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)

Truly Stunning...

A fascinating account of how close we came to losing Western Civilization as we know it...

looking forward to volume III

Loved the first two volumes of this biography I hear the third volume is due out in 2011. Something to look forward to in the new year.

Excellent book but poorly read.

The narrator left a lot to be desired. The narrator from Volume1 was much better.

Great story, poor production

The narrator sounds like he’s speaking from another room. Actually surprised Audible has not redone this book. Too great a book to sacrifice to a bad production.

Book 2 of the brilliant Manchester biography

The first two books of The Last Lion by William Manchester are masterpieces, the third one not quite as good due to Manchester dying before he completed it. At first glance it may seem odd that this book only covers 8 years while the first covered nearly 60 and the last 25. But these were the crucial years that led to WWII and Manchester shows vividly how it could have avoided if only British statesmen had listened to Churchill throughout the 1930s.
Two minor complaints: the narrator's impersonation of Churchill takes some getting used to, and often times there are French and German phrases that are not translated. But these are indeed minor and shouldn't deter anyone from a great book

Great book, poor narrator

I'm a big fan of the book, but i had to return this audio book because i just couldn't stand the narrator's voice. It's flat, wooden, and sounds hollow. I will buy it again if a different narrator is available.

Poor narration, but excellent book

Were it not for the poor narration, I would definitely rate this book higher than Manchester's first volume. It certainly is a wonderful effort by Manchester to make sense of his time outside of the British government. You will share with Winston the frustration of being alone in a time of appeasement at any price. Nevertheless, the book treats Chamberlain rather fairly, despite his obvious blindness in judging Hitler.

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.