Between the Waves is powerful, precise, morally engaged, wonderfully alert to character, context and the greater purpose of political life -- Rory Stewart, author of Politics on the Edge You'll find much to enjoy in this thought-provoking account of Britain's uneasy relationship with Europe . . . even the most passionate Remainer or Leaver should enjoy it enormously -- Dominic Sandbrook * The Sunday Times * An ambitious history of Britains volatile relationship with Europe . . . a great big entertaining sweep of a book -- Gaby Hinsliff * The Guardian * Sprightly . . . Between the Waves is well worth reading, summarising a massive amount of information in easily comprehensible form . . . an excellent entrée into a complex and highly emotive subject -- Vernon Bogdanor * The Telegraph * McTague is interested in the ideas behind the politics and he cares about the rhythm of a good sentence . . . This is a serious and weighty book from a man with a future in the writing of the past -- Philip Collins * The Observer * A rich and incisive new history of British Euroscepticism * The Economist * McTague [ has a] mastery of narrative sweep and fresh perspective . . . a significant achievement . . . an absorbing, authoritative, original and wise chronicle of our times -- Michael Gove * The Spectator * A mesmerising account of the backstory to Britains eventual exit from the EU . . . McTague brilliantly pieces together the twists and turns in this tragicomedy of mad passions and misplaced expectations -- David Runciman * London Review of Books * Tom McTague is one of the best contemporary writers on the intersection of domestic politics with wider events . . . a bold sweep of Britains up-and-down postwar relations with the European Union -- Anne McElvoy * Evening Standard * A pacy and spirited study of where the Brexiters and their ideas came from . . . a worthwhile read for those who want to understand the rise of British Euroscepticism -- N. Piers Ludlow * Literary Review * Highly recommend this book for general readers and Brexit obsessives alike -- Matthew Elliot * The Critic * A marvellous new history of Britains post-war relationship with Europe . . . a timely close on one era, and a spur to action into the next -- William Atkinson * CapX * Lively enough to reignite our interest in the tainted subject of Britains relationship with the Union and serious enough to explode the illusions of both sides . . . I read it in a couple of days, my interest in the subject miraculously revived and my understanding of post-war British history significantly improved. McTague achieves this magic through a combination of narrative flair and intellectual power -- Adrian Wooldridge * Bloomberg * This compelling, hugely well-informed narrative of how we came to leave Europe a narrative involving the eternal interplay between character and fate as well as an exploration of the underestimated swirl of intellectual currents will stand for many years as the authoritative political history -- David Kynaston, author of Austerity Britain, 1945-1951 Lucid and witty, Tom McTagues magisterial rethinking of postwar British history exposes the fatal ambiguity of our attitudes to Europe. Conspirators and fantasists abound in his sweeping account. Like a physician or psychiatrist, he diagnoses the maladies of anti-Europeanism, but knows there was to be no remedy, as Brexit only worsened British economic and social diseases. Here is a compelling and illuminating tour through recent history, from a wise and authoritative pen. -- Polly Toynbee A sweeping, impressive and ambitious history of modern Europe -- and Britain's turbulent relationship with it. With a deft touch and deep research, Tom McTague has captured a tale of big personalities -- from Enoch Powell to Dominic Cummings -- and even bigger events -- Helen Lewis, author of The Genius Myth Tom McTague has produced a brilliant and unique piece of historical writing which will change how we think about Britains schizophrenic relationship with Europe since the Second World War . . . Unfolding like a play with many acts and players, this extraordinary debut work of history is a reminder that everything is connected but nothing is inevitable -- John Bew, author of Citizen Clem Profound and intellectually scintillating, this book, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of Britains EU referendum, is one of the first true works of history analysing Britains fraught relationship with Europe post-1945 -- Sir Anthony Seldon, author, historian, educator A vivid and detailed account of British politicians and their small-island contortions on Europe, culminating in the abject self-harm of Brexit -- John Kampfner, author of In Search of Berlin A tour de force by an exceptional journalist, Tom McTague's account of Britain's relationship with Europe between the Second World War and Brexit is beautifully written, full of erudition and as broad as one could hope in its horizons. A remarkable achievement -- Matthew d'Ancona, Editor at Large, The New World Tom McTague clinically exposes the hesitations, contradictions and wilful self-delusion which have characterised Britain's relationship with the European project since its inception -- John Campbell, author of Roy Jenkins: A Well-Rounded Life A riveting and revelatory new narrative of modern Britain that shows where we've come from, how we got here, and who we are -- Ian Leslie, author of Conflicted A sparkling re-telling of Britains love-hate relationship with the post-War European project . . . McTague reveals with the precision of a political archaeologist how the arguments that tore the country apart after Brexit are as old as the federalist project itself. This is political history at its finest -- Peter Foster, author of What Went Wrong With Brexit A big, ambitious history of Britains vexed relationship with Europe from the Second World War to Brexit, full of vivid personalities and surprising insights into seven decades of chronic ambivalence -- Dorian Lynskey, author of Everything Must Go Was Brexit inevitable? By the time you finish this erudite account of Britains tortured hokey-cokey relationship with Europe, youll probably feel that it was * The Times * Perceptive -- Jonathan Clark, Books of the Year * TLS *
