Cromwell, Our Chief Of Men

Antonia Fraser seems to have a penchant for arguing the case of the unloved and (she would claim) misunderstood characters of history. She has written about Mary Queen of Scots and most recently Marie Antoinette, and in this biography she attempts to 'humanise' Oliver Cromwell. If anyone is equal to the task of rescuing the reputation of a man most well known for Puritanism and regicide, it is Fraser. Although this is a thoroughly researched book, and the breadth of detail she offers is immense, she always makes the reader feel as if she is passing on gossip about a mutual friend, rather than lecturing or teaching. She provides a wealth of detail about Cromwell the man - his relationship with his friends and family, his deep religious faith and dedication to justice. Inevitably, because of the scarcity of first-hand evidence about his inner life, some of what Fraser suggests to the reader is pure speculation, but it never feels as if she is being anything other than cautious and even-handed in her guesswork. And although her view of Cromwell is a positive one, she resists the temptation to overlook his failings, most notably the massacres he ordered in Ireland. Instead she makes a sincere attempt to understand the life and motivations of a man whose actions still echo in the events of the 21st century. This is a very long book, and on occasions some of the numerous descriptions of tenuous family connections can become laborious (although to be fair to Fraser, they are necessitated by the fact that many of the major characters in Cromwell's political life seem to have been related to him). However, readers prepared to invest the time in reading this book will discover an insightful and erudite portrait of a complex figure in British history. (Kirkus UK)