• Churchill

  • Walking with Destiny
  • By: Andrew Roberts
  • Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
  • Length: 50 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (4,329 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Churchill  By  cover art

Churchill

By: Andrew Roberts
Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $40.50

Buy for $40.50

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller

One of The Wall Street Journal's 10 best books of 2018

One of The Economist's best books of 2018

One of The New York Times' notable books of 2018

"Unarguably the best single-volume biography of Churchill... A brilliant feat of storytelling, monumental in scope, yet put together with tenderness for a man who had always believed that he would be Britain’s savior." (Wall Street Journal)

In this landmark biography of Winston Churchill based on extensive new material, the true genius of the man, statesman, and leader can finally be fully seen and understood—by the best-selling, award-winning author of Napoleon and The Storm of War

When we seek an example of great leaders with unalloyed courage, the person who comes to mind is Winston Churchill: the iconic, visionary war leader immune from the consensus of the day, who stood firmly for his beliefs when everyone doubted him. But how did young Winston become Churchill? What gave him the strength to take on the superior force of Nazi Germany when bombs rained on London and so many others had caved? In Churchill, Andrew Roberts gives listeners the full and definitive Winston Churchill, from birth to lasting legacy, as personally revealing as it is compulsively listenable.

Roberts gained exclusive access to extensive new material: transcripts of War Cabinet meetings, diaries, letters, and unpublished memoirs from Churchill's contemporaries. The Royal Family permitted Roberts—in a first for a Churchill biographer—to read the detailed notes taken by King George VI in his diary after his weekly meetings with Churchill during World War II. This treasure trove of access allows Roberts to understand the man in revelatory new ways, and to identify the hidden forces fueling Churchill's legendary drive.

We think of Churchill as a hero who saved civilization from the evils of Nazism and warned of the grave crimes of Soviet communism, but Roberts's masterwork reveals that he has as much to teach us about the challenges leaders face today—and the fundamental values of courage, tenacity, leadership, and moral conviction.

©2018 Penguin Audio (P)2018 Andrew Roberts

Critic reviews

A USA Today Book You Won't Want to Miss

A Washington Post Book to Read in November

A Christian Science Monitor Best Book of November

A Mental Floss Best Book of 2018

An Octavian Report Essential Read for 2019

A New York Post Book That Should Be On Everyone's Holiday Gift List

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018

A Lit Hub Best Book of 2018

Shortlisted for the 2019 Plutarch Award

"The best single-volume biography of Churchill yet written. . . . Roberts tells this story with great authority and not a little panache. He writes elegantly, with enjoyable flashes of tartness, and is in complete command both of his sources and the vast historiography."—Richard Aldous, The New York Times

"Terrific . . . By drawing on many previously untapped sources, Mr. Roberts has produced a more complete picture of his subject than any previous biography."—The Economist

"Even if you’ve read every other book about the former prime minister and seen all the movies, expect revelations. For example: The royal family permitted the author to read King George VI’s diary notes about his wartime meetings with Churchill. That’s a first."—The Washington Post

More from the same

What listeners say about Churchill

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,888
  • 4 Stars
    345
  • 3 Stars
    60
  • 2 Stars
    18
  • 1 Stars
    18
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,487
  • 4 Stars
    289
  • 3 Stars
    38
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    9
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,449
  • 4 Stars
    305
  • 3 Stars
    47
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    12

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Churchill was an amazing man. The biography is well researched and well written, and the performance is excellent. Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A very well executed biography

This was a terrific audiobook. The narrative was interesting and the performance perfectly suited to the material. I recommend it highly.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Epic life told in epic fashion

Andrew Roberts has done a great service to history in this epic biography. Easily the best biography I’ve ever read. The leader the world needed in a role his entire life prepared him for.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Spectacular biography of an inconceivable life

drawing on resources that until only very recently were unavailable this biography tells the story of Winston Churchill's life in a way that is compelling, exciting, if also humbling. I loved every bit of it. though it was a long book the narrator brings Churchill to life in a way that makes him approachable. Churchill's delightful sense of humor comes through constantly.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I’m young. I knew of Churchill. Now I know Churchill.

I found myself drawn deeply by the nuances of character that WC exhibited. The Ethos, Logos and pathos exhibited by A. Roberts rendition of WC leaves no paucity in understanding or appreciation. Mr. Thorne’s dynamic and resonating performance fully reflects the Authenticity of WC. I wept as if I had lost a friend, at the end. I will purchase the hardcopy and enjoy this book again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Highly interesting and moving

I approached this book as a WWII history fan. Learned a great deal from it. May be a bit too detailed at times due to its comprehensive, historical nature, but within these details can be found diamonds of great knowledge and wisdom.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

An excellent and comprehensive account of Churchill’s life, legacy, and the persuasion techniques that contributed to his success. I was quite captivated by Andrew Robert’s detailed consideration of how intentional and important Churchill’s speaking, communication, and writing skills were to his success. So many times it resurrected him from defeat that would have sunk just about anyone else. This book could just as easily have been subtitled: The Power of Effective Communication.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

He Never Gave Up!

50 hours and 28 minutes of listening enjoyment.

So well written and narrated. Entertaining and enlightening. I have a new hero.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspirational!

What a man and this a wonderful tribute to him with all his defects and all his glory, never another sadly.
(Loved the narrator as well)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Finest hour how true!

Combination of talented narrator and the remarkable way the Island stood its ground as shown by Andrew Roberts. A memory of Churchill is an everlasting gift from the Creator.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!