Churchill Defiant, Barbara Leaming
Churchill Defiant, Barbara Leaming
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Churchill Defiant
Fighting On: 1945-1955

Author: Barbara Leaming

Narrator: Simon Prebble

Unabridged: 10 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Harper

Published: 10/12/2010


Synopsis

New York Times bestselling biographer Barbara Leaming has written a riveting political dramaof the last ten years of Winston Churchill's public life. In Churchill Defiant, Leaming tells the tumultuous behind-the-scenes story of Churchill's refusal to retire after his 1945 electoral defeat, and the bare-knuckled political and personal battles that ensued. Her ground-breaking biography Jack Kennedy: The Education of a Statesman, was the first to detail Churchill's extraordinary influence on Kennedy's thinking. Now in Churchill Defiant, Leaming gives us a vivid and compelling narrative that sheds fresh light on both the human dimension of Winston Churchill and on the struggles and achievements of his final years. At last, in Leaming's eloquent account, we understand the tangled web of personal relationships and rivalries, the intricate interplay of past and present, the looming sense of history that makes the story of these years as fascinating as anything in the extraordinary century-long saga of Winston Churchill's life.

About Barbara Leaming

Barbara Leaming is a New York Times bestselling author. Her biography of John F. Kennedy was the first to detail the extraordinary influence of Winston Churchill on President Kennedy’s intellectual formation and political strategies. She lives in Connecticut.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Stephen

Book review by Stephen Frater Churchill Defiant Fighting On: 1945 – 1955 By Barbara Leaming Harper N.Y., NY 2010 An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Release date: October 12, 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-133758-1 Only a handful of people have had more biographies written about them than Sir Winston Churchill......more

The first thing to say about this book is that I did enjoy it. The second thing to say is that it cannot stand on its own feet. A lot is happening in Britain between 1945-1955, and the story cannot be told by focusing on one man and his intimates. If you know the background, then the isolated material......more

Goodreads review by Nathan

Good overview of Churchill's second stint as PM. Three thoughts from the book: 1) He knew what he wanted and the role he needed to play. 2) He was indomitably optimistic, maybe even to the point of dangerous or damaging self-deception.  (But remember, this was a man who willed UK through WWII and wit......more

Goodreads review by Paul

This book condenses a large quantity of historical material into a readable, flowing narrative. Churchill's defiant, dogged personality is a continuing theme. He is not above launching palace intrigues to set his would-be usurpers against each other. While out of power (1945-1951) he resists attempts......more