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An Uneasy Inheritance

My Family and Other Radicals
By Polly Toynbee
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
An Uneasy Inheritance by Polly Toynbee is a reflective exploration of the British class system through the author's own lineage. Toynbee delves into her family's history, tracing their climb up the social ladder and examining the privileges and responsibilities that come with inherited status. Blending personal experience with wider societal observations, the memoir provides a candid look at class dynamics in the UK.
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Format: Hardback
$5500
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're interested in exploring the deeply personal reflections of a prominent journalist who delves into her family's complex history and social status. It offers a thought-provoking examination of class and privilege in contemporary Britain, providing both an intimate memoir and a compelling social commentary.

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An Uneasy Inheritance

One of the most respected, prolific and razor-sharp voices in social commentary uses the prism of her extraordinary family to examine the true state of class in Britain.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Chosen as a 2023 non-fiction highlight in the Guardian, Financial Times, New Statesman, The Tablet and Irish Times

While for generations Polly Toynbee's ancestors have been committed left-wing rabble-rousers railing against injustice, they could never claim to be working class, settling instead for the prosperous life of academia or journalism enjoyed by their own forebears. So where does that leave their ideals of class equality?

Through a colourful, entertaining examination of her own family—which, in addition to her writer father Philip and her historian grandfather Arnold, contains everyone from the Glenconners to Jessica Mitford to Bertrand Russell, and features ancestral home Castle Howard as a backdrop—Toynbee explores the myth of mobility, the guilt of privilege, and asks for a truly honest conversation about class in Britain.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

An Uneasy Inheritance is praised as an entertaining and surprisingly enjoyable memoir that blends compelling personal stories with social analysis. Reviewers note its vivid, often hilarious anecdotes, combined with themes of love, forgiveness, and understanding. The book is appreciated for highlighting the necessity for social change, marked by its compassion, humour, and an elegiac tone, while being described as enthralling, honest, and funny. It is seen as an irresistible British class comedy, echoing Evelyn Waugh’s style, offering both delight and education to Toynbee's audience.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781838958350

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 01 June 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Atlantic Books

Edition: Main

Illustration: Integrated B&W images throughout

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 31.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 676g

Pages: 448

Collections

Biography & Memoir Education & Reference Non-Fiction Polly Toynbee

About the Author

Polly Toynbee is a journalist, author and broadcaster. A Guardian columnist and broadcaster, she was formerly the BBC's social affairs editor. She has written for the Observer, the Independent and Radio Times and been an editor at the Washington Monthly. She has won numerous awards including a National Press Award and the Orwell Prize for Journalism.

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