Review by Lynne Booker
The story of the ´special relationship´between Britain and America from the time that the first 104 British settlers arrived in Chesapeake Bay in April 1607 to Tony Blair´s support of President George W Bush in the war against Iraq. Burke´s book explores a relationship that has, like the moon, waxed and waned many times. It charts the growth of the USA as a nation and Britain´s decline as a colonial power and it goes beyond a military relationship to the economic, social, religious and cultural links - from Shakespeare to war brides. "Old World, New World" is the first book ever written about five centuries of Anglo-American relations and its novelty is a good enough reason in itself to read it. Burke is an excellent storyteller - she doesn´t just tell us what happens; she also adds the human touch