30 review for Disraeli: A Biography

1. 

   5 out of 5

   Kirk Lowery – Jul 24, 2011

   Weintraub disappointingly spends way too much time summarizing Disraeli's literary works. I need to find a better biography of Disraeli. Weintraub disappointingly spends way too much time summarizing Disraeli's literary works. I need to find a better biography of Disraeli.

2. 

   5 out of 5

   Mark Singer – Feb 21, 2011

   Redundant hack biography of Benjamin Disraeli. Don't waste your money; if you can find Robert Blake's vastly superior Disraeli by all means do so. Redundant hack biography of Benjamin Disraeli. Don't waste your money; if you can find Robert Blake's vastly superior Disraeli by all means do so.

3. 

   5 out of 5

   David Hill – Nov 07, 2020

   I've been systematically reading biographies of US presidents and taking a much less organized approach to both Russian leaders and British Prime Ministers (I'm not at all interested in British royalty). Up to now, I've only read about British leaders of the 20th century. After reading this one, I think I'll stick to the 20th century. Gladstone was on the list, but nothing I read in this Disreali book makes me want to read about Gladstone. I don't know that it's the fault of the author, though. I've been systematically reading biographies of US presidents and taking a much less organized approach to both Russian leaders and British Prime Ministers (I'm not at all interested in British royalty). Up to now, I've only read about British leaders of the 20th century. After reading this one, I think I'll stick to the 20th century. Gladstone was on the list, but nothing I read in this Disreali book makes me want to read about Gladstone. I don't know that it's the fault of the author, though. I'm not well versed in British history before WWI, and the farther back I go, the less it makes sense to me. And, for better or worse, few biographers do a great job of telling the history that their subjects inhabit. I enjoyed the early chapters and the late chapters, but struggled through the middle. At times I felt like I was reading Russian fiction: there is a great list of characters, and I had trouble with the names. Sure, English names are easier to pronounce than Russian ones, but running across something like "Henry Albert Lewis Kent-Lightfoot, Earl of Swithwick" who also appears in one of Disraeli's novels as "Lord Cranwick, formerly Stanley Ramsey Habersham" got my head spinning. I made these names up, but this, and worse, is what the reader faces. I'm almost tempted to read one of Disraeli's later books. Often I read non-fiction and come away with the thought that "you can't make this stuff up." There's really nothing that extreme in Disraeli's story, and from the descriptions of his book, he can (and did) make up stuff like this. Disraeli starts off getting himself deeply in debt, travels extensively, chases women, resorts to getting elected to Parliament in order to keep out of debtors prison, marries for money rather than love, becomes a successful novelist, becomes prime minister and friend to the Queen. An interesting life, no doubt. Pity I found the politics in the middle of the book less than gripping. Includes an index and quite a few drawings and pictures, but no notes or bibliography (just a brief paragraph or two describing the sources for each chapter).

4. 

   4 out of 5

   Czarny Pies – Oct 04, 2014

   Si vous avez entendu des mauvaises langues qui pretendait que Disraeli le rusé juif menait la reine Victoria par le nez, vous devez absolument lire cette biographie qui raconte la vraie histoire. De son époque, il y avait tres peu de gens actives dans la vie politique de la Grande Bretagne qui jugeait aussi bien les personnes que la reine Victoria. Elle aimait Disraeli mieux que ses autres premiers ministres parce que c'etait lui qui repondait le mieux aux attentes qu'elle faisait sur l'intellect Si vous avez entendu des mauvaises langues qui pretendait que Disraeli le rusé juif menait la reine Victoria par le nez, vous devez absolument lire cette biographie qui raconte la vraie histoire. De son époque, il y avait tres peu de gens actives dans la vie politique de la Grande Bretagne qui jugeait aussi bien les personnes que la reine Victoria. Elle aimait Disraeli mieux que ses autres premiers ministres parce que c'etait lui qui repondait le mieux aux attentes qu'elle faisait sur l'intellecte et les moeurs personnelles de ses collaborateurs. Disraeil n'a jamais une seule fois poussé la Reine Victoria a faire quelque chose qu'elle ne voulait pas faire. C'etait plutot la reine qui poussait Disraeli a prendre une ligne plus dure avec les Russes qu'il ne voulait. La Reine Victoria ne faisait aucunement confiance a son gendre le Tsar et encore moins au Kaiser qui était aussi son gendre. Elle a donc toujours encourage ses premiers ministres de toujour garder leurs distances envers la Russie et l'Allemagne. Disraeili qui faisait parti de ceux qui croyaient que la Grande Bretagne devait pencher vers la Russie, a finallement decider d'acceder aux voeux de Victoria. Ce qui va peut-etre faire le plus de plaisir aux lecteurs francais, est de trouver un Marcel Proust Anglais chez Disraeli. A la maniere de Proust qui etait Catholique, Disraeli qui etait Anglicain etait aussi tres fier d'etre Juif. Comme Proust, Disraeli était aussi tres fier d'etre juif. On comprend pourquoi la Reine Victoria a tant aimé Disraeli et pourquoi quand elle a pris connaissance de la maladie qui devait enlever la vie a Disraeli, elle a envoye son medecin personnel du palais aupres de Disraeli dans l'espoir de ne pas perdre un grand collaborateur et un grand ami.

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Andy Denham –

6. 

   5 out of 5

   Nina –

7. 

   4 out of 5

   Gregg Brown –

8. 

   4 out of 5

   Christopher D’Arcy –

9. 

   5 out of 5

   Pj –

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Arvid Jakobsson –

11. 

    5 out of 5

    Florin –

12. 

    4 out of 5

    Natalee –

13. 

    5 out of 5

    Melodee –

14. 

    5 out of 5

    David –

15. 

    5 out of 5

    Mark Peebler –

16. 

    5 out of 5

    Rodney Ríos-Rodríguez –

17. 

    5 out of 5

    David Hanley –

18. 

    4 out of 5

    Deez Nutz♋ –

19. 

    4 out of 5

    Rose –

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Thomas A. –

21. 

    4 out of 5

    David Olmsted –

22. 

    4 out of 5

    Matthew Budman –

23. 

    4 out of 5

    Eric Nies –

24. 

    5 out of 5

    Andy Klein –

25. 

    5 out of 5

    Matthew Dambro –

26. 

    5 out of 5

    D L –

27. 

    5 out of 5

    Enochraine –

28. 

    5 out of 5

    Peter Walsh –

29. 

    5 out of 5

    Josh Ehrich –

30. 

    4 out of 5

    Adam –