Robert Harris always manages to produce something stunningly different and he certainly hasn't let himself down with Precipice. This amazing book, based strongly on fact with some fictional enhancement, details the relationship between Prime Minister HH Asquith and Venetia Stanley during 1914/15. The political detail shared between the two is mind-blowing. As is the pure number of letters they exchanged. Although this era is not one of particular interest to me I was captivated from the start by the amount of detail Harris included in his writing which brought the characters so much to life. A brilliantly written book and an excellent read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

A new book by Robert Harris is always an event in my world and Precipice continues his run as the unviralled master of historical fiction. He always seems to manage to find events which are important historically and humanise them in a way that brings any period completely to life, whether it’s Ancient Rome, 17th century England and America, Edwardian Britain or even a dystopian future.

Precipice is set in the United Kingdom in 1914 as war appears inevitable. The story revolves around the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, and his affair with Venetia Stanley, a society woman 35 years his junior. The precipice of the title is not only applicable to a world hurtling towards the loss of a generation of young men, including the sons of those making the decisions, but also for Asquith personally as he takes all sorts of risks by telling her state secrets and passing on confidential information. Finally we have Paul Deemer, a (fictitious) policeman brought in to the security forces to infiltrate the mail between the two and discover which secrets may have been disclosed.

It’s a bizarre, almost unbelievable story, and yet it’s based on real life events. All the letters from Asquith which are contained in the book are his actual words (Venetia’s are invented to fill the gaps on her side as he destroyed her correspondence) and it’s incredible to see his infatuation and how much he focuses on her rather than world events, often writing to her three times a day (it’s also incredible to see such an efficient postal service). What’s most striking is the anonymity that the Prime Minister enjoys. He is able to walk around the streets unrecognised and Downing Street is open to all and little known even to taxi drivers. No. 10 feels more like a family home as Asquith walks across the road to discuss important matters late at night in the Foreign Office, then walks back home to lock the door behind him and go to bed.
Asquith could easily have come across as either pathetic or unlikeable but instead he remains sympathetic. He seems to realise he’s out of his depth in this role at this time but is unable to see a way out. His wife, Margot, is the strong and ambitious one in the relationship and he seems to have come to the position partly through her networking. It’s clear that Venetia Stanley is not the first woman to occupy this role for him, that he needs these outside interests and uses the correspondence also as a means of working out his own thoughts. There’s a real sense of how heavily his decisions weigh on him throughout and you can feel the pressure build on him as the crowds grow outside the windows of No. 10.

Venetia herself is an unusual and interesting character. She’s clearly intelligent but trapped by her position in the society of the time. She is very much part of the idle rich upper class, surrounded by bright young things who look no further than having fun (one of her circle is Asquith’s eldest son) and not at all satisfied by the thought of only marriage in her future rather than using her mind. In the beginning she seems to enjoy seeing such important information and discussing matters of national importance but becomes increasingly uncomfortable and suffocated by the situation as it spirals.

Once I began this book, I couldn’t put it down. I was familiar with the story but Harris is such a wonderful writer that he brings everything to life. The build up to the Great War is complicated, with all the alliances around Europe, and I wasn’t overly familiar with all the politicians of the time but he manages to set the scene very well and it’s soon clear who everyone is and what role they play. It’s fascinating to see the young Churchill in the background, a Johnsonian figure full of excitement about the chance of war and reckless in many decisions, but we’re also always very aware that most of these people are concerned about all the lives that may be lost, especially as their own sons are likely to have to fight, and are very aware of how terrible this war will be. It’s a wonderful book, another brilliant glimpse into history from Harris, and I can’t wait to see where in time he goes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review. I have added this review to Goodreads and will add to Waterstones and Amazon on publication day.

