Boris Johnson: The Gambler
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- Author：Tom Bower
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Summary
Guardian 'literary highlights of 2020'
Sunday Times 'books to watch out for in 2020'
New Statesman 'books to read in 2020'
Evening Standard 'thirteen titles to look for in 2020'
As divisive as he is beguiling， as misunderstood as he is scrutinised， Boris Johnson is a singular figure。
Many of us think we know his story well。 His ruthless ambition was evident from his insistence， as a three-year-old， that he would one day be 'world king'。 Eton and Oxford prepared him well for a frantic career straddling the dog-eat-dog worlds of journalism and politics。 His transformation from bumbling stooge on Have I Got New for You to a triumphant Mayor of London was overshadowed only by his colourful personal life， brimming with affairs， scandals and transgressions。 His ascent to Number 10 in the wake of the acrimonious， era-defining Brexit referendum would prove to be only the first act in an epic drama that saw him play both hero and villain - from proroguing parliament to his controversial leadership of the Covid-19 Crisis， all against the backdrop of divorce， marriage， the birth of his sixth child， revolts among Tory MPs and the countdown to Brexit。
Yet despite his celebrity， decades of media scrutiny， the endless vitriol of his critics and the enduring adoration of his supporters， there is so much we've never understood about Boris - until now。 Previous biographies have either dismissed him as a lazy， deceitful opportunist or been transfixed by his charm， wit and drive。 Both approaches fall short， and so many questions about Boris remain unanswered。
What seismic events of his childhood have evaded scrutiny？ How has he so consistently defied the odds， proved his critics wrong， and got away with increasingly reckless gambles？ What were his real achievements and failures as Mayor of London， what was really going on during his time as Foreign Secretary， and why did he write two articles for the Telegraph， one in favour of Leave and the other for Remain？ How have the women in his life exerted more influence than any of us realise， and why is his story ultimately one overshadowed by family secrets？
Based on a wealth of new interviews and research， this is the deepest， most rounded and most comprehensive portrait to date of the man， the mind， the politics， the affairs， the family - of a loner， a lover， a leader。
Revelatory， unsettling and compulsively readable， it is the most timely and indispensable book yet from Britain's leading investigative biographer。
Sunday Times 'books to watch out for in 2020'
New Statesman 'books to read in 2020'
Evening Standard 'thirteen titles to look for in 2020'
As divisive as he is beguiling， as misunderstood as he is scrutinised， Boris Johnson is a singular figure。
Many of us think we know his story well。 His ruthless ambition was evident from his insistence， as a three-year-old， that he would one day be 'world king'。 Eton and Oxford prepared him well for a frantic career straddling the dog-eat-dog worlds of journalism and politics。 His transformation from bumbling stooge on Have I Got New for You to a triumphant Mayor of London was overshadowed only by his colourful personal life， brimming with affairs， scandals and transgressions。 His ascent to Number 10 in the wake of the acrimonious， era-defining Brexit referendum would prove to be only the first act in an epic drama that saw him play both hero and villain - from proroguing parliament to his controversial leadership of the Covid-19 Crisis， all against the backdrop of divorce， marriage， the birth of his sixth child， revolts among Tory MPs and the countdown to Brexit。
Yet despite his celebrity， decades of media scrutiny， the endless vitriol of his critics and the enduring adoration of his supporters， there is so much we've never understood about Boris - until now。 Previous biographies have either dismissed him as a lazy， deceitful opportunist or been transfixed by his charm， wit and drive。 Both approaches fall short， and so many questions about Boris remain unanswered。
What seismic events of his childhood have evaded scrutiny？ How has he so consistently defied the odds， proved his critics wrong， and got away with increasingly reckless gambles？ What were his real achievements and failures as Mayor of London， what was really going on during his time as Foreign Secretary， and why did he write two articles for the Telegraph， one in favour of Leave and the other for Remain？ How have the women in his life exerted more influence than any of us realise， and why is his story ultimately one overshadowed by family secrets？
Based on a wealth of new interviews and research， this is the deepest， most rounded and most comprehensive portrait to date of the man， the mind， the politics， the affairs， the family - of a loner， a lover， a leader。
Revelatory， unsettling and compulsively readable， it is the most timely and indispensable book yet from Britain's leading investigative biographer。
Reviews
Giles Rowing
，
