Churchill

De: Roy Jenkins

Narrado por: Simon Vance

Winston Churchill is an icon of modern history, but even though he was at the forefront of the political scene for almost 60 years, he might be remembered only as a minor player in the drama of British government had it not been for World War II. In this magisterial book, Roy Jenkins' unparalleled command of the political history of Britain and his own high-level government experience combine in a narrative account of Churchill's astounding career that is unmatched in its shrewd insights, its unforgettable anecdotes, the clarity of its overarching themes, and the author's nuanced appreciation of his extraordinary subject.

From a very young age, Churchill believed he was destined to play a great role in the life of his nation, and he determined to prepare himself. Jenkins shows in fascinating detail how Churchill educated himself for greatness, how he worked out his livelihood (writing) as well as his professional life (politics), how he situated himself at every major site or moment in British imperial and governmental life. His parliamentary career was like no other - with its changes of allegiance (from the Conservative to the Liberal and back to the Conservative Party), its troughs and humiliations, its triumphs and peaks - and for decades, especially the crisis years of the late 1930s and the terrifying 1940s, when at last it was clear how vital Churchill was to the very survival of Britain. He evaluates Churchill's other accomplishments, his writings, with equal authority.

Exceptional in its breadth of knowledge and distinguished by its stylish wit and penetrating intelligence, this is one of the finest political biographies of our time.

©2001 Roy Jenkins (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A first-class, well-sustained work of history and a masterpiece of biography." (The Sunday Telegraph)
"This is far and away Churchill's best one-volume biography." (Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.)

Too much little stuff

This is a big book about a larger than life man. The book captures you early on and then somewhere around WW1 it let me go and it seemed like a chore to stick with the minutia especially between the wars. There seemed to be just too much detail in this book

An Arduous Listen

A thorough narrative of Churchill's personality and politics marred by pretentious, Byzantine, antiquated prose. Most annoying: one needs their French and Latin dictionaries within reach. Happy slogging.

Excellent biography

Roy Jenkins gives a perceptive, fairly concise and easy to listen to review of Churchill’s life.

Magnifigant preformance

Would you consider the audio edition of Churchill to be better than the print version?

Audio

What other book might you compare Churchill to and why?

A biogriphy is difficult to compare when it is about a persons life and no man have ever lived the same life.

Which character – as performed by Robert Whitfield – was your favorite?

Churchill himself due to the books caracter.

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

No

Any additional comments?

NO

Very Detailed

This book is a filled with detail and very well described events. I had little knowledge of the life of Winston Churchill or the workings of the government he briefly led before reading this book. I can say that Jenkins left no stone unturned and has written a truly exceptional book.

The narration is exceptional. No annoying flaws in the narrators reading style and maintains a steady pace.

Only 4 stars due to the, in my opinion, overuse of insignificant names throughout the book which made some sections slightly difficult to follow.