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)

Interesting!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book keeps your interest even as it dives into the deep end of British politics. It keeps W.C. real and gives a balanced view of the man: good and bad. Very enjoyable.

Don't let the narrator reviews scare you away!

What did you love best about The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940?

The inspiring courage of W.C. standing by his guns for ten years, bucking the tide, because he believed he was right. This is what makes him truly heroic - and inspiring. Who could not relate to his failure, isolation, and frustration. It's part of the human condition. WC is such an engaging, larger than life character even in these years of "isolation."

Who was your favorite character and why?

Winston Churchill is obviously my favorite character. He is strong, quirky, enigmatic, articulate, well-read and brilliant. He's also quite flawed and the author does not whitewash those details. It makes the book all the more authentic.

Have you listened to any of Richard Brown’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

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

Yes, but obviously impossible to do so. I did listen to it at just about every possible moment. In the car I might have the radio on and I would think, "Why am I listening to this drivel? I have to get back to Winston!"

Any additional comments?

Please do not be put off by the negative reviews of the narrator. I almost was. I read so many diatribes negatively comparing this narrator to the narrator for the first book. I almost didn't buy the book because of that. I listened to the first book in the trilogy, yes that narrator was better than this one. Having said that, I thought this narrator did just fine and I am SO GLAD that I didn't let those reviews put me off. I understood EVERY word. I knew when he was doing his Winston impression and when he wasn't. Don't let them put you off either. If you loved the first book then you will also, most likely, love this one too. I certainly did. And of course, I'm on to book three now.

The definitive Churchill biographer

The definitive two part account of Churchill. Manchester does a magnificent job of putting the reader into the day to day life of Churchill. A quick read with depth and fascinating history. Richard Brown does a five star narration. Listen to volume one first if you can.

An epic and authoritative work.

With a truckload of original sources and some of the deepest historical research you will ever see, These books tell the whole story of Churchill's life: his culture, his glory, his strength, his brilliance, and also his flaws/mistakes.

If his advice would have been heeded, World War II may not have ever happened. Instead, he was accused of being a warmonger and sensationalist about Hitler's plans.

This is book two of three. It ends with Churchill finally being appointed as prime minister as Hitler rolls into France.

Churchill was a gift to the entire world.

I am a Winston Churchill fan, and have been for a long time. loved this book.

worth every minute

view of the history of the time. well worth 35 hours. Hard to turn off the car and wait until the next time I could listen.

not as good as reader of first volume

fascinating, informative and interesting. very relevant, even today. i wish they had used the same narrator as in the first volume.

great!

really great to hear about underlying narrative to one of world's greatest heroes. sadly, civilization will probably continue to not listen to good council until it's too late.

the man who saved the world.

this book is absolutely worth having and hearing again in again. well writen, enlightening and masterfully read. no one has done more for the world. without Churchill the Nazis dominate earth today. the fact people are trying to judge him now based on the values and norms of today is just disgusting.

Solid Second Volume!

I jumped into Volume II of the Last Lion immediately after finishing Volume I. The headline is this: This was an excellent 36 hour investment of time. This is a well written, thorough and fascinating look at Churchill's years in the wilderness. Really enjoyed learning about all the difficulties Churchill faced in the years leading up to his move to 10 Downing Street.

Now for the one major con (& I'm admitting this might be petty). Volume I was narrated by Frederick Davidson who was exquisite. His reading was flawless – the “voice” he gave Churchill really resonated with me. Volume II was narrated by Richard Brown & I never really connected with his voice or style. Had he been the first “voice” of Churchill in Volume I, then I might feel differently. But, in my opinion, it was a big step backward. And 36 hours is a long time to be reminded of how much more I enjoyed Davidson’s version of Churchill. Again – this is a personal preference, but it did contribute to my overall enjoyment of the audio book.

All that said, I can’t wait to dive into Volume III