Over Here

By Raymond Seitz

Book Overview

OVER HERE does for Great Britain what Alistair Cooke has done for the States. Raymond Seitz was US Ambassador to Britain from 1990 to 1994. Unlike the majority of his predecessors he didn't return... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0297815989
• ISBN13: 9780297815983
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Orion Publishing
• Length: 372 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Wise and witty

A charming and witty account by a former American ambassador to England. Particularly interesting when he explains the reasons for differences between English and American ways of thinking.

Top notch.

Raymond Seitz was a very popular ambassador during his time in London and was, by all accounts, a good friend to Britain (though I suppose that's not really the point of his job...). He has written an amusing, gentle and well observed memoir. The criticisms related by other reviewers, including my fellow Brit, do have merit but I personally feel that the book's good points more than make up for the bad. In terms of his broad sweep (the big issues - historical context, transatlantic relationship and the like) Seitz has pretty much got his subject pegged. He makes a lot of very astute observations, not all of which make comfortable reading for a British person. It also reveals something about the American policy making process with regards to ambassadorial positions in general and UK policy in specific. I would certainly recommend both Brits and Yanks having a look at this book. It is an easy read and is split into bite-size, largely stand-alone chapters.

Smart Stuff

A refreshingly direct and insightful discussion of the anglo-american relationship, and from a diplomat no less. Chapters are organized topically, so this is a book you can read in 10-minute sections, great for flights and train commutes.

Over Here: required reading for visitors to Britain

Witty, urbane, informed. Seitz served as US ambassador in London during the Bush and Clinton administrations. His observations on the UK, from a sympathetic American perspective, are both a great read and a solid contribution to an oft misinformed topic. As the book covers suggests, Seitz does for Britain what Alastair Cook's Letter from American does for the US. One of the best of its genre.