Sexual intrigue turns into a matter of national security
Robert Harris describes a prime minister’s love affair as the first world war looms, summer of 1914, a world on the brink of catastrophe. Imagine how powerful and successful older man can fall in love for a much younger woman, who is flattered and moved by attention. In London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley – aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless – is having a love affair with none other than the Prime Minister, H.H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state. As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with … Continue reading Sexual intrigue turns into a matter of national security
