The man who would be world king claims many triumphs but reveals his mortal failings in this racy account of his political career
Yes, please do. Everyone is dying to know why it wasn’t your fault
Sonia Purnell’s supremely enjoyable biography views the socialite’s life through a new and sympathetic lens
A brilliantly funny and well researched biography of Elizabeth II has to contend with its uniquely inscrutable subject
An autobiography that’s also a work of criticism — and all the better for it
Gauguin’s quasi memoir, rediscovered in 2020, is a key source for a biography that captures the painter’s contradictory character
Moon Unit Zappa’s memoir of a childhood spent in the chaotic household of her zany rocker father is lyrical, moving and funny
The BBC newsreader pays tribute to the grandparents who witnessed the turbulent birth of an independent India
Anupreeta Das investigates the power of Microsoft co-founder to shape our world — and asks: is it effective and accountable?
Susanna Crossman recounts the pain, joy and trauma of communal life
When authors pay tribute to booksellers, it’s not only a virtuous circle — it’s a double dose of joy for readers too
Jenni Fagan’s searing autobiography recounts her ordeal of being shunted from place to place
A clutch of new memoirs and novels draws on female authors’ lived experience of marital discord
Peter Hessler used his time in Sichuan as a teacher to build a more subtle understanding of a changing country
Having launched her literary career in scandal and outrage, she was revered by readers — and, in time, her homeland — as a charismatic change-maker
Ann Powers’ portrait of the singer-songwriter is both personal and poetic, and brings a wealth of fresh insight
The ‘City on Fire’ author returns with a full-blown tale of a troubled teen and her equally troubled father
Chinese-British novelist Xiaolu Guo chooses East Sussex to explore themes of migration and memory
A family history that exposes China’s authoritarian regime and an era of repression
Jane Robinson chronicles the achievements and taboo-busting life of 19th-century campaigner Barbara Bodichon
From Joan Didion to Toni Morrison: writers emerge most clearly in the memoirs of fellow authors
Ludovic Hunter-Tilney selects his best mid-year reads
Jackie Wullschläger selects her best mid-year reads
Leonid Tsypkin’s newly reissued novel fuses Soviet-inflected nostalgia with a biography of the great Russian writer
Tiya Miles revisits the pivotal achievements of a woman who helped dozens escape slavery via the Underground Railroad
