Astonish Me!

Astonish Me! is both a book of revelations and a witness to change: it has all the tension of a thriller and the see-sawing highs and lows of a romance novel. At its heart, however, is an enduring fascination with what makes art and why we need it -- Maggie O'Farrell
Fantastic -- Roger Allam
Written with verve and wit ... Astonish Me! encourages us to reflect not only on the communality of art but to appreciate its invaluable social utility * The Times *
A keen cultural history primer - and a ringside seat to the electric thrill of witnessing great art -- 'Paperbacks Read This Week' * Daily Telegraph *
Full of insight as well as terrific stories ... a book that celebrates the shock of the new, those moments in artistic history when the dial shifted and something radical emerged ... enjoyable * Sunday Times *
Fascinating ... dazzling in its enthusiasm ... unexpected * Times Literary Supplement *
The result is a richly eclectic set of essays ... Mr Dromgoole shows a capacity to bring a major cultural event to life ... offers an erudite, wide-ranging and heart-warming tribute to artistic innovation -- Michael Billington * Country Life *
Exquisite ... greatly stirring ... Imagine what it would be like to be present at the arrival of some of the most momentous works of art in history; to witness the birth of the new. That's what Dominic Dromgoole does in his latest book * Daily Telegraph *
[Dromgoole] writes with such generous, broad-brush panache ... on every page he comes across as a red-blooded enthusiast, an erudite polymath and a bit of a preacher with an urgent message too * Mail on Sunday *
A celebration of the artistic achievements that overcame the odds to change the story of culture, and whose effects rippled out to change the world * Spectator *
Earthy, eclectic and shot through with personal insights * The Week *
Anyone in love with the arts will fall in love with this beautifully written and fascinating book -- Kathy Burke
Dominic Dromgoole takes moments from our cultural history and shines a new light on them. Astonishingly vibrant, bristling with energy, wit and wisdom -- Hugh Bonneville
First-rate, varied and very enjoyable * Mature Times *
Absorbing ... accessible and chatty ... you will always be entertained by Dromgoole's slightly waspish sense of wit, his sense of invention and ... a sense of care and understanding -- Louise Penn * Lou Reviews *
On Hamlet: Globe to Globe: 'His love of language is contagious ... the storytelling segues into scholarship with extraordinary skill as he ricochets the modern world with a 400-year-old text.' * The Times *
Dromgoole's witty account offers insight about the play and its enduring appeal ... Compulsively readable. * The New York Times (100 Notable Books) *
Erudite and fascinating ... truly compelling. * Observer *
Exhilarating ... he succeeds in making the familiar unfamiliar. -- James Shapiro
On Will and Me: How Shakespeare Took Over My Life 'A superbly written, infectiously high-spirited narrative ... a hard book to put down.' -- Terry Eagleton * The Irish Times *
Friendly, inclusive, I warmed [to it] immediately. A terrific book. -- William Leith * Evening Standard *
His book is an absolute delight ... The outstanding quality is his sheer, overwhelming love for Shakespeare. * Sunday Times *
This book is clearly a triumph. -- Jonathan Bate * Spectator *