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4.55 AVERAGE
4.55 AVERAGE
Good book. Even though it is quite long and only covers a 8 year period, it is quote interesting. In addition to giving a very good view of Churchill's life, presents British perspective on rise of fascism and thinking behind appeasement.
Very well written with good descriptions. Author does a great job of bringing Churchill to life. Reader gets a sense of what drove Churchill. A lot of different people to keep track of.
Very well written with good descriptions. Author does a great job of bringing Churchill to life. Reader gets a sense of what drove Churchill. A lot of different people to keep track of.
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
This is the second volume of the extensive biography of Churchill; it is very thorough and, at times, entertaining since Churchill was indeed a character. Some may wonder how he became so influential when he seemed so eccentric and, at times, crazy. Some of the details about his personal habits made me laugh. But it cannot be disputed that if it was not for Churchill's insistent warnings about the dangers of Nazi Germany and Hitler, world history would be very different.
While this is a biography, it details history of what was happening in pre-WWII Europe in relation to Great Britain. I found it very interesting, but sometimes it seemed to drag on. I had often wondered if Chamberlain had not been prime minister during the years immediately prior to WWII, if Hitler would have become as powerful as he did. This book confirmed my belief that most politicians in Europe during the 1930s were naive to the danger of Nazi Germany.
This book is not for the reader with just a casual interest in these subjects as it is a very long book and requires a lot of time and effort to finish. I did not read the first volume of the trilogy as my library does not have it for digital loan, but I am planning on reading the third volume, which is even longer than this one.
While this is a biography, it details history of what was happening in pre-WWII Europe in relation to Great Britain. I found it very interesting, but sometimes it seemed to drag on. I had often wondered if Chamberlain had not been prime minister during the years immediately prior to WWII, if Hitler would have become as powerful as he did. This book confirmed my belief that most politicians in Europe during the 1930s were naive to the danger of Nazi Germany.
This book is not for the reader with just a casual interest in these subjects as it is a very long book and requires a lot of time and effort to finish. I did not read the first volume of the trilogy as my library does not have it for digital loan, but I am planning on reading the third volume, which is even longer than this one.
Listened on Audiobook. Some of my friends love these biographies. I get it. There are some really good literary flourishes but it can often be hard to keep straight. Some sections are very high energy and fascinating; others are slow. Overall pretty good.
Side note: in the time it's taken me to read the first two volumes of these books, I've lived in three different houses, two different cities, and had two children. I'm only at the beginning of Churchill's first premiership near the beginning of WW2.
Side note: in the time it's taken me to read the first two volumes of these books, I've lived in three different houses, two different cities, and had two children. I'm only at the beginning of Churchill's first premiership near the beginning of WW2.
Manchester's series is not just a deep biography of Churchill, but really a complete history of British politics and international relations during Churchill's lifetime. This volume takes the reader up to Churchill's elevation to prime minister in 1940, including the years leading up to, and beginning, World War II; of course, Churchill was the outspoken opponent of the appeasement program of his predecessor, and the ultimate face of the nation (and the western democracies) as the war evolved. A lengthy tome, to be sure, but as complete a history of this period as can be written.
"Every speech denouncing the government over the past two days had been an echo of the speeches Churchill had been delivering for years -- often to empty seats. The awakening of Parliament's conscience had vindicated the torch he had held aloft, alone, at great personal cost."
informative
medium-paced