Strictly Ann, Ann Widdecombe
Strictly Ann, Ann Widdecombe
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

Strictly Ann
The Autobiography

Author: Ann Widdecombe

Narrator: Jilly Bond

Unabridged: 16 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/15/2013

Synopsis

With characteristic verve and integrity, Ann Widdecombe recalls her life and highlights the people and events that most influenced her along the way.

From her early family life in Singapore and her convent school days to her student ambitions at Birmingham and Oxford, and her long-serving years as an MP, this is the life story of one of our most outspoken and celebrated politicians. Offering unique insight into her time as a Minister in three Departments and the Shadow Cabinet in the 1990s, Ann also explains the roots of her conversion to Catholicism in 1993 and her deeply held views on abortion and gay marriage.

A rare anti-hunting Tory, who campaigned for prison education and once put on a miner's overalls to go down a coal mine, Ann Widdecombe has never been afraid of controversy. Her memoirs reveal a singular personality who lives life to the full. From feisty and witty appearances on Have I Got News For You to her unforgettable and star-turning performances on Strictly Come Dancing, Ann has earned her place in the public's affections and has been heralded as a 'national living treasure' by the Guardian.

Also containing Ann's trenchant views on the Coalition, MPs' expenses and the state of the nation, this is a provocative and entertaining read. Frank, fearless and engaging, Ann's autobiography will delight her admirers and win her yet more fans.

Read by Jilly Bond

About Ann Widdecombe

For many years a forthright and high-profile MP, Ann Widdecombe is now as well-known for her star appearances on STRICTLY COME DANCING and CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER. A former Prisons Minister, she converted to Roman Catholicism in 1993. Countrywoman, columnist and bestselling author, she lives on Dartmoor. Find out more at www.annwiddecombe.com

About Jilly Bond

Jilly Bond has been an actress for over twenty years, with significant experience on stage, radio and television, including Judge John Deed, Doctors and People Like Us. She has appeared in over one hundred radio plays, including The Barchester Chronicles and The Archers and has read numerous audiobooks.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Shirley on October 05, 2017

Read this book a few weeks ago when some invisible force seemed to draw me to it and a voice in my head said read me. Don't know what made me want this book but I am so glad that I did. What a wonderful book and a really lovely lady. Very well written and I burnt the midnight oil because I wanted to f......more

Goodreads review by Rock on September 07, 2016

(Page references are to the hardback edition published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson.) I don't read autobiographies of politiicians, and I'm not a fan of 'Strictly'. What made me read this one then? Well, taking the more important aspect first, Anton du Beke has to wait until page 55 for his first menti......more

Goodreads review by David on May 06, 2020

Entertaining, inspirational and informative One of the best known British politicians of the last thirty years, best selling novelist, and television personality, Ann unfolds the story of her life with grace and skill. She reveals three truths and myths of many of the high profile happenings during h......more

Goodreads review by Carole on January 04, 2018

I started reading this book enthusiastically as I had read and enjoyed Ann's novel 'Act of Treachery'. I have admired Ann's determination and strong mindedness, even though I do not agree with some of her views. I enjoyed the chapters about her childhood as I could relate to much of it. The chapters......more

Goodreads review by Linda on January 02, 2018

This book was much better than I anticipated. I like to read about serious figures in the public eye, and have always admired this lady (if not her political beliefs). The book gives insights that few will know about, such as her being a published fiction author. I really enjoyed the book due mainly......more

Quotes

She gives a unique insight into the workings of government from her time as a minister in three departments and as a member of the Shadow cabinet in the 1990s DAILY EXPRESS

You wouldn't expect Ann Widdecombe to pull her punches - but there's NEVER been a political autobiography quite like this THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

The book captures the intensity of emotions and the relentlessness of intrigue at Westminster for a minister determined to hold on to her integrity under what feels to her like pressure from all sides. It is a vivid portrayal of a world she clearly loves THE TIMES

It is briskly and competently written ... if you are a Widdy fan, as she seems to believe most people are, you'll enjoy this book THE SUNDAY TIMES

Ann Widdecombe has sailed through life with the same brisk, no-nonsense style that she brings to this highly readable memoir THE SPECTATOR

The book is breezily written, as befits the author of four novels, and characteristically honest GUARDIAN

a feisty public figure in an increasingly conformist world, a woman who doesn't give a toss what you think about her looks and isn't prepared to compromise her views for anyone EVENING STANDARD

From Singapore to Dartmoor and Parliament to the pantomime stage, Ann takes readers on a gloriously entertaining journey through her life HELLO magazine

Publishers know that the sales of political memoirs depend entirely on the author's popularity. This explains why Alan Johnson's autobiography has risen skywards while poor David Blunkett's performed a bellyflop. Widdecombe's ripping tale will follow the flightpath of the former THE SPECTATOR

If feminism is about robust individualism and uncompromising, occasionally bolshie personality - and your guess is as good as mine - well, she's up there with Mary Beard ... She's good-humoured about the controversies but gets her own back EVENING STANDARD

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List