Very interesting and informative。 Doesn't feel that biased considering some other people's reviews on here。 Take it with the normal pinch of salt and it's a entertaining， informative and exciting read。 Very interesting and informative。 Doesn't feel that biased considering some other people's reviews on here。 Take it with the normal pinch of salt and it's a entertaining， informative and exciting read。 。。。more
Peter Burton
，
An easy book to read - fast moving，detailed， interesting giving you a good idea of what Boris is like， how he works and how flexible his ideas can be。 No doubt more books will appear in the next few years to assess Boris in the found
Jamad
，
An okay two stars。The Guardian review sums it up for me…。yes he might be a womanizing liar but he did have a difficult childhood。 I struggled with parts of the book， was the author expressing his opinion or was he writing what he thought Boris was thinking…if the latter， he needs a different approach。https://www。theguardian。com/books/202。。。“Stanley was exceptional。 Dynamic， intelligent and intensely social， he had a wide range of friends in Oxford， had already travelled across the world and was An okay two stars。The Guardian review sums it up for me…。yes he might be a womanizing liar but he did have a difficult childhood。 I struggled with parts of the book， was the author expressing his opinion or was he writing what he thought Boris was thinking…if the latter， he needs a different approach。https://www。theguardian。com/books/202。。。“Stanley was exceptional。 Dynamic， intelligent and intensely social， he had a wide range of friends in Oxford， had already travelled across the world and was sufficiently impressive to be identified as a recruit for MI6， the foreign intelligence service。”“The year 1983 was a watershed in Britain – the eve of a revolution。 In the wake of her victory in the Falklands the previous year， Margaret Thatcher won a landslide general election and the country was about to shake off the shackles of a socialist economy and the label as ‘the sick man of Europe’。 The nightmare of the 1970s was over。 Starting with Ted Heath’s ‘three-day week’， through endless strikes， shortages and devaluation ending with the destructive Winter of Discontent in 1979， the decade had been worse than a waste。 Ever since Harold Wilson imposed socialism on Britain after 1964， the country’s decline had been marked by a crippling brain drain。 To escape confiscatory taxation and punitive state control， the most talented of Britain’s wealth creators had fled abroad to earn their fortunes。 For Boris， bred as a natural Conservative by his father and Eton， Thatcher was the harbinger of a new dawn and new hope。”“Among the targets in flames was a beloved family-run furniture store in Croydon which had survived the Blitz。 Cowed， 6，000 police abandoned areas to the mob， doing nothing but watch rampant criminality。 That night， Cameron and May headed back from their holidays to London。 In Canada， Boris realised the severity of the situation and decided to return to Britain on his own。 ‘I was watching the TV news in Calgary waiting for a plane，’ he wrote。 ‘I felt a sickening sense of incredulity that this could really be happening in our city … I felt ashamed。’“Education was troubling the government。 Michael Gove， the education minister， was under attack from both teachers and parents for making the curriculum more demanding。 Inadequate teachers and the extremist National Union of Teachers described Gove as ‘a demented Dalek on speed， who wants to exterminate everything good in education’。 Some parents who feared that their children would fail exams disliked Gove’s demands for higher standards。 His approval of excellence was popular among Conservatives who disliked the left’s advocacy of social engineering even at the cost of lower standards。 In Boris’s opinion， Gove did not go far enough。 The mayor wanted control over London’s schools and the children’s lunches。 Gove refused and retained control to authorise more free schools and academies。 To spite Boris， he also introduced his own healthy menu for school lunches。”Hmm a minister for education introduces healthy lunches to spite the PM！ 。。。more
Jacob Stelling
，
On the whole I was very disappointed with this book。 The first half was a fair assessment but the latter half， particularly the part after Johnson becomes PM， doesn’t even make any attempt to present a balanced or nuanced view。 When discussing Covid in particular， the author seems to blame everyone but Johnson， and by the end the account simply turns into an incoherent rant about Covid rather than telling an accurate story about Johnson’s premiership。 Hugely disappointed。
Rick
，
