I can’t help liking Gyles Brandreth. Apart from being a former Tory MP he comes from a class and background that I can’t empathise with. He’s a spoilt child of privilege and has led an effortless life that would not be possible for someone coming from more ordinary stock. But he tells a great story and comes across as a decent sort of bloke, very witty, entertaining and most importantly, honest. In old age he has developed self awareness and a great ability to make himself the butt of the joke. He has realised how lucky he has been. The book is a memoir of the first twenty five years of his life but because of his amusing habit of going off on tangents the reader gets a good look at the other, later parts of his life too.
What the book unwittingly reveals is if you came from the
right class, went to a top school and Oxbridge, spoke with the right and accent
and most importantly had enough self confidence, then for someone of GB’s
generation at least, the world literally was your oyster. Doors open, connections are made, more than
being given a leg up these people are handed a step ladder. And everyone knows everyone else; politicians,
actors, TV celebrities. They all went to
the same schools, lived in the same little world and shared life’s spoils. And nowadays it’s their offspring that are
doing the same thing. The stars quoted
on the cover endorsing the book are all personal friends of GB and the
publications are former employers.
But I can’t help liking Gyles Brandreth and overall this was
a good read although perhaps not as funny as I’d hoped.
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