Book description
'Men's lives are a perpetual conflict. The life that I have mapped out
will be so especially - as lawyer and politician. Woman's function is to
pour oil on the wounds - to heal the bruises of spirit…and to stimulate
to renewed exertion.'
Lloyd George was a man who loved women and the tale of his intertwined
relationships contains many mysteries and a few unsolved intrigues. He
was involved in a divorce case early in his career, fought two libel
cases over his private life and had persuaded the prettiest girl in
Criccieth to be his wife. Lloyd George's life was indeed a 'perpetual
conflict'. He was a habitual womaniser and, despite his early, enduring
attachment to Margaret Owen, marriage did not curb his behaviour. There
were many private scandals in a life devoted to public duty.
Ffion Hague illuminates his complex attitude to women. Her own interest
stems from the many parallels in her own life. 'A riveting narrative
examination of the dynamic between a man, his mistress, his wife and his
daughter. Played out behind the doors of Downing Street, it throws light
on the depth of ambition of one of the 20th century's great political
machinators…a fascinating story.' The Times
'Well-researched and thoughtfully written…she tells the story ably and
entertaingly.' Evening Standard
'Fluent, balanced and broadly sympathetic…where Hague does have both a
new persepective and new material is in her treatment of Margaret Lloyd
George, reclaiming Margaret as a significant political figure.' Independent
'Impressively researched…riveting.' Sunday Times
'Hague has given us a biography of Lloyd George himself in which a
great deal of thought has gone into the business of what it was like to
be him and what it was like to have him….a wise and measured
assessment.' Daily Telegraph
'An engaging portrait…an absorbing read.' Guardian
'Well-researched and thoughtfully written.' Scotsman
'Hague has much to bring to the task of recovering their stories
including her knowledge of the Welsh language and culture, an accessible
style, and a sympathetic appreciation of "the pain and the
privilege" of being married to a prominent politician…compelling.'
Literary Review Ffion Hague was born in Cardiff. A native
Welsh-speaker, she studied English Literature at Oxford and then took an
MPhil in Eighteenth-Century Welsh Poetry at the University of Wales,
Aberystwyth. After graduating a second time, Ffion joined the Civil
Service and was posted to the Welsh Office. She held a number of policy
positions before being appointed Private Secretary to the Secretary of
State. On leaving the Civil Service, she became Director of Operations
at the business-facing charity, Arts & Business. In 2000, she became
a headhunter and since 2003, has been a director of Hanson & Green.
Ffion was a trustee of The British Council and also a judge of the
Orange Prize for Fiction in 2000. She is married to William Hague and
lives in Yorkshire.
