Listed as one of the Books of the Year in the
Sunday Times and New Statesman
'One of the pleasures of Alwyn Turner's breathless romp through the 1980s is that it overflows with unusual juxtapositions and surprising insights ... Turner's book on the 1970s was for my money the most enjoyable of the recent crop on that turbulent decade, and he is on equally entertaining form here. The tone is that of a wildly enthusiastic guide leading us on a breakneck tour through politics, sport and culture ... this splendid book.' – Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times
'As with his acclaimed previous book Crisis? What Crisis? Britain in the 1970s, Turner has produced a masterly mix of shrewd analysis, historical detail and telling quotes ... The book is also full of wry asides and amusing anecdotes ... Indispensible.'
– James Delingpole, Mail on Sunday 
'This kaleidoscopic history ... provides a vivid and enjoyable guide to these turbulent years. Ranging broadly across popular culture as well as high politics, and featuring Doctor Who and Ben Elton as prominently as Michael Foot and Michael Heseltine, Turner brings the period alive and offers insights into both sides of a polarised nation.'
– Adrian Bingham, BBC History Magazine: Pick of the Month
'Readers of his book about the 1970s, Crisis? What Crisis?, will know of his talent for interpreting the politics of an epoch through its popular culture ... sharp eyes for the social and cultural texture of Thatcher's realm.'
– Francis Wheen, Financial Times
'entertaining, insightful and wide-ranging'
– Roger Lewis, Daily Mail
'Turner does an excellent job in synthesizing the culture and art of the day into the wider political discourse. The result is resolutely entertaining, the array of complex events handled with lucidity and lightness of touch.'
– Andrzej Lukowski, Metro
'Alwyn W. Turner's account of the 1980s is as wide-ranging as that fractured, multi-faceted decade demands ... his erudition is lively and lightly worn ... Turner is also deft at picking out devilish details and damning quotes from history that is less recent than you might think.'
– Victoria Segal, Mojo
'excellent and highly informative'
– Dan Atkinson, Mail on Sunday
'terrifically entertaining'
– Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph
'Big hair, big money, big politics: an entertaining guide to Thatcher's decade'
– Sunday Times Must Reads: 'our choice of the best recent books'
