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An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: Or…
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An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: Or 2000 Years of Upper-Class Idiots in Charge. John O'Farrell (original 2007; edition 2014)

by John O'Farrell (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
7222431,168 (3.71)25
Many of us were put off history by the dry and dreary way it was taught at school. Back then -~The Origins of the Industrial Revolution' somehow seemed less compelling than the chance to test the bold claim on Timothy Johnson's -~Shatterproof' ruler.But here at last is a chance to have a good laugh and learn all that stuff you feel you really ought to know by now... In this -~Horrible History for Grown Ups' you can read how Anglo-Saxon liberals struggled to be positive about immigration; -~Look I think we have to try and respect the religious customs of our new Viking friends -" oi, he's nicked my bloody ox!'Discover how England's peculiar class system was established by some snobby French nobles whose posh descendents still have wine cellars and second homes in the Dordogne today. And explore the complex socio-economic reasons why Britain's kings were the first in Europe to be brought to heel; (because the Stuarts were such a useless bunch of untalented, incompetent, arrogant, upper-class thickoes that Parliament didn't have much choice.) A book about then that is also incisive and illuminating about now, -~2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge', is an hilarious, informative and cantankerous journey through Britain' fascinating and bizarre history.As entertaining as a witch burning, and a lot more laughs.… (more)
Member:KatriLeikola
Title:An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: Or 2000 Years of Upper-Class Idiots in Charge. John O'Farrell
Authors:John O'Farrell (Author)
Info:Black Swan Books, Limited (2014), Edition: 38842nd, 588 pages
Collections:Your library
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An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge) by John O'Farrell (2007)

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» See also 25 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 24 (next | show all)
Propagating the myth of Dunkirk.

Funny only in a forced, unfunny way. ( )
  Paul_S | Nov 8, 2021 |
A very English view of history from Roman imes up to around nowish sometime.

I found it funny but I have read that others found his humour tiring. I don’t remember any jokes fron History lessons at school so I enjoyed it. It also filled in a few blanksbut I can’t remember which. Light and Breezy. ( )
  Ken-Me-Old-Mate | Sep 24, 2020 |
Too much humour and too little history for my taste. Did not finish. ( )
  MarthaJeanne | Nov 20, 2017 |
I bought this book out of impulse at the airport, unsure whether I was ever going to read it, but once started, I couldn’t stop. First of all, it’s utterly funny. It’s like watching a stand-up comedian. You laugh out loud. It’s an interesting tale of British history through the eyes of a modern Briton. Like someone noticed in another comment (Acquafortis) the best thing about this book is that makes you go and check facts and things, it awakes your curiosity in a way that few books do. ( )
1 vote RebeccaVegas | Dec 12, 2011 |
Meet the most influential characters in British history from Caesar to Churchill. Chronicles of the past 2000 years with a summation at the end of each era. Facetious remarks are made about the left, right and royals; some gags witty, others make you groan. ( )
1 vote paperdust | Jun 14, 2011 |
Showing 1-5 of 24 (next | show all)
By virtue of age, by attitude, sometimes, and because I hail from one of the many parts of the south of England where voters were once rabbits in the headlights of the seemingly unstoppable Tory juggernaut, souped-up with the promise of owning your own home (while Labour's horse and cart, borrowed from Steptoe and Son, lay in a ditch), I am one of "Thatcher's children". Given this, John O'Farrell's latest book is, for me at least, an engrossing and agonising read. And fortunately, a funny one too. Though the author, whom I once heard described as a "sit-down comedian" because of his gags-per-line rate, has penned a print version of an "I Love the Post-War Years" TV clips show, and a sometimes back-handed tribute to the Labour Party since 1945, it is the Thatcher era, 30 years on, that inevitably proves the most engrossing.
 

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Many of us were put off history by the dry and dreary way it was taught at school. Back then -~The Origins of the Industrial Revolution' somehow seemed less compelling than the chance to test the bold claim on Timothy Johnson's -~Shatterproof' ruler.But here at last is a chance to have a good laugh and learn all that stuff you feel you really ought to know by now... In this -~Horrible History for Grown Ups' you can read how Anglo-Saxon liberals struggled to be positive about immigration; -~Look I think we have to try and respect the religious customs of our new Viking friends -" oi, he's nicked my bloody ox!'Discover how England's peculiar class system was established by some snobby French nobles whose posh descendents still have wine cellars and second homes in the Dordogne today. And explore the complex socio-economic reasons why Britain's kings were the first in Europe to be brought to heel; (because the Stuarts were such a useless bunch of untalented, incompetent, arrogant, upper-class thickoes that Parliament didn't have much choice.) A book about then that is also incisive and illuminating about now, -~2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge', is an hilarious, informative and cantankerous journey through Britain' fascinating and bizarre history.As entertaining as a witch burning, and a lot more laughs.

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