Description

Meet the woman behind the politician

‘Offers a remarkable new view of a remarkable and still under-appreciated leader’ Simon Jenkins

Since stepping down in 1990, Margaret Thatcher has become a cardboard cut-out hate figure or an iconic defender of freedom, depending on your politics. In The Incidental Feminist: Friend, foe, femme fatale: The truth about Thatcher, Tina Gaudoin investigates the complexities of the woman behind the tropes.

Drawing upon explosive new material from the archives and interviews with her contemporaries, Gaudoin reveals how Thatcher triumphed over rampant misogyny and class prejudice to normalise female power and manipulated her femininity, sexuality, and intellect to become the most powerful woman in the world.

Publishing to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s birth

Publisher Review

‘If you thought there was nothing new to say about Margaret Thatcher, think again. Readable and amusingly provocative, this book looks at Britain’s first female PM as a woman first and a politician second, taking in everything from her terrible hats to the pitch of her voice. I enjoyed it a lot’ – Dominic Sandbrook ‘Offers a remarkable new view of a remarkable and still under-appreciated leader’ – Simon Jenkins ‘Highly readable and intelligently written. This book serves to remind us of how dramatically the world has changed in the century since Thatcher’s birth – and how much she herself made that change happen’ – Edwina Currie, former MP ‘Highly intriguing – teems with new information. A serious, well-researched book and a thoroughly good read’ – Gillian Shephard, Baroness Shephard of Northwold ‘This is something genuinely new. Gaudoin approaches the strangeness and the strength of a remarkable Englishwoman with wide and honest research, fascinated respect and, at times, amusement. Arrestingly, it fills a long-felt gap in the record’ – Libby Purves ‘A fluid and fascinating portrait of the woman behind the Iron Lady’ – Sarah Vine Praise for Three Times a Countess:

‘Gaudoin’s book is revealing and hugely entertaining’ – Daily Mail

‘Gaudoin tells these delicious stories with brio’ – Sunday Times