“Unusually compelling reading for a political memoir.”
-Best Books of 2010, Financial Times (UK)
“Instructive—particularly on the art and discipline of centrist leadership.”
-John Avlon, Favorite Books of 2010, The Daily Beast
“Especially welcome. Luckily A Journey is not one of those leaden bricks of official reminiscence. The tone is confiding, informal and forthright . . . A Journey is a deeply personal book, full of candid revelations . . . It provides a priceless glimpse into the mind of the man who devoted himself to the transformation [of the Labour party]—and who stood by America in some of its darkest recent hours.”
-Martin Rubin, The Wall Street Journal
“Engaging and insightful . . . A better than usual contribution to the literary genre of political memoir.”
-Claude R. Marx, The Boston Globe
“Well-written and perhaps unintentionally self-revealing . . . Blair reveals himself through his thrusting political ambition, his rationales for decisions, his preoccupation with public image and his determination to play a prominent role on the world stage.”
-Leonard Downie Jr., The Washington Post Book World
“Engrossing . . . Blair writes honestly and openly. The style is not the elegant Oxbridge prose that might have been expected of a former prime minister but one filled with Americanisms. It is breezy, informal and candid enough to keep the reader thoroughly engaged.”
-Fareed Zakaria, The New York Times Book Review
“Fluently written . . . Engaging . . . Some of the most quoted bits of this book will doubtless include Mr. Blair’s thumbnail sketches of colleagues and acquaintances.”
-Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“That Blair was a formidable politician can be seen in the glimpses we get of how his mind works . . . You are left thinking two things: that it would be a blessing if some of today’s politicians took note . . . and that, whatever your view of Blair, you still wouldn’t want to take him on in an election.”
-John Lanchester, The New Yorker
“A political biography of unusual interest . . . Blair is one of the great politicians of this generation and that makes his candid moments particularly interesting.”
-Tim Rutten, The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Compelling . . . Candid and comprehensive.”
-Glenn C. Altschuler, Tulsa World
“Uncommonly candid . . . A vividly rendered account of life in office, with plenty of beneficial pointers to aspiring politicos on either side of the Atlantic.”
-Starred review, Kirkus
“Discerning . . . Behind the scenes in the halls of power is always an interesting place to go, and Blair takes us there with delight on his part and on our part.”
-Booklist
“Blair’s candor can be bracing. He paints comic scenes of excruciating audiences with dull dignitaries and the weekly torment of Prime Minister’s Questions . . . and never hides his preoccupation with image-crafting and media relations. Blair reveals himself to be savvy, charming, and sometimes earnest and impassioned.”
-Publishers Weekly