Anthony Howard of The Times said “Dobbs is following in a respectable tradition. Shakespeare, Walter Scott, even Tolstoy, all used historical events as the framework for their writings. And, unlike some of their distinguished works, Dobbs's novel is, in fact, astonishingly historically accurate."

Empecé a leer este libro, como seguro muchos otros, por la serie de Netflix. Increíble; increíble también la interpretación de Kevin Spacey, e increíbles también los IWC que con tanta elegancia porta el tío. Y hasta aquí las menciones a la serie. The antihero of House of Cards is Francis Urquhart, a fictional Chief Whip of the Conservative Party, played by Ian Richardson. The plot follows his amoral and manipulative scheme to become leader of the governing party and, thus, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The characters in this book were part of the reason why I felt that the character-driven plot didn't work. All of the characters in this book seemed incredibly unlikable and difficult to relate to. Even the characters that it seemed like the reader was supposed to like, weren't easy to like and were much easier to dislike. I found all the characters acted in an extremely superficial and fake manner, making them difficult to enjoy and believe in.

Customer reviews

One of the things that I love is the way the author portrays the fact that family may not be perfect and that every family has its secrets, but love among brothers and sisters is unique and that it doesn't matter if people is not blood they are still family, because family doesn’t end with blood. Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart in the first episode of the BBC’s House of Cards miniseries. Photo: YouTube screengrab Following the resignation of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the ruling Conservative Party is about to elect a new leader. In the subsequent leadership election, the moderate but indecisive Henry "Hal" Collingridge emerges victorious. Francis Urquhart, an MP and the Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons, is secretly contemptuous of the well-meaning but weak Collingridge, but expects a promotion to a senior position in the Cabinet. After the general election, which the party wins by a reduced majority, Urquhart submits a memorandum to Collingridge advocating a cabinet reshuffle that would include a prominent ministerial position for Urquhart himself. However, Collingridge—citing Harold Macmillan's political demise after the 1962 Night of the Long Knives—effects no changes at all. Urquhart resolves to oust Collingridge. Novela precursora de la famosa serie de TV, aunque la novela se sitúa en el Parlamento Británico, y la serie, en la Casa Blanca americana. Pero es igual, porque en definitiva el relato describe las corruptelas políticas por alcanzar el poder, y eso es algo innato de cualquier país, ya sea EEUU o Mozambique. Lamentablemente, aún no he podido ver ninguna temporada de la famosa serie, por lo que, ciñéndome al libro, diré que me ha resultado muy realista y bien descrito. Se publicó originalmente en 1989, pero su sátira política y social sobre los entresijos del Partido Conservador Británico siguen estando hoy igual de vigentes que en los años en que se lanzó el libro. De hecho su autor perteneció al círculo íntimo de la esfera política de Margaret Thatcher, de la que salió escaldado, y eso se nota a lo largo de toda la narración.

In the USA he attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, which he funded by a job as feature writer for the Boston Globe, where he worked as an editorial assistant and political feature writer from 1971 to 1975. Blogs & Columns, Blog Directory - The Washington Post". Blog.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012 . Retrieved 3 June 2015. Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret in politics --and is willing to betray them all to become prime minister.

Andrew Davies adapted the story from the 1989 novel of the same name by Michael Dobbs, a former chief of staff at Conservative Party headquarters. Neville Teller also dramatised Dobbs's novel for the BBC World Service in 1996, and it had two television sequels ( To Play the King and The Final Cut). The opening and closing theme music for this TV series is entitled "Francis Urquhart's March", by Jim Parker. [1] His 2004 novel 'Winston’s War' was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year Award. He was the winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for best historical novel in 2008 and in 2001 was shortlisted for the C4 Political Novel of the Year. He has also been a judge of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and lectures at dozens of literary and fundraising events each year. It was on the day known as Wobble Thursday, exactly a week before polling day in ‘87. Thatcher was convinced she was losing the election (spoiler: she wasn’t), and “she took out all her pain and anger and frustration on me, when in fact I was perhaps the most innocent person in the room at the time”, says Dobbs with a sweet smile.

This opening book of the trilogy lays the groundwork for what looks to be a sensational British political series, centred on one Member of Parliament and his addiction to power, no matter the cost. The book opens after the latest general election, as cabinet posts are being mulled over, and certain people, sure to be getting something are left out in the dark. Cue the beginning of the end for those holding the reins of power. Any reader of this genre may see some of the Jeffrey Archer influences in the book, especially in FIRST AMONG EQUALS, though in this case it is one man seeking power, not a handful. The reader will also see the lengths to which a report will go to obtain the scoop of her lifetime and how she will handle the world of man-dominated reporters. In what can only be described as a true ascent to power of both characters, Dobbs sets the scene for some explosive action in the books that follow and will surely have readers on the edge of their seats. My perfect weekend: Michael Dobbs, politician and author: The Conservative politician and author Michael Dobbs, 64, conducts a double life between the House of Lords and his home in Wiltshire". The Telegraph . Retrieved 3 June 2015. I was completely immersed in this story. The romance is passionate and so poignant, and the complexity of Maggie’s situation with the inheritance of her father’s company was so carefully layered that I had to keep reading to see what happened. House of Cards (U.S. TV series), a 2013 series based on the BBC series and the novel, set in Washington, D.C., commissioned and released by Netflix.

He is now a full time writer and divides his time between London and Wiltshire, where he says that he lives near a church and a pub! He is married with four children. Yes Minister (and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister), a satirical sitcom about a generic British government Dobbs has been a judge of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and lectures at dozens of literary and fundraising events each year.

Henley, Jon (13 September 2013). "The house of Michael Dobbs". the Guardian . Retrieved 21 March 2018. In the US adaptation, the phrase is used by Frank Underwood in the first episode during his initial meeting with Zoe Barnes, the US counterpart of Mattie Storin. House of Cards is a solid power driven political thriller, well documented, and peppered with humour. Kay, John (4 February 2014). "Prince Charles visits Somerset levels". BBC News . Retrieved 28 August 2023. In his first political thriller, at the heart of the political scene in the ‘90s, Lord Dobbs likens politics to a game of cards: Shuffle - Cut - Hand.

Itzkoff, Dave (4 October 2012). "Netflix Sets February Premiere for 'House of Cards' ". The New York Times . Retrieved 13 November 2012.