Yes, to try to capture all the momentus history of which he was a part.

I usually do not like it when the narrator tries to imitate the voices but he nailed Churchill's and it helped in knowing when he was quoting Churchill directly.

yes. But it drove me to distraction the way he (Chafer) or he (Reid) felt he had to define every single direct and indirect object. If HE said he was going to Chartwell for dinner I damn well knew that he was talking about Churchill, not the Archbishop of Canterbury

First were the years of 1940 and 1941, when Churchill and the Europeans were dealing with the Nazi and Axis push through Europe and we did not even seem to notice there was a war going on. The second - When Churchill was dealing with Roosevelt and Stalin - - It was so obvious that Churchill was right and that the world might have been in much better shape if Roosevelt had listened to Churchill rather than winging it with Stalin.

This really give us Americans a good idea of the war years we missed - when things seem so bleak.

Enjoyed this audiobook so much.. So many events and details I had not heard of: the politics, the war strategies, life in GB during the bombings and Churchills wit, insights, some blind spots and his incredible journeys. I could not stop listening. Sometimes the writing is very poetic.

The incredible first two war years, the battles and the strategies. Also the communications with FDR and Stalin.

No, but very well read by Clive Chafer.

Impossible to do over 52 hours, but I read it for days on end.

What a wonderful book. I am ready to start reading the previous two volumes.

Having just completed listening to the Audible.com version of this work, I can’t say enough good about either the quality of the book or the quality of the reader. Amazing to me that in the books 1200 plus pages, my interest in the narrative never flagged.Lion is more than a biography; it’s also a detailed history of the Second World War. While listening to Lion, I have been reading No Ordinary Time (Doris Kearns Goodwin, 1995) , which covers roughly the same time and the same characters. I’m enjoying Time, but it doesn’t compare favorably with Manchester-Reid’s book. Surely part of the charm has been the reading. When speaking Churchill’s words, Nelson Runger sounds like Churchill—all you’re missing is the static.

I can’t help speculating that the publishers made a conscious decision to include in the biography a great deal of peripheral information about the war and the times that Churchill lived in. The only instance I recall in which the authors refrained from inclusion was in following into the future the creation of the European Union—an objective that the great man had in view decades before its birth.

Finally, and perhaps because this period of time—the war years—were so dramatic, I thought this volume far surpassed in engaging my attention and capturing my imagination the earlier two Manchester volumes on Churchill’s life. Indeed, I next will listen to yet another Churchill biography in the hope that it can approach the quality of this one.

The story of how this book was finally completed is a tale itself. Paul Reid has done William Manchester proud. Winston Churchill was a fascinating and complex person with such a rich and long life that he is definitely a handful for any biographer. Between these two amazing authors this third volume of Churchill's life is told with effortless ease (which we know was not the case for the authors). And the narration is splendid. No 'eating the scenery'.

I would listen to it again, I will also read the book.

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore the life of Winston Churchill. The book is equally valuable for its success in capturing the historic events of Churchill's times. Manchester, and later Bird, were so adept in bringing the human element to the story which is sometimes hard to do when writing about one of the giants of our times. The quality of the writing overcomes some small lapses in the quality of the narration (see comments for narrater).

Churchill, as he did in life, overshadows all the other characters.

There were some lapses in narration that proved to be off setting at timeS. There are some wonderful moments when the narrator invokes a slight change in voice tone when quoting another character and it greatly enhances the narrative. However, there are moments when the narrater seemed to have been bored and appeared to just be reading the text in a rote-like presentation. The writing itself was so fine it nearly always overcame the narration lapses...but when a narrater begins to "rote-read", and when a reader senses that the narrater is trying to "get through" a passage it becomes distracting.

The book's title would work just fine for me.

excellent audible of a great book - kept me mesmorised - not just events but able to get a really good picture of the men (hardly any reference to women!) during this period. made so much better by delving into the personalites of the people who changed the world during this time and beyond. great voices to listen to. very satisfied customer.

The unflinching portrait of WSC, in all of his complex, and often contradictory, human extra-ordinariness, is carried on in this volume as masterfully as it was in Vols. I and II. What makes this one so much more enjoyable is the almost minute-by-minute depiction of life in England, among the people and the government, and in the Western World during WWII. It is a triumph of biography that the author, while obviously in awe of Churchill and the "great man" he was -- or that he became in these circumstances -- does not gloss over his subject's faults, errors and shortcomings, making a fascinating and realistic work and a totally enjoyable listen. At 50+ hours it is a monumental undertaking, but never a wasted moment!

I always like to own the written copy of great books for my own library, for perusal and future reference.

I would put it in the same category as William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. The Last Lion is also a paean to great man, and Shirer's more of post-mortem autopsy, but both books are seminal works that belong in the library of any serious 20th century historian. The Last Lion adds balance to understanding the birth of the American Century and the necessary historical are revisionism of the American victors. Churchill was the quintessential stateman, a man of letters, wit, and biting humor. His should be voice of the moral victors of WWII. It is beautifully written, and the Audible recording was beautifully read.

Winston Churchill as Leonidas of Sparta: how a great man saved a nearly defeated Empire against the overwhelming forces of evil.

I most certainly would as at each listening there would be more detail gleaned from the amazing amount of material presented.

Getting an understanding for the incredible delicacy of the relationships between Britain, United States and Russia during the Second World War. Being able to see the human side of so many of the great leaders of that era.

Without a doubt Winston Churchill - such a complex yet simple man. Someone who was so dedicated to the ultimate cause and was not afraid to take the difficult steps when required.

I would have loved to but simply didn't have 56 hours available but it did make for six weeks of riveting commentary whilst walking the dog..

A great volume and it gives a detailed account for what was one of the most critical times in recent history.

The Second World War was the vital time for the West in the Twentieth Century. Winston Churchill was central to the winning of the War. This book tells a well researched and well written story of Churchill and his time during the War. Reid, drawing on Manchester's research, and on Manchester's style, brings Winston Churchill to life, warts and all. I listen on my daily commute, and at times during the book, and it is a long book, I found myself deliberately slowing down to maximize my listening time. Clive Chafer has just the right voice. He is a good reader, and he has a style - flat and cynical without being boring or expressionless - which sets off the emotion and drama of the story, rather than taking it over. This book is an essential listen for anyone interested in the central history of the West in the last century.