The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume II: Alone, 1932-1940

De: William Manchester

Narrado por: Richard Brown

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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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.

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.