Be Like the Fox

Reviews / Votes

"Lively, compulsively readable, unshowily erudite." -- Terry Eagleton - Guardian "A ripping read.... fascinating, charming, enjoyably unorthodox." -- Telegraph "In this tightly composed narrative of Machiavelli's life and works, Benner argues that The Prince is a work of secret subversion, using irony and beguilement to advance a staunchly republican message.... A gripping portrait of a brilliant political thinker, who understood the dangers of authoritarianism and looked for ways to curb them even though independent speech had become impossible." -- The New Yorker "Unconventional.... Benner argues that in [his] turbulent, violent world, Machiavelli's most consistent advice favoured principle, restraint and respect for the rule of law, even in The Prince.... Compelling." -- Julian Baggini - Financial Times "Erica Benner convincingly argues [that] there was a great deal more to Machiavelli.... She interweaves his own words with those of his contemporaries, as well as setting him in the context of his world. The result is a rich, vivid, and endlessly surprising portrayal of the man and his times." -- BBC Book Review "Benner's eminently readable book serves as an introduction to Machiavelli and offers plenty of fresh insight even for those sure they know him and his work. Like Machiavelli's own writings, Benner's is a meditation on the virtues and flaws of various forms of government and ambitious men who will rule at will unless checked by institutions." -- Foreign Policy "Excellent.... [Benner is] a fantastic reader of Machiavelli's very varied literary output. She's as well-versed in this author's writing style and writing mind as readers could ask of any biographer." -- Open Letters Monthly "Fascinating, remarkable.... Erica Benner illuminates not only the life of Machiavelli but the complex and cruel political world in which he operated." -- Avi Shlaim "Erica Benner's enthralling and moving evocation of Machiavelli's turbulent career reveals how much he is our contemporary." -- Rosamund Bartlett, author of Tolstoy: A Russian Life "In our world of new princes and divided societies, with confrontations in constant danger of escalating to conflict, Be Like the Fox reads like a cautionary call from the past. Anyone seeking to understand power, force, and government today would do well to read this book." -- General Sir Rupert Smith, author of The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World