They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and in this case they are right. If this were a completely invented story, I'd be saying how unbelievable elements of it are. But all the 'unbelievable' bits turn out to be factually accurate, You couldn't make it up - and Harris didn't have to. Robert Harris once again demonstrates his uncanny ability to find fascinating bits of history that are lesser known, and turn them into compelling stories even when the source material is slim or unamusing. In this case, he fictionalises the facts about British Prime Minister HH Asquith and his affair with a much younger woman, whom he became so obsessed with he wrote to her three times a day and sent her classified material whilst the country was at war. As Harris himself says in his foreword, hard though it is to believe, all the letters from Asquith in the book are genuine. Harris imagines the responses from his paramour, and creates a fictional secret policeman who has the unenviable job of monitoring this potentially treacherous correspondence. But the skeleton of the story is all true.

The novel starts in the weeks immediately before the outbreak of World War I. Asquith shares all the secret intelligence reports about the deepening crisis in Europe with Venetia Stanley, his mistress, treating her as a kind of advisor as well as romantic partner. When they are separated during the war, he writes more and more frequently, crossing more and more lines. The letters are very candid and provide an extraordinary insight into the mind of a man leading a country at war. This was an era where men in particular didn't open up about their feelings, and even now you are unlikely to hear a serving politician admitting to feelings of inadequacy. I did feel some sympathy for the man, bewildered and anxious, facing horrible circumstances that he was in charge of sorting out, with millions of lives on the line. Simultaneously though, you can recognise his selfish and unkind behaviour towards his wife, and towards Venetia herself, and the careless way he handled information could have literally lost the war.

As always with Harris, his writing flows well and you get drawn along quickly, even though the 'action' is all political. I felt sympathy with and liking for Venetia, even though I didn't expect to initially, and wanted to know how things would turn out for her. In fact I found the whole plot really thrilling, helped by my sketchy knowledge of history meaning I didn't know how it would end. It is classic Robert Harris, up there with some of his best novels. If you enjoy political thrillers or have an interest in the history of this time, then it is compulsory reading.

4* Precipice by Robert Harris. The master of weaving historical fact into page-turning fiction is on top form in this incredible book.

HH Asquith is the Liberal Prime Minister, husband, father and a man who will shortly be steering the country in a monumental war across Europe. However, Asquith only has one thing on his mind, his obsession with Venetia Stanley, a woman who is part of his ‘set’ (more accurately his son’s ‘set’) and is less than half his age.

As war goes from a possibility to a reality, Asquith’s correspondence to Venetia not only amounts to several letters a day but regales secrets only available to the highest levels of his Cabinet. Robert Harris takes the contents of those incredible letters and imagines the beginning of WWI told through this misjudged relationship.

Precipice is a page-turning, jaw-dropping story, made all the more impressive as the reader can trust Harris to have grounded his work in fact (at one point Asquith travels to Newcastle to speak to munition workers … as it’s my home town, I was intrigued to see that the talk was in a theatre I had never heard of. A quick Google showed that it was the preeminent theatre in the city at the time but was demolished in the 1960s). The ability to weave a story of intrigue, espionage and secrets from letters which in many respects are wearing and repetitive, is an absolute skill. Although the reader knows that the country will go to war and that war will brutally last for years, watching this unfold so close to the decisions being made is chilling and fascinating. I would thoroughly recommend this book.

Thanks to Penguin Random House, Cornerstone and Netgalley for an advance copy.

The way Robert Harris interweaves the affair between the Prime Minister Asquith and Venitia Stanley with the unfolding of WW1 is a literary treat. The strain Asquith must have been under and the casual way he shared state secrets with Venitia is truly mind blowing.

The political wranglings make for an interesting read and using the letters between the two lovers adds another layer of enjoyment to the novel.

A seamless blend of fact and fiction throughout this story and certainly gave me an insight into parts of WW1 which are never taught in schools !! It is a love story blended with behind the scenes politics which in hindsight could have been very detrimental to the UK government and nation at that time. The PM Asquith is so absorbed with Venetia Stanley, that he loses sight at times as to the huge problems which the forces were facing abroad. The book also gives a good insight into the lives of the upper classes back then whose "entitlement" at times showed no boundaries. The author gives the reader great descriptions of their lives and properties along with the hell which the returning soldiers had to endure at times. If you like history then this book is a must read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review

