'The book is valuable on a number of levels. The literature on the Muldoon years is still relatively thin. Waring’s contribution, based on voluminous notes that she kept at the time, is, therefore, important, not least for its detailed accounts of caucus and of divisions within the National Party. There are many surprises and some reputations are enhanced (others should suffer).' – Jim McAloon, New Zealand Journal of History
'Like all good stories, it starts slowly before building to a final confrontation with the book's main antagonist (which is undoubtedly Muldoon).' – Kerry Lee, Wellington Regional News
'The Political Years is many-layered and will be of interest to a wide range of readers ... Waring’s story flows easily abetted by her humour, pithy insights and some wonderful photos.' – Diana Atkinson, Tui Motu
'I think it's a brilliant book. She really does say that she's going to take you with her, riding on her shoulder. And that's how you feel. ... She's very principled, her writing is beautifully precise. This book is absolutely full of information – you get a very richly textured insight into what was going on right across her political life.' – Jonathan West, RNZ Nine to Noon
'It's an engrossing period of political history, which after a slow start, warms up to a finish that anyone interested in the subject will relish.' – Alistair Browne, Stuff
'The Political Years is delicious. The adage is that revenge is a dish best served cold, and this book serves it up in the form of thinly sliced prosciutto.' – Denis O'Reilly, NZ Edge
'An utterly absorbing story! Marilyn shows that in a fight for justice we build more powerful collective responses when we share our experiences and tell our stories. Critical reading for anyone challenging the status quo!' – Jess Berentson-Shaw, researcher and writer
'This frank narrative of courage and tenacity in the face of an intensely patriarchal and homophobic polity will surprise and reward readers across generations.' – Sue Bradford, activist, former Green Party MP
'A remarkable New Zealander who deserves greater recognition and, perhaps, can provide moral guidance for those whose political careers have yet to conclude.' – Damien Grant, Stuff
'How is it that I’m the last person in New Zealand to know the truth about Marilyn Waring? I met her on the literary festival circuit, saw her onstage, and said to one and all: “But she’s so funny!” And one and all said, “Yeah. We know.” The former National Party maverick did the rounds to talk about her celebrated political memoir The Political Years, and brought laughter with her everywhere she went. What an awesome person, and sharp as a pin, too.' – Steve Braunias, Newsroom
'It took nine hard-fought years for Robert Muldoon’s political regime to grind Waring down and in this memoir she has us re-live them. This is how it was inside the machine, she wants us to know, as only the 15th woman to make it into Parliament. Waring describes a vanished New Zealand, of cream teas, kipper ties and carnation buttonholes which was tightly controlled, male-dominated and restless for change.' – Steve Braunias, Newsroom
'She was known to many as the “slip of a girl” who went on to trigger the downfall of the Muldoon government...Marilyn Waring had entered parliament at just 23. Not so extraordinary, perhaps, in these more enlightened times, but back in 1975 she was a rare case indeed.' – Women's Weekly
'Marilyn became an MP at 23 in 1975 – when woman MP's weren't common. She's also had about a dozen other careers and has been a musician all her life.' – Radio New Zealand
'A saddle sore, a teal bridesmaid’s dress and the Ngāruawāhia High School hall: how Marilyn Waring became the National candidate for Raglan.' – The Spinoff
