39th out of 44 books
—
15 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “John Major: The Autobiography” as Want to Read:
John Major: The Autobiography
by
John Major
Major's early life was extraordinary; his rise through Parliament meteoric. Soon a favourite of Margaret Thatcher, he became Foreign Secretary and then Chancellor of the Exchequer. When Thatcher fell, he fought and won a shrewd campaign to succeed her.
Hardcover
,
774 pages
Published
October 11th 1999
by HarperCollins
(first published January 1st 1999)
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
John Major
,
please sign up
.
Be the first to ask a question about John Major
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
183)
Aug 09, 2011
Will James
added it
A truly revealing - and at times very humorous - account of a man, who history and conventional wisdom have derided as "the boring bloke between Thatcher and Blair". Instead, John Major was in power for six and a half years, during which some of the most important events of the post-Cold War era occurred (and that's before you even consider the pivotal role he played in the latter years of the Thatcher government). Understanding Major's take on those events then is vitally important, and this au
...more
I was lucky enough to be in London when I was reading this book. The only problem was that I had been back in the States for 3 weeks before I finished it!!! There was an extraordinary amount of detail that just didn’t interest me (i.e., Major went into an inordinate amount of detail when he talked about Cabinet reshuffles, giving me the names and personal history of every practically every cabinet member.). He also often got into too much details when talking about other political issues: the mo
...more
Considering the amount of detail and the size of book it was well written and really interesting. It changed my views on John Major and definitely he is nothing like the picture we were presented with at the time by 'Spitting Image'. I'm not a Conservative fan but he had some really interesting ideas / philosophies and it is disappointing that so many of the MP's elected under the Conservative banner were more interested in their own self importance rather than being willing to support the party
...more
This was a long read but fascinating for me to go back over the Major government as it was the first one I could have voted for and so I was more politically aware than I was previously.
I do remember that John Major had a very bad press often, and reading the autobiography I sometimes struggled to work out why. He was never a dramatic politician, normally conciliatory and forced to be more so by the Euro-sceptic faction in the Conservative party.
I have greater respect for him as a Prime Minister ...more
I do remember that John Major had a very bad press often, and reading the autobiography I sometimes struggled to work out why. He was never a dramatic politician, normally conciliatory and forced to be more so by the Euro-sceptic faction in the Conservative party.
I have greater respect for him as a Prime Minister ...more
If the market is to be believed, then this book is close to worthless. You can actually pick up a paperback copy for a penny on Amazon. This is a lamentable as the memoir, at the very least, provides an interesting look at how political parties commit suicide under the strains of irreconcilable centrifugal forces.
The key to understanding John Major's premiership is an offhand remark he made into a hot mic in Canada during a G7 meeting: "I run a coalition government." Perhaps the use of the word ...more
The key to understanding John Major's premiership is an offhand remark he made into a hot mic in Canada during a G7 meeting: "I run a coalition government." Perhaps the use of the word ...more
I wanted to read this book both because of the Speaker Series and because I will be going to London later this year. It has taught me about some of the culture and politics of that great land. Yet, John Major drones on about topics in way too much detail. I usually enjoy the first 10 pages of every chapter at which point he chooses to drag the subject into areas that often don't seem related.
looooooong - read it in the days before i would put a book down when bored stiff
Edwina Currie was angered she didn't even get a mention! Interesting insight into the role of Chief Sec to Treasury and Major's early life. Funny when he is too nerdy to tackle Margaret Thatcher
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Sir John Major, KG, CH.
Member of Parliament from 1979-2001. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 28 November 1990 – 2 May 1997.
Invested a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 1999 and a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG) in 2005.
More about John Major...
Member of Parliament from 1979-2001. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 28 November 1990 – 2 May 1997.
Invested a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 1999 and a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG) in 2005.
