Ferdinand Mount

Ferdinand Mount is a witty writer who knows many people, so the book is littered with the all sorts of folks, many or all of whom you may know of. I knew of only a few, so for much of the book I didn't really know who he was talking about. In some cases it didn't matter, but in others it would have been a boon. Nevertheless, I was going along just fine until I got to more modern times. He talks way too much about Margaret Thatcher and the politics of her era -- politics and policies that he seems to have been in favor or, well of course, he worked for her devising policy. But what killed it for me was his remark about someone he knew who had gone off to fight in the Spanish Civil War with the "Reds." Francisco Franco overthrew a democratically elected government. Those who fought against him to restate that government came from different political positions. Some were communists, socialists, anarchists, and others were what we would now call liberals. They were all democrats who were fighting against a fascist leader. Franco never entered into World War II, but Hitler and Mussolini supported him in the Civil War. It was German bombers that bombed the town of Guernica. Franco was a fascist. So to simplify who the Spanish republicans were by calling them "Reds" is to be ignorant or at the far end of the right wing. This made me lose trust and interest in his political ramblings.… (más)

A few things drew me to this book. First of all it was the intrigue behind the author's Aunt Munca, not just the fact that she used the name of a Beatrix Potter mouse but also the fact she was quite a mysterious figure for him. He grew up spending quite a lot of time around her but never really felt that he knew her fully.

The second thing was the mention of Sheffield and there is a fabulous lengthy chapter in the book about my home city in the late 19th and early 20th century. I'm sure any reader would agree that there is something extra special about reading about a place you know well.

And then there's that gorgeous cover with the image of a glamorous looking man and woman lightly holding hands. I was desperate to know their story.

Kiss Myself Goodbye is Ferdinand Mount's account of his aunt's life. A shadowy character, edging around questions she doesn't want to provide true answers to, he manages to discover endless amazing things about her life both up until the point she is a part of his life and beyond. And it truly is fascinating. The whole thing had my jaw dropping on many occasions, and sometimes nodding along sagely as previously unknown or seemingly unconnected pieces of information all slotted into place.

I particularly enjoyed Mount's journey of discovery through genealogy research, the way he found out so much from birth, marriage and death certificates. He has a difficult job as Munca didn't seem to tell the truth about herself so every single detail is hard won.

Kiss Myself Goodbye is the name of a song the author remembers from a trip to a nightclub with his Aunt Munca but it's also remarkably fitting as Munca spent her lifetime kissing her real self goodbye and reinventing herself. They often say the truth is stranger than fiction and that's definitely true of Munca's life.

I found this to be an engrossing story of a woman with more layers than an onion and a social history read packed with informational gems. Whilst there was the odd section that didn't completely absorb me, the vast majority of it was utterly captivating. It's a fabulous book.… (más)

Mount has written a considered account of the rise of the British oligarchy. He looks at the way that the power and money has become concentrated in the hands of a few business leaders, non doms and and Whitehall mandarins. These groups have vested interests at heart, as can be seen in the way that the revolving doors between government and business work; the way that directors and non executive directors sit on each other’s boards, and the fact that the nominated shareholders (pension funds) also now sit on the boards of these companies.

And yet he sees that there is change just starting, if not to reign in the excesses, but to temper them at least. Politicians are starting to make noises about the ratio between the top earners and the bottom earners in companies. JP Morgan said it should never exceed 20 to 1, but it can now be 400 to one in the worst cases. Politicians are starting to wrest power back from the government and mandarins through the select committees. The living wage organisation, supported even by Boris Johnson, is making an attempt to get large companies implementing it; this will life numerous people out of poverty and into jobs. He makes some good suggestions about the lack of training opportunities and that people who are not suitable for university cannot go to technical schools, as they do in Germany.

Well worth a read for those interested in the way that the political system works in this country.… (más)