William Pitt the Younger by William HagueMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The youngest man to ever hold the position of what is called today Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, came to power as result of the political turmoil following the loss in America and died in office facing off against the greatest general to stride across Europe. William Hague’s William Pitt the Younger is the definitive biography of one of the most important men to lead Britain.
Hague’s detailed recounting of the younger Pitt’s life and times gives the reader an understanding not only of the man but the political dynamics of late 18th-Century Britain. While Pitt’s quick rise to power and the extraordinary crisis he had to manage—the Regency debate, the various wars with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, etc.—are handled in a well written narrative style of twists and turns, Hague’s analysis of Pitt as a person is where this biography goes from great to excellent. The most important personal issue addressed about the lifelong bachelor was his sexuality, it was something Hague did not handle flippantly but analyzed over some pages drawing on all facets of Pitt’s life to give his conclusion.
William Pitt the Younger gives a full account of the life of Britain’s youngest Prime Minister and the times he lived in that influenced his time in office. William Hague’s biographical and historical narratives are written lively keeping the reader’s attention throughout.
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