5 Days in May

Revelatory and quietly shocking. The Guardian Details with breathless energy the plotting, late - night phone calls and the desperately fading hopes of Brown's government from inside Number 10 - Fascinatingly candid - Adonis's description of the hectic negotiations is absorbing for its detail and the palpable sense of chaos at the heart of the British establishment - Flashes of irony and slapstick - Convincing book by a man generally more interested in ideas than tribal loyalties - This book may prove to be his most important work. The Telegraph If anyone is going to spend five days inside the head of anyone, Adonis is a good candidate. He is intelligent, moderate and nice. The Spectator A West Wing-style thriller. New Statesman [An] invaluable book on the negotiations that led to the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. The Observer This is a political thriller with a twist. Times Literary Supplement It is a book full of anger, recrimination and justice...But this adds to the interest as the words crackle with barely concealed rage. Total Politics 'as gripping as any Dan Brown page-turner.' Choice Magazine 'Without a doubt the political book of the summer, alongside Charles Moore's Thatcher biography - As both a tell-all (it's peppered with key details about Labour front benchers) and an examination of coalition governments, it makes for a compelling read. Unsurprisingly, Nick Clegg doesn't come off well.' GQ '[T]here is a revelation on almost every page of Adonis's book.' The Independent 'All Adonis' books are important, and now is the time to read one.' Independent on Sunday " [It] challenges conventional wisdom about the forming of the coalition. Anyone who might be near the leadership of the Labour Party in 2015 needs to read this now."Independent on Sunday "An inside account of how the coalition was formed [ - ] It is advice the Labour leader would be wise to take." New Statesman

ANDREW ADONIS was an architect of education reform under Tony Blair. He went on to become Transport Secretary under Gordon Brown. He is the author of Education, Education, Education.