Nicolette Jones

REVIEWS OF THE PLIMSOLL SENSATION

“The life of Samuel Plimsoll, so eloquently portrayed here, is a story of one man’s devotion to the uplifting of the downtrodden. Plimsoll…worked tirelessly to improve the conditions for seamen in the 19th century and expose the cruelty of shipowners. A biography that reads like a great novel” —Michael Morpurgo, picking five of his favourite books in The Week, 15 September 2018

“a story of ambition, treachery, libel, political intrigue and cold-blooded murder … told in engaging, witty, racy style”—Hugh MacDonald,The Glasgow Herald

“This excellent biography … Nicolette Jones charts [Plimsoll’s] course with skill, insight and elegance”—Piers Brendon,The Sunday Telegraph

“Plimsoll emerges as a man so lovely that you just want to hug him or at least holler a huge ‘Hooray!'”—Ross Leckie, The Times

“Nicolette Jones’s brilliant biography of Plimsoll, The Plimsoll Sensation, points out that the tactics used against him were both vicious and familiar” —Frank Cottrell Boyce, The Guardian

“Nicolette Jones clearly loves her subject … Her set-pieces mix sensitivity and narrative gusto. Dickens … would have delighted in this story’s cocktail of cut-throat capitalism, bleeding-heart politics, evangelical piety and simple common sense”—Jonathan Keates, Critic’s Choice, First Post online magazine

“Fascinating … Jones’s witty, immaculately researched account of a great campaign is the ideal deckchair book”—Christopher Hirst, The Independent paperbacks

“outstanding … the best ‘sea’ book I’ve read since Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm”—Anne Weale, Bookworm on the Net

“an approachable and enthralling slice of narrative history – quite simply, a great story … of interest as much to landlubbers as to salts”—Publishing News

“splendid and meticulously researched”—Geoffrey Moorhouse, The Guardian Book of the Week

“expertly tracked”—Simon Garfield, The Observer

“[Jones] is sure-footed, never allowing her empathy with her subject to blind her to his failings. Her comprehensive biography … will be the first port of call for all future researchers” —Neil Hanson, The Sunday Times

“a fascinating piece of social history”—George Rosie, Sunday Herald

“Scholarly … elegantly written … Ms Jones’s strength lies in bringing to life the sailor’s friend and the political climate in which he battled—The Economist

“a fine piece of work – fluently written, full of interesting things, and an admirable attempt to salvage the reputation of an all-but-forgotten Victorian hero from Davy Jones’s locker”—Sam Leith, The Spectator

“Plimsoll’s 15-year campaign as an MP is still a shining glory in the history of a badly tarnished political establishment. He deserves this excellent, circumstantial biography”—Iain Finlayson, The Times

“Jones’s account is entirely worthy of its deserving subject”—Sarah Burton, The Independent

“impassioned … a truly inspiring morality tale of Victorian philanthropy succeeding against the odds”—James Smith, Booktrust online

“an excellent addition to that genre of popular history which sets out to tackle a single theme and ends by illuminating an age”—Sarah Cuthbertson, Historical Novels Review (non-fiction section)

“an exhaustively researched and lively account of political activism”—Elizabeth Scott-Baumann, The Sunday Times paperback review

“Jones is an effective communicator of Plimsoll’s passion and her book will endear itself even to those ignorant of shipping”—Stephanie Cross, The Observer paperback review

“a meticulously-researched and highly readable account … an excellent example of how skilled biographers can bring our attention to once-prominent figures who have been unjustly forgotten. We need a few Samuel Plimsolls today to stand up for those who are crushed by the relentless pursuit of profit”—Catherine Pope, Victorian Secrets.co.uk

“Nicolette Jones’s fine work on the far-reaching campaign of the 19th-century MP Samuel certainly deserved the accolade [of the Mountbatten Maritime Prize]… It’s entirely fitting that his story should be brought to life so vividly by this well-researched and entertaining book”—George Byrne, Evening Herald

See also reviews from the shipping press!