How on earth this book won any accolades is beyond me。 The style is breathless and smarmily arrogant， and Bower comes across as a dislikable know-all whose opinions we learn more about than the subject of his book。 The content descends from glimpses of Johnson’s horribly dysfunctional childhood and the disgusting antics of his Father to something akin to a full-blown hagiography。 I’m no fan of Johnson and am even less so after this book。 Johnson’s actions speak louder than Bower’s excuses for th How on earth this book won any accolades is beyond me。 The style is breathless and smarmily arrogant， and Bower comes across as a dislikable know-all whose opinions we learn more about than the subject of his book。 The content descends from glimpses of Johnson’s horribly dysfunctional childhood and the disgusting antics of his Father to something akin to a full-blown hagiography。 I’m no fan of Johnson and am even less so after this book。 Johnson’s actions speak louder than Bower’s excuses for them and far from coming across as "Boris" the misunderstood， hard-working， “intelligent patriot”， one is left with the impression of a damaged， sociopathic， entitled， chaotic， philandering liar with a pathological need to be liked and a hugely inflated opinion of himself。It's truly depressing that such a man is Prime Minister。 。。。more
Adrian R
，
Honestly this book is 3。5/5It was simply ok and if I was more into British politics then I would have given it at least a 4 or 4。5 out of 5 but being more into American politics （despite living in Britain， I know kind of ironic） didn't find this as interesting as a presidential biography or even a vice-presidential biography。overall: The book was decent it started of really interesting but when transition from Boris' young life into his advanced political life it started to get very monotonous。 Honestly this book is 3。5/5It was simply ok and if I was more into British politics then I would have given it at least a 4 or 4。5 out of 5 but being more into American politics （despite living in Britain， I know kind of ironic） didn't find this as interesting as a presidential biography or even a vice-presidential biography。overall: The book was decent it started of really interesting but when transition from Boris' young life into his advanced political life it started to get very monotonous。 Some chapters were better than others and I do have to say that I wasn't hooked all the time and curious about learning more about the British PM。I do have to say that I really like how the Author （Tom Bower） wrote this book quite recently （came out in October 2020） and he got the most recent events like corona virus and also Brexit was also a very interesting topic to read about。 Final Thoughts: Some times this book was amazing， sometimes it felt like a chore but on a final note if you're into British politics you will like this book as there will be many people that you recognize from this book that you yourself lived through and experienced the events that these people went through！ 。。。more
Mr R
，
Author fundamentally fails to understand how Government works
D。 Wild
，
Boris on the runThe Covid diary tacked on the end is long-winded and veers away from Boris。 What it does show is an institutionalised government which makes us despair when there is so much talent in this country。The account of Boris’s life is pieced together from snippets and goes only part way to explaining the man， and is more interested in exposing the frailties of the man。 Nonetheless， for all his shortcomings， Boris is determined。This is a compulsory read for all who wish for better in our Boris on the runThe Covid diary tacked on the end is long-winded and veers away from Boris。 What it does show is an institutionalised government which makes us despair when there is so much talent in this country。The account of Boris’s life is pieced together from snippets and goes only part way to explaining the man， and is more interested in exposing the frailties of the man。 Nonetheless， for all his shortcomings， Boris is determined。This is a compulsory read for all who wish for better in our country， so that we may forgive and support our prime minister rather than berate him， for we must put aside differences as much we can so as to improve all our lives。 。。。more
Urs
，
Well written but too many details about British politics。 Example: Why does the author describe in detail the first six Covid months on 100 pages with little reference to Mr。 Johnson？ I have expected more information about Boris's life。 300 pages rather than 527 would have been sufficient。 Well written but too many details about British politics。 Example: Why does the author describe in detail the first six Covid months on 100 pages with little reference to Mr。 Johnson？ I have expected more information about Boris's life。 300 pages rather than 527 would have been sufficient。 。。。more
Siobhan Smith
，
This is a very long book， I read about half before giving up。 It is very informative and would definitely suit somebody who is a bit more interested in politics and boris than I am but I couldn't finish it before I had to return it to the library （I'm usually a very quick reader but it felt a bit of a slog）。 This is a very long book， I read about half before giving up。 It is very informative and would definitely suit somebody who is a bit more interested in politics and boris than I am but I couldn't finish it before I had to return it to the library （I'm usually a very quick reader but it felt a bit of a slog）。 。。。more
Graham Brownett
，
Brilliantly written， meticulously researched and insightful， this book delves into Boris Johnson the son， the sibling， the husband， the adulterer， the father， the scholar， the intellectual as well as the politician。 Tom Bower exposes the fragility of Johnson’s relationships， the lack of self confidence， his fear of conflict and his need for a female soulmate。 A great read as you would expect from Tom Bower spoiled somewhat by the unnecessary final chapters on Covid。
