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People Like Us
- Margaret Thatcher and Me
- Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
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People Like Us
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Summary
As a young civil servant, Caroline Slocock became the first ever female private secretary to any British Prime Minister and was at Margaret Thatcher's side for the final 18 months of her premiership. A left-wing feminist, Slocock was no natural ally, and yet she became fascinated by the woman behind the Iron Lady façade and by how she dealt with a world dominated by men.
As events inexorably led to Margaret Thatcher's downfall, Slocock observed the vulnerabilities and contradictions of the woman considered by many to be the ultimate anti-feminist. When Thatcher eventually resigned, brought down by her closest political allies, Slocock was the only woman present to witness the astonishing scenes in the Cabinet Room. Had Thatcher been a man, it would have ended very differently, Slocock feels.
Now, in this vivid firsthand account, based on her diaries from the time and interviews with other key Downing Street personnel, Slocock paints a nuanced portrait of a woman who to this day is routinely demonised in sexist ways. Reflecting on the challenges women still face in public life, Slocock concludes it's time to rewrite how we portray powerful women and for women to set aside politics and accept that Margaret Thatcher was one of us .
A remarkable political and personal memoir, People Like Us charts life inside Thatcher's No. 10 during its dying days and reflects on women and power then and now.
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What listeners say about People Like Us
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr M T Hardy
- 15-08-24
A fascinating insight …
… Into life in Downing Street and reflections on it, and Mrs Thatcher personally, from a female civil servant, who was by no means an ally politically, but increasingly one personally.
Insights into her ways of working, her womanly ways and her noted issues working with her gender; as well as a fresh insight into a piece of history - the bringing down of Britain’s first female PM from someone there throughout and with no axe to grind. Well narrated too!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nicola, London
- 29-10-22
Fascinating on many levels
essential reading for a young feminist of today, besides learning about an historic figure. The author writes with a well balanced perspective.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- AG
- 05-01-21
So interesting
I loved this book. Absolutely fascinating to hear such a balanced assessment of Margaret Thatcher; this made all the more commendable given that the writer is a Labour supporter and indeed voter. This is such a fair account. It does not sugar coat decisions made (and disagreed with) or character weaknesses of the Iron lady but it does set her within context of both the circumstances of the time and her upbringing. Whatever your views of M.T. and she is Marmite, I would thoroughly recommend this book if you are open to hearing a view that possibly challenges your own.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- G
- 05-11-18
Gave me a new prospective
This is a brilliant, fair minded approach to telling the story of Margaret Thatcher from another point of view which I found challenging and informative.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Jenny Ojakovoh
- 01-02-22
Well written. Worth listening to.
I enjoyed this book. Well written and shows a side of Thatcher that the public didn’t see.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Ian
- 02-01-21
Hoodwinked
This audiobook should be titled The life of Thatchers secretary or a feminists struggle, hoodwinked. I was tremendously excited about this book which turned out to be very disappointing. I expected to hear of the Iron lady’s achievements, triumphs and strategy. This wasn’t the case.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Durbs
- 18-07-23
A bit dull to be honest
I consider myself something of a politics nerd, however, even I struggled with this.
Feels like a lot of filler for example, the author tells us about her office furniture and her car (!) but not enough about the prime minister which is what we are here for after all.
Plus, the narrator has a strange habit of saying the word “clerk” in the American style which is quite irritating and somewhat out of place alongside an otherwise RP accent.
Not terrible but not great either. I’d give it a miss.
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