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Churchill A Life Martin Gilbert 9780805023961 Books

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Churchill A Life Martin Gilbert 9780805023961 Books

Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century, and probably one of the greatest men in history, lived a long, rich and controversial life. Martin Gilbert is his official biographer. "Churchill: A Life" is based upon Gilbert's much larger multi-volume biography, but it is not an abridgment.

Gilbert tells Churchill's story in an elegant and straightforward manner. He moves the reader smoothly from Churchill's troubled childhood, through his brief military career and into his long career as a Member of Parliament. Churchill's rapid rise from House of Commons "back-bencher," to cabinet minister was phenomenal. So were his numerous falls from power, caused mainly by his uncanny ability to alienate nearly all his political colleagues. After eight years in the "political wilderness," Churchill reached the pinnacle of British political power, becoming Prime Minister in May 1940, just as Nazi Germany launched its attack on the Low Countries and France. Gilbert's treatment of Churchill's wartime and post-war premierships is fascinating, as is his narrative of Churchill's later years.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I felt I didn't get to know Churchill as well as I did after reading William Manchester's two-volume Churchill biography, "The Last Lion." Gilbert's prose is much more scholarly sounding, and lacks some of Manchester's flair for dramatic storytelling, and his incisive commentary. Still, "Churchill: A Life" is a fascinating, if not especially penetrating, study of this colossus of British history. Highly recommended!

Review updated June 15, 2015.


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Churchill A Life Martin Gilbert 9780805023961 Books Reviews

This is a massive, one volume biography of one of the twentieth century's true Titans The book encompasses Churchill’s youth, education and early military career, his journalistic work, and his political leadership. As one would expect, the narrative peaks during WWII. Churchill's leadership during this dark time was superb. He was one of those historic characters who was EXACTLY the right man, in the right place, at the right time!! His imprint on world history and Great Britain is indelible. The span of the man's life and his accomplishments in several diverse fields is absolutely astonishing. All of this is driven home by the author's excellent prose. The narrative is augmented by Churchill's own speeches and excerpts from his writing. The man's words leap off the page and engross the reader.

However, I was disappointed and I fully recognize that my rating and my opinion runs counter to the vast majority of other reviews posted here. My concerns are as follows
- I thought way too much trivial detail was spent on Churchill's youth. While I understand how important youthful experiences are in shaping and defining later attitudes and motivations, I came away with little insight into young Churchill's soul. I was disappointed that not more effort was spent on sharpening the focus of his relationships with his parents and family. Less space taken up with Churchill's report cards and more attention to the "inner" youth would have been, I believe, more profitable for the reader.
- My major issue with the book is that it is in no way objective. Churchill's every move, every phrase, every political position, every forecast is treated as outright success or draped in positive connotations. Failures that are attached to Churchill's name are actually the fault of others or unavoidable circumstances. There was no "what if"analysis. No discussion of alternatives. Everything Churchill thought or did was presented with such certainty and free from doubt. Frankly, half way into the book I really got sick and tired of reading about the multiple unbroken successes that an larger than life portrait that the author presented.
- I didn't feel that I get to know Churchill "The Person" His fears, doubts, motivations, feelings, themes and emotions were presented, but not fully developed. Churchill is depicted in almost mythic proportions I didn't get to know Churchill as a real living creature, beset by doubts and emotions. It was like looking at a coloring book....images are presented in outline, you get a reasonable idea of the subject, but it is still an outline, not fully developed by color and shading.
I greatly enjoy non-fiction that is balanced, objective with sufficient discussion to provide the reader with perspective, insight and thought provoking scenarios. After I finished this book, I learned what Churchill did, what he accomplished but not who he was.
I have to rate this book up there with one of the best I have read, in spite of the fact that there was a point in the book, about a fourth of the way through, when I wondered if I would finish it. I struggled a bit, reading about Churchill as a boy, and also his early political life. He was an odd child, and not having a great understanding of the British Parlimentary system, it dragged on some. That being said, in the end, I would not remove any of that from the book if I were editing it, which I clearly don't have the qualifications to do. Without them, it would be hard to fully understand the life of this unique and magnificent man. I don't believe there is a more significant character in the 20th century than Winston Spencer Churchill and without an understanding of this man, it is impossible to understand World War II and why the allies won the war.

Martin Gilbert does such a wonderful job of weaving the narrative of, not only Churchill's life, but the multitude of events in the 20th century that he played a role, that even though I knew the outcome, I couldn't put the book down. In the end, I came away with not just a deeper admiration for WSC, but a greater understanding of the history of his era. Churchill is one of the heroes of history, and Gilbert does an admirable job of proving that point. Highly recommended.
Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century, and probably one of the greatest men in history, lived a long, rich and controversial life. Martin Gilbert is his official biographer. "Churchill A Life" is based upon Gilbert's much larger multi-volume biography, but it is not an abridgment.

Gilbert tells Churchill's story in an elegant and straightforward manner. He moves the reader smoothly from Churchill's troubled childhood, through his brief military career and into his long career as a Member of Parliament. Churchill's rapid rise from House of Commons "back-bencher," to cabinet minister was phenomenal. So were his numerous falls from power, caused mainly by his uncanny ability to alienate nearly all his political colleagues. After eight years in the "political wilderness," Churchill reached the pinnacle of British political power, becoming Prime Minister in May 1940, just as Nazi Germany launched its attack on the Low Countries and France. Gilbert's treatment of Churchill's wartime and post-war premierships is fascinating, as is his narrative of Churchill's later years.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I felt I didn't get to know Churchill as well as I did after reading William Manchester's two-volume Churchill biography, "The Last Lion." Gilbert's prose is much more scholarly sounding, and lacks some of Manchester's flair for dramatic storytelling, and his incisive commentary. Still, "Churchill A Life" is a fascinating, if not especially penetrating, study of this colossus of British history. Highly recommended!

Review updated June 15, 2015.