David Margetts
，
Democracy， every now and then， and usually after a severe crisis， bowls a 'googley' and delivers a dangerous unprincipled 'populist' leader， the like of Trump， Bolsonarro and Boris。 In the aftermath of the financial crisis and austerity measures， the situation was ideal for Boris， the charismatic， seductive， 'tell 'em what they want to hear' to emerge opportunistically onto the scene。 His chequered background and behaviour， of ill discipline， duplicitousness， laziness， adulterousness and narciss Democracy， every now and then， and usually after a severe crisis， bowls a 'googley' and delivers a dangerous unprincipled 'populist' leader， the like of Trump， Bolsonarro and Boris。 In the aftermath of the financial crisis and austerity measures， the situation was ideal for Boris， the charismatic， seductive， 'tell 'em what they want to hear' to emerge opportunistically onto the scene。 His chequered background and behaviour， of ill discipline， duplicitousness， laziness， adulterousness and narcissism were 'pushed aside'， enabling him to win against the awful Livingstone in London and use his Mayorship as an opportunity to promote himself and launch a career in politics。 The same opportunism motivated him them to lead the Leave campaign， in spite of his lack of ideology， vision or belief in the project。 His self serving， self centred approach to do all to 'help Boris' succour his ambition has led to unimaginable consequences to the people of the UK and the UK itself。 He imagines himself as a Churchill， his idol， and for sure he matches many of Churchills blunders and gaffes， Gallipoli， Norway， Tonypandy， the Gold Standard， the Bengal famine etc etc etc， yet when a 'real crisis' came Churchill stepped up and delivered the necessary leadership and inspiration to everyone。 Sadly in Boris' case， the Churchillian moment arrived， and he has through his weak attention to detail， autocratic leadership style， promotion of 'yes men'， poor organisational skills， 'gung ho' approach， libertarianism， and his need to be loved and admired by all， allowed the UK to fall into it's greatest peace time crisis。 This book written by Bower， was completed prematurely at the end of the Summer， before the 2nd wave hit， more dithering and indecision occurred and a failure to learn from the mistakes of the 1st time around has left the country in turmoil。 What is difficult to understand is how Bowers continually defends and excuses the man （who spends a lot of time in his house apparently）， blaming everyone and everything other than Boris。 Indeed the responsibility for Boris and his missteps， misspeaks， mistakes and all the other 'misses'， is due apparently according to Bowers， to Stanley， his grandfather， his upbringing， his bosses and employers， the newspapers， the BBC， his advisors， the scientists， PHE， NHS， his weak civil servants， his weak ministers and some of the women in his life including Carrie。。。。oh， and his baby had an impact too！！！ It is incredible， yet， like Trump， Boris still has his loyal grassroots supporters who look the other way when he is making his errors in judgement。。。。。and amazingly with white Tory women over 65， where he gets the best approval ratings。。。。I am sure that lands well with Marina！！ （they like a scoundrel and a bounder， more exciting than a Jeremy Hunt or a Merkel） So， the book ends prematurely， suggesting the jury is still out。。。and yet we have in the UK， a terrible Brexit deal which will have ramifications to jobs， prosperity and GDP for decades to come， the Union looks particularly unstable， we have one of the worst economic impacts， a 10% reduction in GDP， only bettered by Argentina and Greece， and now with over 110，000 deaths， one of the worst death rates。。。。。surely any jury would convict the 'commander in chief' who has overseen this mess。。。。。。but this is Boris。。。。and with Boris anything might happen。。。。he could resign abruptly， overcome with depression and self doubt。。。。or he might soldier on and end up the hero， buoyed by a strong economic rebound and the victory of the vaccine！！ It would certainly be difficult to predict the outcome。。。。。for this unique 'gambler'。。。。but for sure his presence on the scene over the past 10 years has changed the UK forever， and sadly at the moment it does not look too good。 The book only gets 2 stars for me， as Bower seems seduced by Boris， and biased against experts， elites， Remainers， competitor journalists and the BBC， which is a shame， as with a little more objectivity and balance this would be a very good book。。。。。he seems a little bit the 'populist' himself， no doubt selling many books to the Tory grassroots？ （I am a Tory btw。。。。but one who respected the statesmanship， integrity and convictions of Thatcher， Major， Heseltine， and Cameron。。。。。Boris is entertaining and fun， but not a man to lead a country selflessly in a principled and honest manner！） 。。。more
Gwendolyn Bills
，
Although a long read， this was a fascinating insight into a complex man and his relationships， both personal and professional。 It is written in a way that explains a lot of the machinations of government that I found very interesting。 A very enjoyable read。
