The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3

Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965

By: William Manchester, Paul Reid

Narrated by: Clive Chafer, Paul Reid

Length: 53 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Spanning the years 1940 to 1965, Defender of the Realm, the third volume of William Manchester’s The Last Lion, picks up shortly after Winston Churchill became prime minister - when his tiny island nation stood alone against the overwhelming might of Nazi Germany. The Churchill portrayed by Manchester and Reid is a man of indomitable courage, lightning-fast intellect, and an irresistible will to action.

This volume brilliantly recounts how Churchill organized his nation’s military response and defense, compelled President Roosevelt to support America’s beleaguered cousins, and personified the "never surrender" ethos that helped the Allies win the war, while at the same time adapting himself and his country to the inevitable shift of world power from the British Empire to the United States.

More than 20 years in the making, The Last Lion presents a revelatory and unparalleled portrait of this brilliant, flawed, and dynamic leader. This is popular history at its most stirring.

©2012 John Manchester, Julie Manchester, Laurie Manchester and Paul Reid; published by arrangement with John Manchester, Julie Manchester and Laurie Manchester (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc

Critic reviews

"Before his death in 2004, an ill Manchester asked former Cox newspapers journalist Reid to take his research notes and finish writing the final volume of his trilogy. The long-delayed majestic account of Winston Churchill’s last 25 years is worth the wait…. Manchester matches the outstanding quality of biographers such as Robert Caro and Edmund Morris, joining this elite bank of writers who devote their lives to one subject." ( Publishers Weekly)

"General readers, as always, will be taken by [Manchester's] boundless abilities as a storyteller…. Essential for Manchester collectors, WWII buffs, and Churchill completists." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"A big book but reads easily…. The finished book is a worthy conclusion to what must be considered one of the most thorough treatments of Churchill so far produced. An essential conclusion to Manchester's magnum opus." ( Library Journal)

Long but worth every word in it!

Outstanding description of one of the most consequential leaders of the last century. With elegance and detail, the author walks through the life of a man with will and determination in quantities denied to most mortals. Still, Mr. Reid points out the many shortcomings of a man that did not shy away from looking human, however embarrassingly it turned out at times.
While long, this book engaged me to the point of reading a few extra pages passed my predefined reading time. It is full of details exposed through the lens of the very precarious circumstances Great Britain lived throughout the war - first during the London blitz, then during its relegation to a second class power to Russia and the US -.
While the main goal of the book is to reflect a great man into a fair light it also gives a very interesting view into how the British government of the time worked and how sometimes political rivalries dictated national agendas beyond what one would hope democracy allows for.
All in all, it was a great book and one i would recommend to anyone looking for abundant information morphed into fun reading.

Narration was disappointing

For some reason, the 'producers' of this audiobook decided to give the first part of the narration to its new author, who took over after the original one had health issues - it was a horrible decision. He has an American accent and it become extremely anticlimactic considering one gets used to the first 80 hours of the British narration ! And then, after several hours, a British narrator picks up again! So bad that I skipped part one altogether! I'm actually considering requesting my money back.

Great, but rushed through the last 15 years

This is volume 3 of a biography of Winston Churchill that was begun by William Manchester. After a sharp decline in his health, he asked Paul Reid to finish it. Each volume has been massive but this is the longest of all at 1200 pages. This volume spans the years from 1940-1965, but it is heavily weighted to the years 1940-45, and the period from 1950-65 is given only 61 pages. It would have been nice to have more on those last few years of his life. It’s probably not as good as it would have been if Manchester had been able to finish it himself, but is still a very interesting and exhaustive work. At this point Hitler’s Reich and Mussolini controlled essentially all of Europe (excluding Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland which remained neutral) and much of North Africa. Britain was alone and expecting a German invasion any day. From 1940-42, there was one defeat after another and Churchill faced increasing pressure to negotiate for peace. Churchill, as we all know, staunchly refused and many of the famous quotes of never giving in, keeping on fighting by land, sea, or air, and etc., came from this time. He tried to convince Roosevelt to help out, and played his hand carefully, never inviting Roosevelt to join the war (the isolationist movement in America was very strong at that time), but just that he help with food, medical, and military supplies, even as it increasingly became clear that Britain was completely unable to pay. Churchill was touchy and gloomy at times, but according to those who worked with him, always returned to effervescence and hope and that is part of what made him both a great leader, and a person that could provide the needed encouragement for a populace watching their world tumbling down all around them. For the rest of his life, when asked if there were any year that was his favorite and that, if it were possible, he would go back and repeat, and his reply was always, “1940.” He said, “Bliss in that day it was to be alive. Why do we regard history as of the past and forget that we are making it?” No matter how many defeats, it never occurred to him that victory would not come in the end. Roosevelt did send help, sometimes by hook or crook, and eventually, when Japan declared war on the US, Germany followed. Churchill and Roosevelt became close partners, developing a strong respect and friendship. Stalin was also a part of the allies by then as Hitler had turned on them, ignoring the non-aggression pact that they had signed previously. Churchill was strongly anti-Bolshevik (anti-Communist) but recognized that the greater evil was Hitler, stating, “If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.“ After the war in Europe ended, but while the war was still continuing in the Pacific, Churchill’s party lost their majority in Parliament, which Churchill described as being rewarded with “the Order of the Boot.” He spent the following years writing his memoirs and the history of the war, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953. His party again took control of Parliament in 1951 and he again became Prime Minister, but his health was deteriorating and he eventually had to resign. He died in 1965. The book paints a picture of Churchill that was both positive, and at times, negative as is true of all people. There were many mistakes in carrying out the war, but by Churchill, Roosevelt, and the military, and these are described honestly. But, ultimately, I would have liked to know more about Churchill after the war. Not enough is said about Churchill’s role in promoting  what eventually became the EU as well as the UN (of which he later said, “The United Nations was set up not to get us to heaven, but only to save us from hell”). And, how many know that he learned bricklaying and built almost all of the garden walls of his estate or that he was a prolific writer all of his life, and a prolific painter as well?  Still, I can only highly recommend this, along with the other two volumes, as worthy of your time, even though, with their great length, it will take a significant amount of it.

Amazing story, not so great narration

The narrator uses the EXACT SAME pitch and cadence for every sentence which was incredibly distracting and made it hard to get lost in the story itself. That said, the book is fantastic and well worth the struggles of listening to this particular narration.

The Last Lion Volume 3

Excellent. The story and presentation were worthy of the man. I would highly recommend all 3 volumes. The readers for all 3 volumes were good with volume 1 outstanding.

Incredible

So much better than history class. Insightful, real and colorful. The man comes alive.

Amazing

This book is a worthy sequel to Manchester’s two previous chapters about Winston Churchill, one of the most amazing men to have ever lived.

Excellent, with one caveat

This is an excellent audiobook. The one caveat is the narration of the first few chapters, they're painful to listen to. However, if you can survive, you'll be rewarded with a better narrator and hours of enjoyable listening.

a great finish to a great series!!

Paul Reid did an excellent job finishing off this series. A great book and a great man so glad for the excellent work put into it.

Good history of WWII, and its aftermath.

Wiinston Churchill is the greatest leader of the 20th Century and the greatest leader of England ever