mjsteimle's review against another edition
4.0
This book gets a strong 4 stars from me, maybe even 4.5 stars.
Many 500+ page biographies can be a slog to get through, but I was fascinated by this entire book. Churchill was a fascinating person. From early in his life he had a sense of his own destiny; at one point in his 20s he predicted that he would lead Great Britain in a time of war. His sense of purpose could also be seen as recklessness and arrogance though; as a young adult he traveled around the world seeking to become a hero in one of Britain's colonial wars.
Just as I'm convinced that Abraham Lincoln was absolutely meant to be president of the US at the time of the Civil War, I'm convinced that Churchill was meant to be PM of Great Britain during WWII. He had great strengths and many weaknesses, and he might not have been a great or even a good PM in times of peace (in fact, his second premiership wasn't nearly as successful as his first), but he was prepared to lead the country through the Second World War.
Also, I still don't quite get how British government works!
Many 500+ page biographies can be a slog to get through, but I was fascinated by this entire book. Churchill was a fascinating person. From early in his life he had a sense of his own destiny; at one point in his 20s he predicted that he would lead Great Britain in a time of war. His sense of purpose could also be seen as recklessness and arrogance though; as a young adult he traveled around the world seeking to become a hero in one of Britain's colonial wars.
Just as I'm convinced that Abraham Lincoln was absolutely meant to be president of the US at the time of the Civil War, I'm convinced that Churchill was meant to be PM of Great Britain during WWII. He had great strengths and many weaknesses, and he might not have been a great or even a good PM in times of peace (in fact, his second premiership wasn't nearly as successful as his first), but he was prepared to lead the country through the Second World War.
Also, I still don't quite get how British government works!
indianajane's review against another edition
5.0
This was such and excellent, even-handed biography. It gave such a wonderful understanding of Churchill as a man, as well as of his unique place in the history of the 20th century. It was so interesting that in 50 1/2 hours of listening I never once wished that it would hurry up and end. And if you like audiobooks, the narration was very good.
gracelawrence_'s review against another edition
5.0
I read this on the beaches, on the landing grounds, in the fields and in the streets, and in the hills.
Pretty sure I could get at least a 3 on the AP Euro History test right now. V good book✌
Pretty sure I could get at least a 3 on the AP Euro History test right now. V good book✌
embchess's review against another edition
5.0
Masterful. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Churchill. Roberts has captured not only the man but the world around him and Churchill’s role in it across the decades. I was particularly impressed with the denouement, which spans the last decade or so of his remarkable life. Too often biographers leave reflections to a rushed last chapter. With many honors and accomplishments post WWII, Roberts describes and frames those in their historical and biographical context, really helping frame one’s understanding of Churchill life.
andrewritchie's review against another edition
5.0
I can't even begin to imagine the monumental effort it took to research and write this book. Top that of with the skill to make it fascinating from start to finish and I tip my hat to Andrew Roberts.
At almost 1,000 pages this is a bit of an epic but is interesting right the way through.
I wanted a book that went beyond being a Churchill's greatest hits and fairly covered his faults as well as virtues and I believe this book delivers on that well.
There were key topics I was keen to learn more about, Gallipoli and the Bengal famine particularly but even the few times I was tempted to skim a chapter I ended up doubling back as I'd clearly missed something.
Churchill's early life was certainly worth learning about as much as his later achievements.
The only fault I could mention is that the index was sometimes hard to navigate. For instance Pearl Harbour only appearing as a sub heading under Pacific War, not as a stand alone heading. Also the British Expeditionary Force is always referred to as it's abreviated BEF in the text but only appeared in the long form in the indext so took a while for me to look up what it stood for. A minor critique.
A superbly written piece of history.
At almost 1,000 pages this is a bit of an epic but is interesting right the way through.
I wanted a book that went beyond being a Churchill's greatest hits and fairly covered his faults as well as virtues and I believe this book delivers on that well.
There were key topics I was keen to learn more about, Gallipoli and the Bengal famine particularly but even the few times I was tempted to skim a chapter I ended up doubling back as I'd clearly missed something.
Churchill's early life was certainly worth learning about as much as his later achievements.
The only fault I could mention is that the index was sometimes hard to navigate. For instance Pearl Harbour only appearing as a sub heading under Pacific War, not as a stand alone heading. Also the British Expeditionary Force is always referred to as it's abreviated BEF in the text but only appeared in the long form in the indext so took a while for me to look up what it stood for. A minor critique.
A superbly written piece of history.
whogivesabook's review against another edition
4.0
I decided on a book about Churchill because I view him as a sort of lodestone around which the iron filings of contemporary british history gather. A landmark of a person, which we can use to orient ourselves. So continues my efforts to learn a little more from the world.
I have spent four hours trying to write this review in a way that might avoid any social landmines. I have deleted about four thousand words and gotten nowhere. Best off to be forthright and damn the consequences.
Basically, I went into the book thinking that he was two things. (1) The personification of wartime propaganda bent on saving us from the threat of fascism, a man who did the impossibly difficult job of keeping the country together during a time of heavy threat. And (2) secondly as a man who was racist and cruel, who didn’t care for many of the subjects of the empire of the time. And persisted in propping up the empire long after it was shown to be the source of great misery.
I was left with a question, heading in: could a man be both?
After finishing the book, I realised that really he wasn’t either. People have just filled in gaps in their understanding with these broad strokes.
He was of his time, holding onto yesterday but at the same time way ahead in some respects as well. He was just a man though. Same as every evil man. Same as every saint.
By the end of the book I now know that a lot of things said about him are absolutely not true. And quite a lot of things he did, terrible things, aren’t really known about at all. But none of that outweighs the contribution his made to the modern world. You got to crack eggs, to put it crudely.
As always, I encourage you to learn about people who you ‘think’ you know. Get a better picture of things. My days of judging people I’ve never met based on other people’s ill-informed testimony are long behind me.
I have spent four hours trying to write this review in a way that might avoid any social landmines. I have deleted about four thousand words and gotten nowhere. Best off to be forthright and damn the consequences.
Basically, I went into the book thinking that he was two things. (1) The personification of wartime propaganda bent on saving us from the threat of fascism, a man who did the impossibly difficult job of keeping the country together during a time of heavy threat. And (2) secondly as a man who was racist and cruel, who didn’t care for many of the subjects of the empire of the time. And persisted in propping up the empire long after it was shown to be the source of great misery.
I was left with a question, heading in: could a man be both?
After finishing the book, I realised that really he wasn’t either. People have just filled in gaps in their understanding with these broad strokes.
He was of his time, holding onto yesterday but at the same time way ahead in some respects as well. He was just a man though. Same as every evil man. Same as every saint.
By the end of the book I now know that a lot of things said about him are absolutely not true. And quite a lot of things he did, terrible things, aren’t really known about at all. But none of that outweighs the contribution his made to the modern world. You got to crack eggs, to put it crudely.
As always, I encourage you to learn about people who you ‘think’ you know. Get a better picture of things. My days of judging people I’ve never met based on other people’s ill-informed testimony are long behind me.
pennyleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
romymc's review against another edition
5.0
I don't read/listen to many biographies as long as this, but it was worth the time spent. The book details his public and private life, not shying away from any negative aspects. I learned a great deal about Churchill as well as the times in which he lived. The narrator was excellent and even sounded like Churchill.