Precipice by Robert Harris

Robert Harris can do no wrong in my eyes. If I had to do a list of my top 3 authors, he would be on it. He finds the thrills and tension in the most quiet of moments (see Conclave for example). he does that again with Precipice, which takes us to the late summer of 1914 and the days leading up to the outbreak of the Great War. We follow Asquith, Britain’s Prime Minister, who is so distracted by his affair with the bored aristocrat Venetia Stanley. How better to entertain her and keep her than by sharing with her the most secret of secrets, the telegrams between heads of state and the military, the details of his cabinet meetings? All consigned to the public post system. It’s quite a tale, based on genuine letters and told from Asquith’s and Venetia’s point of view, and I was enthralled, doing my own research as I read. Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction, as this book demonstrates so very well. Beautifully written, so well-researched and full of tension and building pressure, combined with a very unusual romance.

“The Past is a foreign country, they do things differently over there”. Hartley’s famous line is perfectly illustrated by this book. 1914 is just over one hundred years ago but so much has changed, for example there were twelve post deliveries every day in London, and commonly at least three everywhere. Without this useful facility the events central to this story could not have happened. Herbert Henry Asquith is a married man of sixty-two; his paramour, the honourable Beatrice Venetia Stanley, is twenty-six. She is a member of the aristocracy, he is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Their love affair initially takes place within the rather hedonistic whirl of the rich and entitled upper class world of parties, dances and week end stays in castles. Asquith, known to the in-crowd as ‘Prime’, is more restricted than many others due to his public profile (although in the absence of TV and cinema he can freely walk around unrecognised outside the Westminster bubble) and their opportunities to meet are constrained. They can usually meet in the back of his ministerial car, shutters drawn – driver discreet, at least once a week, but otherwise it is snatched moments during those stays. Their relationship is sustained, therefore, by the exchange of letters (often two or three a day). It is not just an Affaire do Coeur because Venetia is clever and intellectual companion.
The book begins in July 1914, where the prospect of War in Europe suddenly rises to the top of the political agenda. Prime’s time is becoming more constrained just at the point where he needs her intellect as a sounding board and councillor. His correspondence, and his talk when they meet, is becoming more occupied with Matters of State and more indiscrete, including details of War Cabinet discussions, military actions and diplomatic transmissions. In other words she becomes party to the most secret information. The possibility that this might be happening comes to the attention of MO5(g) a secret government agency and Sergeant Deemer of the Metropolitan Police, is assigned the task of monitoring the situation, including intercepting and copying all their letters passing through the postal system. Is there a risk that this information can be leaked to the enemy? Obviously, any other people would be arrested, but the Prime Minister and the daughter of Lord Sheffield are not ‘other people’. Deemer must continue to investigate.
Robert Hariss is a hugely experienced writer of Historical thrillers, blending real events and real people with fictional ones. Here, however, the fiction is a minor part of the story, because the relationship between Prime and Venetia is a matter of historical record and, indeed, a cache of their letters (>500) exists and provides much of the text here. The records of the War Cabinet and other departments of government are also available, as are the names of all the important players, including Vernon Kell the head of MI5 who is identified as Deemer’s boss in the book. Essentially, therefore, the only fiction is Deemer’s investigation, and that is fairly routine, even pedestrian. The book might be classified as History, or Romance but I don’t think it can be called a Thriller. Nevertheless, it is a well written story, entertaining and illuminating for most readers.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

What bliss to be alive and in possession of a new Robert Harris novel, even better an advance proof copy. I like counterfactual novels (Fatherland) and ones which bear a resemblance to real events (Conclave) but there’s an extra frisson in reading a story that has a solid framework of real people and real events, where it’s only the unrecorded thoughts and conversations that the novelist has had to invent. Wolf Hall is perhaps the ne plus ultra; Harris’s An Officer and a Spy runs it close.
This may be a novel but it’s the true parts that are most astonishing, in particular the tens of letters from Prime Minister H. H. Asquith to his young mistress Venetia Stanley. They show how much he leant on her, sharing the burden of office and setting things straight in his mind by explaining them to her. Asquith is portrayed sympathetically, as a rational thinker aware of his own shortcomings, but also as a lovesick fool. I rather warmed to Venetia; in a different time she might have been working for him in an official capacity. His security discipline was atrocious; thank goodness she took confidentiality seriously.
Whatever the research and setting of historical fiction, it’s got to feel right and this definitely does – I’ve spent the last couple of days happily ensconced in 1914/5 in the company of the great and the good, really feeling the tension as war loomed and then as Churchill pushed the Dardanelles campaign. I’m on a bit of a First World War jag at the moment and this is a perfect complement to Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August and Christopher Clark’s The Sleepwalkers, each no less riveting for being dense non-fiction. Harris at his best is hard to beat and with Precipice he is at his very best. Enjoy.

