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)

A Man Who Changed History

What did you love best about The Last Lion?

The whole portrait of Winston, both his virtues and his foibles.
And the historical WWI with anecdotes describing the horrors of war

Who was your favorite character and why?

Winston, of course

How could the performance have been better?

There needs to be a better volume control. It is difficult to hear unless you are in a totally silent setting. Very disappointing as I listen in the car and on a treadmill. TURN IT UP!!!!

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

Impossible. 42 hrs. and 39 minutes made this a long read

Outstanding Tale of Churchill’s Life and Times

Volume 1 - Outstanding.
Volume 2 - Outstanding. (This volume)
Volume 3 - Not Quite Outstanding.

It seems natural to start this trilogy at volume 1. If you aren’t committed to all three volumes then it may seem natural to start with volume 3...THE WAR.
All of this leaves volume 2 as the least natural place to start. I can’t argue with starting at the beginning for it will give the best look at the times of Victorian England and the height of the British Empire.
But I can say for sure that volume 3 is the wrong place to start. Due to failing health William Manchester was only able to finish the research on the final volume so he handed over all the writing to Paul Reid. This is very unfortunate for it is a drag on the magnificent quality of the the first two books.
William Manchester is one of the best writers around and so it’s natural that his first two volumes on Churchill would be gripping.
If you started with volume three and you’re unsure about whether to commit to volumes one and two, I assure you they are a big step up in quality.

the lion roars

I loved this journey through the great man's life. Winston Churchill was a rockstar and his life never had a dull moment. Whether he was in power or out something was always going on in his life. This book on the inter war years is a wonderful look at his life when he wasn't directing public affairs.

Excellent (except for French accent)

Both the biography itself and the performance are excellent. However, the book includes a lot of French, and the reader doesn't speak it well; these frequent moments in the book make for difficult listening.

What’s with the crappy narration

The firs volume of this three part serious was superbly narrated. Possible the greatest I have heard. The narrator had an extramarital talent for performing the numerous accents to keep the story engaging and easy to follow.

This second volume changed the narrator for the worst. Winston Churchill has a someone monotone, almost Irish accent which does not do justice to the great orator and at times can be comical. I really don’t know what they were thinking.

Opened my eyes to the culpability of the Allies

This is one of the best histories I've ever read.

I had learned in high school that the West had sold out their allies in the East in the 1930s, but until reading this thoroughly researched and engagingly written history of the 1930s -- for the book provides so much context for Churchill's political and personal life that the book is possibly more a general history than a biography -- I had not understood how badly Baldwin and Chamberlain had sold out the democracies.

The author never shies away from admitting Churchill's less savory characteristics -- condescension to lower classes, egoism, racism -- the book really focuses on the Nazi threat, and in this context, Churchill emerges as the unqualified hero. Manchester holds his main character in the highest regard, and his enemies, from Baldwin to Hitler, in the vilest contempt. If you don't like historians' passing judgement on their subjects, I would urge you to keep an open mind and read this book anyway.

The reader at first put me off because of the nasal voice, but I quickly got used to it and now feel that many other voices that could have read this book would not have had sufficient gravity for the subject matter. The reader uses voices for reading quotes, especially Churchill. The voices could have been lame, but they never are and add significantly to the clarity of the prose, since the author mixes his words and quotes frequently. I even liked the few bars the reader sang, which wound up being wholly appropriate and adding to the prose.

Conclusion: Absolute must read for anyone interested in history, leadership, or politics.

I love history and this book took me into history.

I have read William Manchester years ago, but I forgot how good of a writer and historian he is. I loved this book as well as the first in this series. I just downloaded book number three and am very much looking forward to hearing it. My only criticism of book two is the narrator of book one had Churchill's speaking pattern's and tempo down pat. The content and history was very good. Thank you very much.

Awesome

Awesome book, amazing story. Incredibly detailed description of a not so well known period in modern world history. A must read!!

Takes you back in history with winston

This book is a well done loved every part can't wait to get the next one and go back into history again with winston

Perseverance

What an amazing tale of a man who was mocked, ostracized, and belittled and yet, saved his country and arguably, the world. I wish I had been alive during his finest hours. We don’t have leaders like Churchill anymore and it shows by the state of our world.