caerrie's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
Scathing and funny, and with some very intriguing and interesting arguments, a little middle and repetitive towards the end though. Excellently read!
turbomandoll's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the best writing I've read on Brexit; engaging, insightful and frequently laugh out loud funny. O'Toole breaks down notions of English identity and the Brexit ideology, often using examples from films and novels to dig into ideas of how we came to where we are now. Highly recommend.
mike_baker's review
4.0
A wry look into the causes of Brexit, digging deep into the English psyche from an Irish perspective. Some of the comparisons used e.g. Fifty Shades of Grey were funny but missed the mark, whilst others - especially The Italian Job were all too worryingly spot on. Absolutely worth dipping into for anyone who despises Brexit and its causes, and if not getting the way out that they seek (for reasons that, give years on, should be obvious) then at least it cuts through much of the jingoistic claptrap that's been attached to it.
dmclarke's review
3.0
the florid verbiage and psychoanalysis of the 'brexit ultras' and english society wore on my nerves at times, but ultimately the history, insight and brexit-bashing are enjoyable.
what stuck with me after - it's tricky to deliver fixes to fake problems, meanwhile the benefits might come as soon as 2070.
what stuck with me after - it's tricky to deliver fixes to fake problems, meanwhile the benefits might come as soon as 2070.
sandropology's review
5.0
This book is a powerful dissection of how a culture of English nationalism without political substance has turned into one of the biggest political dramas of the 21st century. O’Tooles reading of Brexit is sensitive to how cultural signs such as the prawn cocktail crisp or a heightened interested in the relationship between domination and subservience as materialised in Fifty Shades of Grey are emblematic of the politics of pain. What will resonate for a long time and intensely is his analysis of contemporary British government officials who are “(f)igures who could have been enjoyably ridiculous in a Dickens novel [but] now get to determine a nation’s fate for a generation”. An absolute must-read for anyone working in contemporary British culture.