Precipice by Robert Harris is a little bit of a slow burner. In classic Harris style, everything is described in a beautiful way, evoking a real sense of time and place. The country is on the verge of WWI, but it’s the Prime Minister’s personal life that has become a matter of national security.
The attention to historical detail is amazing, as the author used the original letters written by HH Asquith - who sometimes wrote to his 26 year old mistress up to 3 times a day!
The mix of fact and fiction works well to weave a narrative that shows a lesser known side of the political climate in Britain during the First World War.
It has a little less action than some of Harris’s other novels and while I didn’t enjoy it any less, I did sometimes feel like I was waiting for something to happen that didn’t really materialise. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Overall, another historical fiction that deserves its place on any history lover’s bookshelf. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an a honest review.

Oh I absolutely loved this! My favourite Robert Harris book since An Officer and A Spy. It's a brilliantly written account of a fascinating time in the lead up to, and during the early months, of WW1. The insights into some of the key decision-makers is absolutely fantastic and Harris does a great job of presenting really three-dimensional characters. I love the way he brings history to life and, as well as being absorbed in the story, I learned so much as well. The portrayal of the relationship between Asquith and Venetia was brilliant and utterly plausible.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read such a wonderful book. I will be telling everyone to read this one!

Absolutely brilliant read. Probably my best book of 2024. The way Robert Harris weaves fact and fiction to create a page turning read is nothing short of genius. Thus is a must read. I promise you’ll love it.

A brilliant and, at times, astonishing read. It's many years since I read a Robert Harris book but I will certainly be reading more. Brilliant historical detail skillfully woven together. All in all a fantastic read.

Something new from a master storyteller.

Say what you like about Robert Harris, he doesn't like to repeat himself. "Precipice" is something new from this thriller writer - a love story.

"Precipice" opens in 1914, just months before the outbreak of WW1. Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith is conducting a secret relationship with socialite Venetia Stanley. The pair meet often, in his car, in parks and on the street. They share private conversations, with him often revealing to her top secret Government information, she offering advice. They correspond by letter, often several times a day, and he is obviously smitten with her. But world events conspire to come between them, as war in Europe becomes ever more certain.

At the same time, a socialite party, populated by the great and the good of London society, and held on a boat on the Thames, comes to an abrupt end when a prominent gent drowns after jumping into the water. A young Detective Sergeant in the Police force is asked to investigate, while keeping any scandal out of the papers. His exemplary work is brought to the attention of Special Branch and he is soon assigned to investigate a leak of top secret documents. Could the Prime Minister have shared one secret too many?

What follows is a dark and complex tale of a man seemingly obsessed, a woman desperate for attention, and a world about to descend into war. Asquith is painted as a sometime weak man, yet able to make snap decisions when required. His seeming reliance on Venetia for advice sounds unlikely, but as the author had access to some 500 letters written by him, apparently supporting the fact, makes for some interesting speculation. The period detail is wonderful, and the fading glory of the British Empire is brought glaringly to life. Interactions between the various government figures is riveting at times, and Deemer, as the officer investigating the information breach is a man on a mission.

As usual, Harris' research is first-class and the way in which he weaves fact with fiction is almost magical. This is true of all his work, but here, in what is essentially a love story, he uses what remains of the correspondence between Asquith and Stanley, to paint a picture of the dynamic between them and asks how much she influenced his decisions. This book is not what fans might expect from a Harris novel, but those who stick with it will be rewarded by a rich and colourful narrative.

