MixedThe Times (UK)It’s a nice idea that Turchin has; a useful prism for looking at instability. But as a unifying theory of historical change it is too narrow and deterministic, as most unifying theories of historical change usually are ... At its best this book is a bit like the blander parts of War and Peace, where Tolstoy bangs on about his pet theory of history being shaped not by people but by grand historical forces. At its worst it reads as though someone has asked an AI bot to explain the nature of historical causation. It is smart but not particularly riveting or humane.
David J Chalmers
MixedThe Sunday Times (UK)... the most alarming and thought-provoking book I’ve read in years ... This book is a dangerous manifesto for the future of humanity ... Reading this book is inevitably a demanding endeavour, but Chalmers’s accessible style and extensive cultural reach also make it an enjoyable one ... Chalmers is rather pleased with his vision for our virtual future. I find it appalling. This isn’t a world in which I want to live. Everyone should read this important book to understand where we may be heading and how it will be rationalised. Then take a red pill and join the resistance.
Scott Ellsworth
PositiveThe Sunday Times (UK)The resulting odyssey makes for a difficult read, both for its grim content and jumpy, stylised prose. The author could do considerably more to explain why this extraordinary incident took place. But the story he tells is an essential one, with just a glimmer of hope in it. Because of the work of Ellsworth and many others, America is finally staring this appalling chapter of its history in the face. It’s not a pretty sight.
Hunter Biden
MixedThe Sunday Times (UK)This memoir. Holy hell ... This book is a sizzling mess of grief, addiction, self-justification and misdirection. It’s admirable — and also abominable ... The relationship between the brothers is the one undeniably beautiful thing in this book, which at its best is a love letter to a lost soulmate ... there’s a strange braggadocio to Hunter’s recollections ... There’s an important message buried in all this mayhem: the utter joylessness of addiction. The vodka is warm and unmixed, the fiends are nasty and vacuous, and the degradation of smoking cheddar popcorn debris in the hope it might be crack flakes is unforgettable ... glosses over many key issues. Joe Biden is a strangely distant figure, appearing rarely to provide tangible relief to his lost son. And while Hunter does discuss his controversial employment by Burisma, a Ukrainian gas firm, the scale of his involvement is carefully elided ... Why did Hunter write this chaotic memoir? Perhaps it’s because he truly wants to face down his demons and rebuild his life, but the reported $2 million advance may have played a more central role. Ultimately, for all its revelations, this book does not seem to be honest. I fear that more bumps still lie ahead.
Evan Osnos
MixedThe Times (UK)There’s something deeper going on here. It seems that many liberal journalists in America no longer see it as their duty to ask tough questions, if there’s any chance of them rebounding to Trump’s benefit. They believe too much is at stake. Perhaps they are right, but it doesn’t make for compelling journalism. In this case, the result is 190 pages of eloquent and well-informed puffery that effectively doubles up as a campaign advert.
Mary L. Trump
MixedThe Times (UK)... a ghastly tale laden with profound dynastic anguish: something like Succession crossed with Bleak House ... There are a few moments of light relief ... This furious book is at once mesmerising and excruciating. It strays too far into politics, on which the author is neither authoritative nor interesting. It has a bitter, naked agenda and the weeping sores left by Mary Trump’s childhood make her a deeply unreliable narrator. And yet she has insights that no biographer can match. She has the anecdotes, the receipts and the battle scars from 55 years as a Trump. And if nothing else she has inherited the family penchant for enacting vengeance with apocalyptic style.
Glenn Simpson
MixedThe Times (UK)So what to make of Simpson and Fritsch? Are they devilish deep-state operators who will stop at nothing? Or a couple of old hacks fighting to establish the truth? The latter seems more plausible than the former. But it does feel as if Simpson and Fritsch have become a little spooked by Russia, viewing Putin as an omniscient global spymaster-general, rather than as a cunning but constrained operator.
Ronan Farrow
PositiveThe Times (UK)... this scoop-filled book, part reporting memoir, part spy thriller and part score-settling revenge tour, provides a mostly riveting and often shocking account of how Farrow hauled in his catch ... The book’s emotional heart, though, lies not with the relentless, neurotic Farrow, nor the dark forces arrayed against him, but with his sources, the women who spoke up despite the fear and intimidation ... This compelling story does offer a glimmer of hope amid the ordure: these women might be finally exposing the corruption and exploitation that lies at the heart of American public life. They deserve the credit, but it’s worth a nod to Farrow, too. He can be terribly sanctimonious, but the man’s thirst for a story cannot be denied. He even uses the book to slip out the news that he is engaged to Jon Lovett, the podcaster and former Obama speechwriter. For Farrow, it’s a rare admission of private emotion. And yet another scoop.
Michael Lewis
PositiveThe Times...a civics lesson worth taking. It’s a canny book, in many ways the antithesis of Bob Woodward or Michael Wolff’s bombshell reenactments of life inside Trump’s Oval Office. It won’t sell as many copies, but its message is more enduring ... Lewis does little to disguise his partisan leanings. Although his prose is, as ever, lucid and sparky, the storytelling becomes a tad formulaic and this is clearly a long article stretched into a short book ... one benefit of this disruptive presidency will be books such as this, which reminds us why good institutions matter.
