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Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5
During her career in MI5, which lasted from 1969 to 1996, Stella Rimington worked in all the main fields of the Service's responsibilities—counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism—and became successively Director of all three branches. She was appointed Director-General of MI5 in 1992. She was the first woman to hold the post and the first Director-Gener
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Paperback
,
320 pages
Published
September 1st 2002
by Random House UK
(first published 2001)
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358th out of 427 books
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A remarkable story of a remarkable woman climbing to the very top of the British Secret Service told in a dry and tedious way and all the time I am thinking she isn't going to give a damn thing away that hasn't been cleared by security services. And I was right: we learn absolutely nada about MI5, all the machinations of the spies are still secret. Annoying, frustrating and makes you think, although this isn't very charitable, that the book is a big wank to make lots of money.
The most interestin ...more
The most interestin ...more
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I enjoyed this book particularly because I can recognise so many of the challenges Ms Rimington describes.
I’ve just finished reading Ms Rimington’s novels and thought I would like to know more about the woman behind them. This book provides an interesting snapshot of the times in which Ms Rimington worked: the changing face of security-related work; the changing expectations of women in the workforce and the ever present challenges of tradeoff between family and career that many of us (whether m ...more
I’ve just finished reading Ms Rimington’s novels and thought I would like to know more about the woman behind them. This book provides an interesting snapshot of the times in which Ms Rimington worked: the changing face of security-related work; the changing expectations of women in the workforce and the ever present challenges of tradeoff between family and career that many of us (whether m ...more
I struggled to get through this autobiography, but persisted because I was booked in to hear the author in person at the Auckland Writers' and Readers' Festival. The story of her life as the first woman Director-General of the MI5 was written in a very matter-of-fact style, recounting her life in chronological sequence. It included her private life (marriage and divorce and the issues she faced bringing up two daughters alone when her job status had to remain a secret) but these aspects as well
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I saw Stella Rimington interviewed and thought what a fascinating life she must have had, but I did wonder how could she give away all her secrets. I was right - her life was certainly fascinating but her telling of it wasn't, and she didn't give away anything new.
What she did illustrate well was the entrenched old-boy network of British society that she managed to work to her advantage to get to the top. She was good at what she did and she seemed to be good at not bucking the system any more t ...more
What she did illustrate well was the entrenched old-boy network of British society that she managed to work to her advantage to get to the top. She was good at what she did and she seemed to be good at not bucking the system any more t ...more
Fascinating. I wanted to read this after hearing an interview with Stella Rimington not long after it was released and have since read all of her Liz Carlysle books, so wanted to read about her as the author of those also. This is a dry read when compared with the fiction series authored by Stella Rimington. However she has lead a very interesting life and it was fascinating to read about.
The challenges she faced came from the career she was drafted into, its inherent sexism and discrimination ...more
The challenges she faced came from the career she was drafted into, its inherent sexism and discrimination ...more
Recommended.
A good autobiography though the writing style is horrid, which is why I've knocked off one entire star. Once one manages to navigate the writing style -- and that may require rereading long comma-filled sentences several times -- you'll find a fast-paced, informative, and entertaining retelling of Rimington's life. Don't look for intimate details of MI5 operations or the cloak and dagger machinations a la Le Carré either. Instead, as a young woman professional, I took note of the "l ...more
A good autobiography though the writing style is horrid, which is why I've knocked off one entire star. Once one manages to navigate the writing style -- and that may require rereading long comma-filled sentences several times -- you'll find a fast-paced, informative, and entertaining retelling of Rimington's life. Don't look for intimate details of MI5 operations or the cloak and dagger machinations a la Le Carré either. Instead, as a young woman professional, I took note of the "l ...more
A grown up read. A great modern book for girls in particular, outlining the struggle of a woman in a man's world, but culminating in her success at changing male attitudes. Not a feminist book at all, just a straightforward chronicle of the achievement of her goals
I can remember the media furore when this book was first published though it's taken me some time to get around to reading it. Stella Rimington was certainly a woman who achieved a lot for the fairer sex, in becoming the first female head of such an important government department. Her views are quite pro-feminist throughout yet she is not overly patronising. I was expecting the book to be full of details on covert missions yet James Bond it ain't. I think Stella depicts life in the security ser
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I found this book incredibly interesting, especially after reading the account of Annie Machon, which at one moment overlapped with the timing described in Open Secret.
At the same time it was a fascinating biography. Dame Stella Rimington writes in a very light way, but at the same time grabs the attention. I could relate to many of the things which she has written in her book.
At the same time it was a fascinating biography. Dame Stella Rimington writes in a very light way, but at the same time grabs the attention. I could relate to many of the things which she has written in her book.
