"Fraser has written a stakeholder’s chronicle of Britain... making it so readable, she has put grown-up history back on the national agenda."

In this 2003 critique for The Sunday Times, Andrew Lycett examines Rebecca Fraser’s "strapping narrative" of Britain, praising her for putting "grown-up history back on the national agenda." Lycett positions the work as a vital, modern alternative to traditional 20th-century social history.

Key Insights:

• Historical Continuity: Lycett highlights Fraser’s ability to reclaim the "dramatic unfolding" of Britain's past, using an unfussy method to record the development of the nation-state.
  
  

• Geopolitical Insight: The review notes her "geopolitical nous" in charting complex continental diplomacy—from the Vikings to the 20th century.