Review
'Uproarious memoirs' -- Daily Mail 'The deliciously indiscreet diaries of a society insider with a wicked (and shameless) sense of fun...packed with famous names and wildly indiscreet stories' -- Daily Mail 'Gyles Brandreth is the ultimate insider. In this year's most colourful diaries, he shares his secrets' -- Daily Mail Praise for Gyles Brandreth: -- --- 'Searingly honest, wildly indiscreet, and incredibly funny' -- Daily Mail 'A touching access to the secrets of the human heart' -- The Times 'A fine and sympathetic writer' -- Times Literary Supplement 'Brilliant' -- Daily Telegraph 'Brilliant' -- Spectator 'Wonderfully sharp...there is something very potent beneath the froth, and a bullet-proof vest beneath the novelty jumper' -- Mail on Sunday 'He's a warmer and more guileless version of Boris Johnson, a smarter and less crooked version of Jeffery Archer, a cuddlier and less punk-rock version of Bungle from Rainbow... he merits the backhanded compliment 'impossible to dislike'. He is happy and he is successful. He earned the latter. The former seems to be temperamental.' -- The Spectator 'full of tales and catty asides about royals and celebrities' -- Sunday Times 'Brandreth has enjoyed unique access to everyone from prime ministers and royalty to pop stars and actors. For more than 50 years he has faithfully recorded every encounter, every secret and wild indiscretion, in his diary. Something Sensational to Read in the Train is a rollercoaster ride through what Gyles happily admits has been, at times, a ridiculous life' -- Daily Mail 'Really rather charming' -- The Herald
Product Description
This is a diary packed with famous names and extraordinary stories. It is also rich in incidental detail and wonderful observation, providing both a compelling record of five remarkable decades and a revealing, often hilarious and sometimes moving account of Gyles Brandreth's unusual life -- as a child living in London in the 'swinging' sixties, as a jumper-wearing TV presenter, as an MP and government whip, and as a royal biographer who has enjoyed unique access to the Queen and her family. Something Sensational to Read on the Train takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride from the era of Dixon of Dock Green to the age of The X Factor, from the end of the farthing to the arrival of the euro, from the Britain of Harold Macmillan and the Notting Hill race riots to the world of Barack Obama and Lewis Hamilton. With a cast list that runs from Richard Nixon and Richard Branson to Gordon Brown and David Cameron -- and includes princes, presidents and pop stars, as well as three archbishops and any number of actresses -- this is a book for anyone interested in contemporary history, politics and entertainment, royalty, gossip and life itself.
