The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940

By: William Manchester

Narrated by: Richard Brown

Length: 36 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

This second volume in William Manchester's three-volume biography of Winston Churchill challenges the assumption that Churchill's finest hour was as a wartime leader. During the years 1932-1940, he was tested as few men are. Pursued by creditors (at one point he had to put up his home for sale), he remained solvent only by writing an extraordinary number of books and magazine articles. He was disowned by his own party, and dismissed by the BBC, Fleet Street, and the social and political establishments as a warmonger, and twice nearly lost his seat in Parliament. Churchill stood almost alone against Nazi aggression and the pusillanimous British and French policy of appeasement.

Manchester tracks with new insights this complex, fascinating history, without ever losing sight of Churchill the man - a man whose vision was global and whose courage was boundless.

©1988 William Manchester (P)1990 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Manchester is not only a master of detail but also of 'the big picture'....I daresay most Americans reading The Last Lion will relish it immensely." ( National Review)
"[Manchester] can claim the considerable achievement of having assembled enough powerful evidence to support Isaiah Berlin's judgment of Churchill as the largest human being of our time." (Alistair Cooke)

It's really good

do yourself a favor and give the first book in the trilogy a shot. I was disappointed it was over.

they switched narrators

the continuation of thec story is 5 stars, but I was disappointed that narrators were switched.... it deffinitely affects the experience

Excellent Volume 2, if you can hear it.

Poor recording quality. Sound is muffled at times as well as rise and fall unexpectedly. When you can hear the reading, excellent follow up to volume 1.

Great.

I loved every word of this book. Narrator sometimes sounds like Vincent Price but that's okay.

Excellent book!

It is a bit difficult to follow the minute details at times, but Churchill was such a compelling individual that the gravity of the man and the story carries one on. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and am anxious to start the last volume.

Great book -- poor narration

If you could sum up The Last Lion in three words, what would they be?

Compromised by narrator.

What other book might you compare The Last Lion to and why?

Volume one

What didn’t you like about Richard Brown’s performance?

It is lame. Frederick Davidson's narration of Volume One is the sine qua non of great narration. Brown's ambiguous accent and his inadequate impersonations, not to mention horrible, tuneless singing, are a travesty when compared to Frederick Davidson's work. What a missed opportunity.

Any additional comments?

Very disappointed that Davidson did not complete the series.

History Made Clear

What an expedition through time...all the old family names, their machinations made clear...perfection. Buy this book now. If that period is a hazy piece of your education these two books will clarify it all. Getting to know the man who lived it is frosting on the cake.

Where in the name of God did you get this narrator

What made the experience of listening to The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940 the most enjoyable?

The writing of Mr Manchester

What other book might you compare The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940 to and why?

Volume ! and Volume 3

How could the performance have been better?

The narration was terrible. especially compared with the narration of VOL 1 and 3. He did not sound at all like Churchill.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"The war and carnage that never had to be!"

Any additional comments?

I almost stopped listening as it became too difficult to put up with the terrible narration.

Winston Churchill Biography

Where does The Last Lion rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Well told story. Good mix of intimate details and broad political and cultural context.

What three words best describe Richard Brown’s voice?

The direct quotes from Churchill's speeches were better rendured by the narrator in Vol. I

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is a very long book which I very much enjoyed. This is not a book you could possibly listen to in one sitting

Slow and depressing compared to the first....

...but that's to be assumed I guess, given the period and events. The reader didn't do the voices or accents nearly as well as the reader of the previous book. That guy was fantastic.