist (and communist) side written, the Tory viewpoint is an empty shell. Tom Hannaway character represents the viewpoint. Hannaway starts off vividly detailed and then more mentioned than ever explained as he becomes a leader of the Tory Party. Was Spring lacking knowledge of the party or intentionally leaving out the views to not encourage otehrs?
This is an outstanding books.
A note of time I took to read the book: I started in January 2023 and then had to lay it down due to projects and knowing I needed time to properly take the book in. Came back to it the last week of May and finished June 3rd, 2023.
Bottom line:
I recommend this book. 10 out of ten points.
June 2, 2018
This was published in 1940. It's worth remembering that when you think Spring is exercising hindsight - and realise he isn't! (There's a line about LS Lowry, a painter receiving less attention than he deserves.) It's also interesting because its quite 'Victorian' in style, so it acts like a kind of bridge between 19th C and 20th literary fiction. And you have to remember (it was published in 1940) it's contemporary fiction, not historical. All of which makes it a fascinating insight into a period in British history that I'm less familiar with than I should be (Labour and politics until the outbreak of WW2), as well as a good character driven story, taking the main protagonists from the mean streets of Ancoats to the giddy heights of industrial and political success, and colliding values of political expedience and integrity. In terms of the Victorian style, it comes over in the sometimes flowery prose and long sentences, and also in the examination of values and ethics. It covers suffragism in some graphic detail, which felt timely, and horrifying. And it opened with a description of Peterloo (not contemporary!), the impact of which echoed through the book, and which felt very timely given the forthcoming anniversary of a dreadful event. Recommended, but requires concentration and persistence.
December 19, 2023
It was a long haul to get to the end of this book.
It’s old so the style and language are different but there are some lovely words in it and the story, though quite rambling by modern standards, gives an interesting picture of political and social history.
It’s old so the style and language are different but there are some lovely words in it and the story, though quite rambling by modern standards, gives an interesting picture of political and social history.
April 7, 2024
Fabulous classic. So well written.
Great read, completely absorbing. I could picture the miners returning home from the pits, and almost smell the coal dust. No one writes like this anymore.
Great read, completely absorbing. I could picture the miners returning home from the pits, and almost smell the coal dust. No one writes like this anymore.
October 14, 2021
Brilliant story of politics from Manchester and Bradford. Start of the labour party
June 28, 2022
Unfashionable now. Well written with good characters and storyline. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Currently reading
September 18, 2022Reading now but it is a paper back and falling to pieces - really want a hard cover edition in good order. This is another excellent book by Howard Spring.
September 4, 2016
This was by no means a perfect book. There were large sections where it slowed down and I found myself reading other things. But it was a book that was well-worth the time that I spent on it, its ruminations on fame and struggle, on honesty and commitment, on disillusionment and compromise, and on above all, mortality, make it very thoughtful reading.
Although in some ways a bildrungsroman, it's really much more than that. It encompasses a period of great strife in English history seen through the eyes of several characters, most prominently, Hamer Shawcross, who rises from humble beginnings to eventually join the House of Lords. Although he is attached to the nascent Labour Party, he is more concerned with where it can take him than devoted to the causes that he espouses. He is surrounded by reformers and Socialists, who do not share his pragmatic views, and see him as a traitor at worst, a opportunist at best. We watch Shawcross and his peers deal with the birth of the Labour party, with the fight for women's suffrage and with the first World War and its aftermath. We see them move from being the vanguard of reform to being passed on by the succeeding generation. We see them deal with disillusionment and death.
Spring has created a very clear-sighted view of the world, dealing with time's inevitable march and the changes it brings upon us. Despite his public persona, Spring never lets the reader buy into the heroic character that Shawcross presents. We always know that his actions are calculated for maximum effect, and that he will always escape unscathed, although he may leave believers in his wake.
Not an easy book, not a optimistic book, but very real, and very rewarding. I recommend it, but it's not a book for everyone.
Although in some ways a bildrungsroman, it's really much more than that. It encompasses a period of great strife in English history seen through the eyes of several characters, most prominently, Hamer Shawcross, who rises from humble beginnings to eventually join the House of Lords. Although he is attached to the nascent Labour Party, he is more concerned with where it can take him than devoted to the causes that he espouses. He is surrounded by reformers and Socialists, who do not share his pragmatic views, and see him as a traitor at worst, a opportunist at best. We watch Shawcross and his peers deal with the birth of the Labour party, with the fight for women's suffrage and with the first World War and its aftermath. We see them move from being the vanguard of reform to being passed on by the succeeding generation. We see them deal with disillusionment and death.
Spring has created a very clear-sighted view of the world, dealing with time's inevitable march and the changes it brings upon us. Despite his public persona, Spring never lets the reader buy into the heroic character that Shawcross presents. We always know that his actions are calculated for maximum effect, and that he will always escape unscathed, although he may leave believers in his wake.
Not an easy book, not a optimistic book, but very real, and very rewarding. I recommend it, but it's not a book for everyone.
February 26, 2013
A fantastic read - spanning the early days of the Labour movement and ranging as far back as the Peterloo massacre. I learnt so much from this book when I was younger
I enjoyed comparing Bradford and Manchester as described against how I know them now and in that sense it is nostalgic
I empathised with most of the central characters but found myself proud and disappointed in Hamer
Definitely worth it!
I enjoyed comparing Bradford and Manchester as described against how I know them now and in that sense it is nostalgic
I empathised with most of the central characters but found myself proud and disappointed in Hamer
Definitely worth it!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews