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93 reviews for:
Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour
Lynne Olson
4.26 AVERAGE
93 reviews for:
Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour
Lynne Olson
4.26 AVERAGE
My ability to finish this book was imperiled when my cat, sensing that he was not at that moment the center of my universe, knocked a glass of water over onto it with extreme prejudice.
Thankfully, a couple days near the heating vent with a pile several heavy hardbacks from my to-read list piled on top left it in decent enough shape to finish up (far away from any liquids).
Olson has a nice style, and the book starts and ends well, but there are large swathes of the book that turn into sweeping explanations of what was going on during WWII, rather than focusing on the three characters she chose to frame the book around. It also turned into a little bit of who was sleeping with whom (hard to keep track of at times), which is something I really didn't care about.
But on the whole, an interesting read, and one I'm glad I was finally able to finish.
Thankfully, a couple days near the heating vent with a pile several heavy hardbacks from my to-read list piled on top left it in decent enough shape to finish up (far away from any liquids).
Olson has a nice style, and the book starts and ends well, but there are large swathes of the book that turn into sweeping explanations of what was going on during WWII, rather than focusing on the three characters she chose to frame the book around. It also turned into a little bit of who was sleeping with whom (hard to keep track of at times), which is something I really didn't care about.
But on the whole, an interesting read, and one I'm glad I was finally able to finish.
The wartime alliance between Britain and America has been the subject of innumerable histories, memoirs, biographies, textbooks. Less well-known are the stories of the Americans who were in the war from the beginning, well before America joined the war in the wake of Pearl Harbour, and who all made vital contributions to ensuring that Britain survived that long.
These individuals were all ambassadors in their own way - forging strong relations with British political and military figures, building bridges and fostering understanding between the two government and helping to explain to a wary American public the very real dangers and sacrifices being suffered by the British public. However, this book focuses specifically on three men - US ambassador John Gilbert Winant (a particularly sympathetic figure and one deservedly well-loved in Britain), broadcaster Edward R. Murrow and businessman Averell Harriman - but it goes beyond just the stories of these three men's war, exploring the 'special relationship' of the US and Britain from all angles.
Once America enters the war formally in 1941 the book necessarily takes a wider scope, focusing particularly on Dwight D. Eisenhower's role in preserving and strengthening an often fraught alliance. But it never loses sight of the three men at its heart, all of whom forged such strong relationships with Winston Churchill that they all ended up in love affairs with members of his family - Winant with Churchill's daughter Sarah and both Harriman and Murrow with his daughter-in-law Pamela.
I found this an excellent read, and a really refreshing take on the Second World War. The wartime alliance of the two powers is probably unique in history - the staggering extent of the sharing of war materiel, personnel, locations, bases, intelligence, strategy, command structures was and will probably remain unprecedented. Yet even with two nations with as much in common as the US and Britain, sharing a common language, history, culture, political context, and with as much at stake as there was, the alliance was not destined to succeed without the hard work and understanding of many individuals, both British and American, but few more so than Winant, Harriman and Murrow.
These individuals were all ambassadors in their own way - forging strong relations with British political and military figures, building bridges and fostering understanding between the two government and helping to explain to a wary American public the very real dangers and sacrifices being suffered by the British public. However, this book focuses specifically on three men - US ambassador John Gilbert Winant (a particularly sympathetic figure and one deservedly well-loved in Britain), broadcaster Edward R. Murrow and businessman Averell Harriman - but it goes beyond just the stories of these three men's war, exploring the 'special relationship' of the US and Britain from all angles.
Once America enters the war formally in 1941 the book necessarily takes a wider scope, focusing particularly on Dwight D. Eisenhower's role in preserving and strengthening an often fraught alliance. But it never loses sight of the three men at its heart, all of whom forged such strong relationships with Winston Churchill that they all ended up in love affairs with members of his family - Winant with Churchill's daughter Sarah and both Harriman and Murrow with his daughter-in-law Pamela.
I found this an excellent read, and a really refreshing take on the Second World War. The wartime alliance of the two powers is probably unique in history - the staggering extent of the sharing of war materiel, personnel, locations, bases, intelligence, strategy, command structures was and will probably remain unprecedented. Yet even with two nations with as much in common as the US and Britain, sharing a common language, history, culture, political context, and with as much at stake as there was, the alliance was not destined to succeed without the hard work and understanding of many individuals, both British and American, but few more so than Winant, Harriman and Murrow.
This is a must read for people who enjoy World War II books. The book focuses on 3 primary characters, Ed Murrow (the famous CBS broadcaster), Averell Harriman (FDR's man serving as the rep for the Lend Lease program) and John Winant (U.S. ambassador to Britain), but many of the famous citizens of London during that time appear in the book - Winston Churchill, Pamela Churchill, Eisenhower, etc. The book really focuses on the city of London itself and how those in the city during the war managed. It starts with the Blitz, moves to the American "invasion" of troops and then the emptiness and struggles after D-Day and the end of the war. I really appreciate the honest, and sometimes unflattering, description of the U.S. relationship with Britain during the time. It was also interesting to learn more about the contrast between the lives of the upper class and those average person during this time.
I rarely read nonfiction books, especially ones with a war theme but this was recommended by my history loving brother. It was an inspiring story about three US men who helped Great Britain during the Second World War. The fact that these men were real people makes their accomplishments so amazing. I learned more about the war than I ever learned in U S History and that alone made the book very interesting.
Very interesting and well written book, mostly about 3 significant Americans in London during WWII. She really liked John Gilbert Winant and felt his contribution had been overlooked. He was very interesting. I also have a better understanding of just how desperate things were in England before the United States entered the war and that things could have easily ended far differently. I have a great respect for what the British put up with for years.
I'm going to blame the audio format for not garnering 5 stars on this one, because otherwise it was truly a stellar read. But the narrative didn't super click with me. The book follows the people who built a relationship and alliance between England and the United States during WW2--diplomats, journalists, playboys, and presidents. It is an engrossing narrative and brings history alive in a truly fascinating way.
I recommend checking it out if you like WW2 history.
I recommend checking it out if you like WW2 history.
The subtitle of this book is "The Americans Who Stood with Britain in It's Darkest, Finest Hour." Tom Brokaw's comment on the flyleaf was this: "I thought I knew a lot about this dangerous period, but Lynne Olson has tought me so much more." I would have to completely agree with Mr. Brokaw.
The book primarily focuses on Edward R. Murrow, John Winant, American Ambassador to Britain and Averell Harriman. But, there were other interesting people profiled. I found Tommy Hitchcock to be interesting. I had read before about how vital the role of the P51 Mustang was in the war, but I don't remember hearing about the fight to equip it with the Rolls Royce Merlin engine. It seems the P51 was an American plane but the Merlin engine was a British engine and many people resisted the change. Hitchcock worked long and hard to get the Merlin engine accepted.
There is a lot of information in this book. It covers everything including the social scene in London during the war and the love affairs of the rich and powerful.
If you enjoy reading non-fiction books about WWII, I think you will enjoy this book.
The book primarily focuses on Edward R. Murrow, John Winant, American Ambassador to Britain and Averell Harriman. But, there were other interesting people profiled. I found Tommy Hitchcock to be interesting. I had read before about how vital the role of the P51 Mustang was in the war, but I don't remember hearing about the fight to equip it with the Rolls Royce Merlin engine. It seems the P51 was an American plane but the Merlin engine was a British engine and many people resisted the change. Hitchcock worked long and hard to get the Merlin engine accepted.
There is a lot of information in this book. It covers everything including the social scene in London during the war and the love affairs of the rich and powerful.
If you enjoy reading non-fiction books about WWII, I think you will enjoy this book.
I loved this book. I loved reading about all these amazing people who helped the Allies win the war on the much forgotten but equally important political battlefields. They supported Churchill and FDR and all the other big politicians but rarely, if ever, get the recognition and respect they deserve for all their hard work and the sacrifices they made in the name of the alliance.
Well researched and interesting read. The first 2/3 of the book was pretty slow and dry (although better than a textbook!) which brought it down a star. The last third was engrossing and a quick read.
For a lover of London and history, this book was an absolute treat. But I think any reader (no matter the initial interest) would be completely enthralled with Olson's telling of life in London during WWII. The humanity was remarkably well captured, and the details and facts never felt stuffy or boring. I'll be reaching for more of Olson's work for sure.