It's a great book - yes, it's not about spies really. No secrets revealed (did you really expect that??) But you can read Rimington's personal opinions - she is really funny and sarcastic. As well as just giving you an insight of a society where well, girls just got married... She started her career as something to give her a distraction and I think she had maybe problems to define herself as career woman (a term she uses herself, which I think nowadays noone would use - you would simply go to w
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I really wanted to enjoy this book. She is clearly a maverick and has led an exciting life. However, the story telling was so dull. I was particularly disappointed by the way she described the obstacles she faced as a woman in MI5. Oh well.
A interesting read covering one woman's personal and working life in the world of MI5 through many of those significant historical events in the modern era.
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I liked Rimington's personality and her early years at MI5 and her discussions of balancing work and family, but she is not the best writer. Parts got really bogged down in minutiae and the part about when she was really Director-General was very boring and I didn't get the point of any of it. I guess its good to know spying isn't like in the movies, but I think she could have made it a little more interesting.
A good idea but I found it quite slow and laborious, it focuses less on the MI5 and what goes on in it and more on how she managed to juggle her career and personal life and still make it to the top of her profession. If you're looking for a book about spies and scandals you'd be better off reading some Ian Fleming of John Le Carre as obviously she isn't able to divulge much in the way of details. A good book I just didn't get on with the writing style.
I didn't find this particularly engaging. There are moments of interest - her early life, the circumstances of her recruitment into MI5, life in MI5 as a woman and mother. However, the later chapters in particular drag. It is probably understandable that there isn't that much insight into the daily life of someone working for MI5, particularly given the furore over the book's publication. However, this makes Open Secret a quite bland account.
An enjoyable read. Obviously it would have been nice to have more information on the day to day work of an MI5 officer but understandably that's not possible. Stella Rimington's rise should be celebrated in feminism, if it is not already - and an interesting viewpoint of the public service and it's interactions with political leaders.
Dec 27, 2009
Ernest Junius
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
British officials or Whitehall dwellers
Shelves:
books-that-took-forever-to-finish
It's really hard for me as a British outsider who has never involved in government or politics to read this book and understand wholly of what's happening in it (it involves KGB, IRA and a lot more crazy shit that I don't even remember now)
However I managed to do just fine and AT LAST finish the book in a few months! Ha... ha...!
However I managed to do just fine and AT LAST finish the book in a few months! Ha... ha...!
Read for both entertainment and research purposes, this proves that the truth is often stranger than either out-and-out fiction or any supposed leaks in the press. Full of opinions and anecdotes this is well worth getting hold of (although I suspect the library wil want me to return the copy I borrowed fairly soon).
Never before have I read a book with a postscript, epilogue, AND afterword. I wasn't expecting a big expose of MI5, but I also wasn't expecting to wish I'd never bothered going to the effort of finding this book. Just dull. Not a good start to reading in 2015 :(
Feb 08, 2013
False Millennium
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
biography-memoirs
,
history-united-kingdom
Given her position and role in Great Britain's espionage history, the whole thing read rather flat. Overly censored? No doubt. There was less about spydom and more about the difficulties of women in the workplace, breaking through the tweed ceiling.
This could have been so much better. Parts were fascinating, the rest dry and long-winded. Whether this was all that was left after the government vetted it, I don't know. What could and should have been a riveting read was in fact, quite a slog.
Interesting read to find out how she managed to progress at a time when women were not taken seriously! But her writing style is not easy to read, bit stilted!
But worth a read
But worth a read
Very turgid writing, dubious motives and a total failure to breed any empathy. Somehow she makes the remarkable utterly unremarkable - read the Wikipedia entry instead.
Controversial memoir from the former head of MI5. Inspirational for working women everywhere and rather enlightening for those of us in the archive profession.
Excellent biography which really captured a changing environment in British intelligence and the world environment, especially from a female perspective.
Surprisingly dull. The last chapter's post-Cold War encounters the most interesting part of the book but still given short shrift.
Just heard extracts from this on the radio and they have whet my appetite. I also enjoyed a novel of hers I read a while back.
Spooks drink sherry at lunchtime and read trashy fiction under the desk!
Feb 22, 2013
Bec
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Bec by:
Read previous book by author
Shelves:
non-fiction
,
library-books
Interesting read, as much about women in the workplace as it was about MI5.
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Dame Stella Whitehouse Rimington joined the Security Service (MI5) in 1968. During her career she worked in all the main fields of the Service: counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism. She was appointed Director General in 1992, the first woman to hold the post. She has written her autobiography and nine Liz Carlyle novels. She lives in London and Norfolk.
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