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bargainsleuth's review
5.0
For this and other reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com
Last year I had the opportunity to read and review TheCrowninCrisis: Countdown to the Abdication by Alexander Larman https://bargain-sleuth.com/2021/01/18/netgalley-arc-review-thecrownincrisis-countdown-to-the-abdication-by-alexander-larman/. Now Larman has come up with a sequel of sorts, discussing the Windsor family’s roles during World War II. As readers of the blog well know, I find the Duke and Duchess of Windsor fascinating but for different reasons that what originally piqued my interest.
With every book written about the royal family during the 1930s and 1940s, I find the Duke and Duchess of Windsor more and more despicable and am so glad Edward VIII was forced off the throne. While his brother Bertie, otherwise known as King George VI, was holding Great Britain together during World War II, the Duke and Duchess were in cahoots with Nazi sympathizers who would like nothing better than to have Great Britain fall at the hand of the Nazis and install Edward as a puppet king.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill and King George VI knew of these machinations and kept brushing off the Duke, who wanted a role in the armed services during the war. Finally, when details came to light to the government of the company the Duke and Duchess were keeping while exiled in France and Spain, it was decided to get the Windsors out of Europe post haste. That was how the Duke and Duchess ended up as governor general of the Bahamas, as far away from the European front as possible.
All in all, this book shows more examples of how Great Britain ended up with such a steadying force as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s father as head of the country and commonwealth, and what whiny, vapid, shallow human beings the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were.
Last year I had the opportunity to read and review TheCrowninCrisis: Countdown to the Abdication by Alexander Larman https://bargain-sleuth.com/2021/01/18/netgalley-arc-review-thecrownincrisis-countdown-to-the-abdication-by-alexander-larman/. Now Larman has come up with a sequel of sorts, discussing the Windsor family’s roles during World War II. As readers of the blog well know, I find the Duke and Duchess of Windsor fascinating but for different reasons that what originally piqued my interest.
With every book written about the royal family during the 1930s and 1940s, I find the Duke and Duchess of Windsor more and more despicable and am so glad Edward VIII was forced off the throne. While his brother Bertie, otherwise known as King George VI, was holding Great Britain together during World War II, the Duke and Duchess were in cahoots with Nazi sympathizers who would like nothing better than to have Great Britain fall at the hand of the Nazis and install Edward as a puppet king.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill and King George VI knew of these machinations and kept brushing off the Duke, who wanted a role in the armed services during the war. Finally, when details came to light to the government of the company the Duke and Duchess were keeping while exiled in France and Spain, it was decided to get the Windsors out of Europe post haste. That was how the Duke and Duchess ended up as governor general of the Bahamas, as far away from the European front as possible.
All in all, this book shows more examples of how Great Britain ended up with such a steadying force as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s father as head of the country and commonwealth, and what whiny, vapid, shallow human beings the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were.
bigotterbooks's review
4.0
4 stars! This book was good. Well written, lots of research that showed in the little details. Another one that reads like fiction but is really history. The King and 'that woman' did more shady things than I ever realized; was any of it treason? Very interesting and definitely gives us a closer look at these people. There were a few places that it got dry and more of telling the reader an info dump of facts. But, they are important facts that flesh out the story so just keep going. I understand Mr. Larman has written several other books and I will be looking for those at the library. He writes very well and I liked this book. Thank you #NetGalley for my copy . #TheWindsorsAtWar
#AlexanderLarman
#AlexanderLarman
bucolicbookshelf's review
5.0
Sometimes history books can be a little dry; it happens. This one, however, I found to be as engaging as easy-to-read fiction and it fully kept my interest.
Mr. Larman offers in this title the results of his meticulous research and the result is a comprehensive look at at the not-too distant past and it dove far deeper than anything I've previously learned about this period of the Windsor family.
Recommended.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC!
anhistorianabouttown's review
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.75
The Duke of Windsor's connections with the Nazis are no longer danced around but point blank discussed openly now. However, few authors are quote as thorough as Larman. Not only does he follow the Duke and Duchess, he also shares key moments with The King, The Queen, Churchill, and more. Well-researched and well-written!
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