Jennifer Hopson
，
Illuminating， very detailed
Jackie
，
This was more than a biography of Boris Johnson; it served to show the often shambolic way we are governed and the constant jostling for position and favour of the civil servants and MPs。His early life made Boris the man he is， a man who needs attention and constant confirmation that he is right。 He is unable to deal with conflict consequently， issues are left unresolved。He is a man who lies， denies and hides。Who said we get the leaders we deserve？
Anne
，
It’s very rare that I find a biography so hard to put down that I put away 300 pages in one weekend， but this one hit the spot！ It’s a fair， very enjoyably written account of a fascinating character - love or loathe him。 What really let it down was the appalling - or absence of - editing。 The sentence structure was terrible at times。 More than that， the litany of mis-spelled words : “his principle enemy”; “the principle reason he did X。。。”; the word “principal” barely featured。 “The dye was cast It’s very rare that I find a biography so hard to put down that I put away 300 pages in one weekend， but this one hit the spot！ It’s a fair， very enjoyably written account of a fascinating character - love or loathe him。 What really let it down was the appalling - or absence of - editing。 The sentence structure was terrible at times。 More than that， the litany of mis-spelled words : “his principle enemy”; “the principle reason he did X。。。”; the word “principal” barely featured。 “The dye was cast”。。。 I could list example after example。 It’s really appalling that a work likely to draw so much attention received so little when it came to the editorial department。 。。。more
Adam Luscombe
，
Pros:Very well researchedeasy to read Provides new insight into his childhood Cons:Last two COVID chapters don’t fit the model of the rest of the book - is more of a history of the crisisAuthors own political opinions are too evident - reduces the objectivity of the book
John
，
I listened to this， Tom Bower’s latest， on Audible whenever I found a spare moment。 In Bower’s biographies he is never very forgiving of the main object， and there is a tendency for numerous others to either be the good and competent ones or merit an acerbic sideswipe all of their own。 However， having read his book on Corbyn last year， Johnson comes out slightly better from the Bower treatment - especially over his time as mayor of London。 I found the book most interesting in its coverage of the I listened to this， Tom Bower’s latest， on Audible whenever I found a spare moment。 In Bower’s biographies he is never very forgiving of the main object， and there is a tendency for numerous others to either be the good and competent ones or merit an acerbic sideswipe all of their own。 However， having read his book on Corbyn last year， Johnson comes out slightly better from the Bower treatment - especially over his time as mayor of London。 I found the book most interesting in its coverage of the current government’s handling of Brexit and the Covid pandemic - as such it was less of a history book than a commentary on the functioning of contemporary U。K。 institutions。 。。。more
Siobhan
，
I definitely feel as though I know Boris better， but would have preferred for the book to be slightly more streamlined！ The last two chapters on Covid were fascinating。。。obviously more needs to be written on Boris’s leadership over Covid as this book only goes up to September 2020！ Found it very weird that the book focus an extreme amount on Brexit， it sows the seed for that topic quite early on， however the book was released before Brexit was made final and the deal was reached。。。felt anti clim I definitely feel as though I know Boris better， but would have preferred for the book to be slightly more streamlined！ The last two chapters on Covid were fascinating。。。obviously more needs to be written on Boris’s leadership over Covid as this book only goes up to September 2020！ Found it very weird that the book focus an extreme amount on Brexit， it sows the seed for that topic quite early on， however the book was released before Brexit was made final and the deal was reached。。。felt anti climatic！ 。。。more
Carly Dunn
，
Start of the book was very interesting， when it goes into specific politics can be a bit dull
Nick Sanders
，
A thorough study of Boris Johnson， the person and the phenomenon。 At times a bit too much pop psychology， but fortunately not too often。 Basically a pretty neutral biography， which is nice about a man about whom is written enough vituperative and slanderous drivel。 A good insight in BJ and his background。 And a good read too。
Jane Macnaghten
，
I decided to skim the last half of the book and to return when I wanted to know more about a specific incident。 The first half was a good read and showed over and over again the problem with a PM like Boris -- how he charms and how he fails and makes a fool of himself。 His rather sad childhood。
Robert Craven
，
