51voDw00xbL._SL500_Synopsis: “As anchor for the BBC’s key political news programme, Newsnight, Emily Maitlis has interviewed some of the most powerful and controversial figures on the political scene. She plans each interview meticulously, knowing what she wants to ask and where she wants it to go, but as one of the most experienced journalists in her field she knows that no interview will ever go to plan. Anything can throw it – from the atmosphere in the room to her own feelings at the time to the mood of the subject. Often she leaves the interview with an entirely different perception of the interviewee, while sometimes it is all too sadly reconfirmed. Airhead explores just these moments. All we normally see are the interviews, but what were the conversations that preceded them or the shouting matches that ended them? From her interviews with US Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton and the last five British Prime Ministers, to Hollywood film directors and powerful internet and entertainment moguls like Sheryl Sandberg and Simon Cowell, Emily Maitlis explores how these powerful personalities came across. In the process she throws an illuminating torch on them, not just for what they represent but as individuals in their own right – with all their flaws and charms.“

My Review

 

This was a fascinating audiobook!

It’s been on and off my TBR for years. I originally borrowed the ebook from the library, and then got a secondhand copy of the paperback, before finally listening to the audiobook last month. I’m really glad that I decided on the audiobook as Emily Maitlis is a broadcaster and it seemed right that I was listening to her voice, rather than just reading her words.

I enjoyed most of the chapters, but especially the one titled ‘Gordon Ramsay on Cocaine’. I didn’t know anything about him, apart from the fact that he’s a shouty, sweary TV chef. This interview showed me a completely different Ramsay and totally changed my perception of him, in a good way.

The chapter that I felt most uncomfortable with was her interview with Piers Morgan, a journalist I really don’t like. I almost jumped to the next chapter but gritted my teeth and finished it.

There were lots of stories that gripped me, especially the opening chapter The 2 a.m. Call, The Fire at Grenfell Tower, the interview with Zelda Perkins, Harvey Weinstein’s Personal Assistant, the coverage of the Migrant March from Budapest Central Station, and getting Arrested in Cuba.

When I finished the audiobook I realised that there was no mention of her infamous interview with Prince Andrew. When I  checked my paperback I realised that the audiobook is actually missing that interview and a two other chapters. I’ve no idea why, as they were both published in 2019.

I would definitely recommend the audiobook apart from the fact that those chapters are missing from it.

Book 19 of 20 Books of summer 2024