Impressive, yet uninspiring

Book review: Theresa May: The Enigmatic Prime MinisterA laudable induction to the world of Theresa May.

Dr Matthew Partridge
By
published
in Features

Theresa May:

The Enigmatic Prime Ministerby Rosa PrincePublished by Biteback Publishing, £20(Buy at Amazon)

It's just seven months since Theresa May became prime minister, but the first biography of her has hit the shelves. Written by journalist Rosa Prince, Theresa May, The Enigmatic Prime Minister, details her rise to the top and attempts to set out what we can expect from her.

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Like its subject, the book is both "thorough and devoid of surprises", says Dominic Lawson in The Sunday Times. Most of the content "is gutted from what has already been said and written about May", although former Conservative Party chairman Eric Pickles provides "some interesting new material". The book has no big revelations, agrees Sebastian Payne in the Financial Times. Yet it is "a laudable induction to the world of May, providing context to those keen to know more".

There is only so much that "a hasty investigation can reveal about a politician who has spent years fortifying her privacy", says Rafael Behr in The Guardian. However, what emerges is a clear picture of somebody "intelligent but intellectually incurious; determined to absorb the data required to compute a course of action, but lacking agility and imagination". Her story is "impressive, yet uninspiring".

Dr Matthew Partridge
Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri

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