This was a secret Santa gift， （paperback） & having given Johnson's truly awful 'The Churchill Factor' a one-star review， decided to read it to see if there was any positive angle to Johnson。The problem from the beginning is Bower like the rest of the UK's 4th estate seems enamoured with BJ - from his messianic scrabble game at the age of 10 beating all takers to the bewildering acceptance of BJ's disregard for acceptable journalist practice。 Bower highlights and no doubt supports the British not This was a secret Santa gift， （paperback） & having given Johnson's truly awful 'The Churchill Factor' a one-star review， decided to read it to see if there was any positive angle to Johnson。The problem from the beginning is Bower like the rest of the UK's 4th estate seems enamoured with BJ - from his messianic scrabble game at the age of 10 beating all takers to the bewildering acceptance of BJ's disregard for acceptable journalist practice。 Bower highlights and no doubt supports the British notion of being superior in every way to other member states of the EU albeit through Johnson's skewed lens。 （Bower is a Daily Mail journalist - so that's like Pravda writing about Putin） The book is written in a breathless OK！ manner and yes， the father Stanley is a dissolute wastrel and wife abuser， which Boris too has embraced gleefully， but many other people came out of dysfunctional families to do something relevant and useful。If in any way light is shed on BJ， nothing new is revealed。 But the one thing you take away from this is the old saw - in America， power is derived from wealth， in the UK power is derived from privilege。like 'The Churchill Factor'， an utter waste of paper。 。。。more
Plexiform Identity
，
Fascinating character study of a divided figureQuite an informative read， going into the childhood of BJ and provides some insight into his psychological development。 Also taught me about how he governed and what political machinations that involved。 Book is quite detailed and has many quotes。
Jules van der Sneppen
，
Entertaining and informative read， but the last 100 pages on Covid feel out of place。 If it hadn’t been for that unbalanced ending， I would have given this book four stars。
David Le Bas
，
Not sure who the sources all are，，， hmm。 Bit crude but oddly addictive。
Robert
，
An incredibly good account of being London mayor & Theresa May/early Brexit years。 His relationship with his father and how it's formed him was new to me and interesting。 Bower doesn't hide from the lying， cheating and the long list of other negative aspects of his personality。 sides of his personality。 However， he is so clearly sympathetic to "Boris" that it does feel that this skews the overall balance of the book。Lastly， the version I read was up-to-date as of June/July 2020， which feels like An incredibly good account of being London mayor & Theresa May/early Brexit years。 His relationship with his father and how it's formed him was new to me and interesting。 Bower doesn't hide from the lying， cheating and the long list of other negative aspects of his personality。 sides of his personality。 However， he is so clearly sympathetic to "Boris" that it does feel that this skews the overall balance of the book。Lastly， the version I read was up-to-date as of June/July 2020， which feels like a lifetime ago。 。。。more
PAUL
，
An interesting read but in parts it becomes an hagiography rather than a balanced biography。 For me this has always been a major problem with Tom Bower's books。 He has never been able to conceal his prejudices， both political and personal。 An interesting read but in parts it becomes an hagiography rather than a balanced biography。 For me this has always been a major problem with Tom Bower's books。 He has never been able to conceal his prejudices， both political and personal。 。。。more
Zelony
，
Reams of detail & really well researched。 For that I give the first three stars。 But I was left with the feeling that Bower wants Boris to be forgiven for his dreadful father & unstable upbringing。 If not forgiven at least there’s a consistent invitation to understand his behaviour in the context of his childhood （including Oxford）。 I felt that despite the warts and all approach， we are supposed to see Boris as a victim， misunderstood， even manipulated。 Bower readily characterises other ancillar Reams of detail & really well researched。 For that I give the first three stars。 But I was left with the feeling that Bower wants Boris to be forgiven for his dreadful father & unstable upbringing。 If not forgiven at least there’s a consistent invitation to understand his behaviour in the context of his childhood （including Oxford）。 I felt that despite the warts and all approach， we are supposed to see Boris as a victim， misunderstood， even manipulated。 Bower readily characterises other ancillary characters as failed， average， unremarkable， etc。 & does so fairly crudely with throwaway ease。 It feels like he has an axe to grind and is not subtle in asking you accept his dismissive analysis of others。 He dedicates a significant part of the later quarter of the book to Covid， where I think he went so off-piste with his confident analysis that I felt the whole thrust of this bio was to absolve Boris of any culpability and to frame him as potentially one of the greats - if only we and the media would give him a chance。 。。。more
John Hayman Bolt
，