Fans of Harris' previous books will probably read this for completeness, but many will be disappointed in the lack of action. It's certainly a gripping read, and might even encourage some readers to reach for the history books.

Rcommneded.

An interesting story based on historical fact around the relationship between the Prime Minister Asquith and his love and confidante Venetia . Based upon their love letters to each other particularly at the brink of a World War . A little disconcerting in the disclosure of secret information was so open during his obsession with Venetia. Not a ‘thriller’ as such but interesting in its premise

Summer 1914, and the world is about to face a war like no other.

In London, 26 year old Venetia Stanley is part of a group of aristocratic young people - party animals, bored and reckless. Venetia though is also harbouring a huge secret - she’s having an affair with the then Prime Minister H H Asquith. Asquith is married and in his early sixties.

Venetia and Asquith write to each other constantly, three times a day some days, but as war draws ever closer Asquith unbelievably shares sensitive information including top secret documents from various sources regarding the government’s battle plans.

Eventually, Paul Deemer, a young intelligence officer is tasked with finding the source of a leak of said documents, and when he discovers the obsessive nature of Asquith and Venitia’s relationship, it becomes a matter of national security that will change the course of political history.

Precipice is a mix of fact and fiction and is absolutely fascinating. Using the actual letters and telegrams Asquith and Venetia sent to each other gives an illuminating insight into how Asquith (in his complete obsession) was constantly being distracted from the office of Prime Minister, sometimes writing to Venetia in the middle of meetings, made even worse after the war had begun, as it shows that he really didn’t have his finger on the button, and in fact was asking for her advice in matters of war! It was clear that some of these letters bordered on treason.

Well written with an engaging story, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Robert Harris.

1914 London

Venetia Stanley is 26 years old and a bored aristocratic.
She is having an affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith. He is telling her everything including sending her letters containing telegrams and notes he has received.
A young intelligence officer is searching for a leak in the government and stumbles on the affair and the fact that national security could be compromised.
This is part fiction and part fact and as usual grips from start to finish..

Overall I did find this book interesting, if a little slow. It was very different to what I expected from the description of "The thrilling new novel..." It's not a book I would describe as thrilling but it was certainly interesting from a historical perspective and gives an insight into the decisions made during the start of WW1.

For someone like me whose knowledge of the politics of the time is practically none existent (I had never heard of Asquith until reading this book) it proved to be educational. However to me it was ultimately a love story. He became completely besotted with Venetia Stanley and wrote to her voraciously, often including compromising information about the war, military plans and details of cabinet meetings.

As the book went on, and Asquith became ever more desperate to carry on with his affair, I began to find him quite a pathetic man, especially someone in such an important position when the country he was leading was in crisis. His flagrant disregard for basic security put me in mind of a much more recent Prime Minister.

I'll admit, after reading the description of the book, I was expecting something more exciting, and was therefore disappointed. I kept reading thinking at some point something explosive would happen but that never arrived. It's difficult to give a rating. The writing is excellent, with meticulous research and for that I give four stars, but it just wasn't what I was anticipating and I wasn't really that enamoured with the story.

Robert Harris is a master at weaving historical fact and fiction together in such a way that makes history actually interesting.
At the outbreak of WWI H.H. Asquith the then Prime Minister had become besotted with Venetia Stanley a socialite half his age. Although he was always known to have an eye for the young ladies his relationship with Venetia became much more intense and threatened his judgement in such a way that he was eventually forced into a coalition. Based on an archive of many hundreds of letters that Asquith wrote to Venetia, Harris brings the story to life and helps the reader to understand the character of some of the power brokers of the time.
A very interesting and thought provoking read which I enjoyed very much.

I am a big Robert Harris fan, and this book certainly didn't disappoint. I was completely gripped by the story, even though I knew how it would end. The characters all seem very real (even if the main protagonists are quite unlikeable) and the sense of the period is excellent. I will definitely be recommending this book, and I am already waiting for Robert Harris's next one.