Recollections of a Bleeding Heart: Paul Keating PM

Amazing tales of the Keating PM-ship. Gruesome & sad, but written by a true believer. Manages to tell the story of the ideas & not the minutiae of day to day politics.
Read May 2004

Whatever you might think of the subject, his style or his politics this is an extraordinarily well written book. The writer's skill is apparent on every page and because of that skill this book is a pleasure to read.

This book is sure to be a bonus for future political historians - it is an insider's take on a fascinating and important time in Australian politics. But for this reader, a great fan of Keating and with an interest in the Australian Labor Party, it was hard going; it would probably be near impossible to finish for the average 'non-political' reader. Please do not judge the man by the biography.

This book is simply too long. Which is a shame - there are some real gems, both of prose and insight, in this book, but the reader has to wade through so much to get to them that the journey is just not worth it. The other disappointment with this book is that for something written by a speechwriter, most of the prose is not particularly well show more written - when Watson does write well it is almost like he is showing off, wondering if the reader will notice his skill. show less

A magnificent book, rich in insight, and beautifully written by a highly literate author. Especially noteworthy for the way it portrays the optimism associated with the Keating years. One of the best political books I've ever read and although long, totally engrossing from start to finish

Paul Keating may not have liked it but I found this a fascinating memoir of one man's relationship with Keating, the charismatic former treasurer and prime minister of Australia.

Says a lot about Don Watson, both intentionally and unintentionally, but very little about its putative subject. Manages to make a colourfully immediate political persona seem distant and etiolated. Avoid, unless you like pretentious prose like the previous two sentences of this review.

Beautifully written and provides a glimpse of how the Paul Keating office functioned. A wonderful read for anyone interested in Australian politics.