Winston Churchill

By: John Keegan

Narrated by: Richard Matthews

The eminent historian John Keegan charts Churchill's career, following his steadfast leadership during the catastrophic events of World War II while England was dangerously poised on the brink of collapse. With wonderful eloquence, Keegan illuminates Churchill's incredible strength during this crucial moment in history and his unshakable belief that democracy would always prevail.

Keegan looks at Churchill's speeches, which are some of the greatest examples of English oratory, and identifies his ability to communicate his own idea of an English past as the source of Churchill's greatness. He also sheds light on the political climate of Churchill's time. The result is an insightful, sensitive portrait of Churchill the war leader and Churchill the man.

©2002 John Keegan (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An accomplished and seductive book." (The Times Literary Supplement)

"Stands out as a model of insightfulness about an immense historical personality who helped to shape the world we live in." (The Economist)

"Masterfully covers nearly all aspects of Churchill's illustrious career with knowledgeable insight and sympathy." (Forbes)

A good intro/summary

I didn't know much about Winston Churchill's life, and wanted to learn more, but didn't want to sink myself into a long, detailed tome. This book was the right choice for me. It was informative, but not intimidating or boring. The story flows smoothly, chronologically, from Churchill's youth to old age, just like a proper biography should. After listening to the book twice, I now feel like I have a reasonable understanding of who Winston Churchill was and why his role in history is considered so significant. I thought the narrator was great, although I can imagine some people might not like his Churchill impression.

Best Short Churchill Biography

Sir John Keegan’s wealth of experience in military history make him the perfect author to pen a slim biography of the most important figure of the twentieth century.
Also, the narrator is superb.

Further reading on Churchill...
Winston’s War - The Second World War from Churchill’s point of view. (Max Hastings)

The Last Lion: Three books covering Churchill’s entire life and times. First volume won the Pulitzer Prize; Second is my favorite.
(William Manchester)
Total 2,000 pages; 130 hours.

Sir Martin Gilbert made a career of writing about Churchill from every conceivable angle. The foundation of his career was the eight volume Official Churchill Biography.

Winston Churchill himself wrote about “My Early Life” and his role in both World Wars in:
“The World Crisis” & “The Second World War”.

Sir John Oregon's Winston Churchill

One of my favorite historians Sir Johns Churchill is a very good succinct read. There are longer books about Churchill but I suggest that this is a very good introduction to the topic. All the important points are written here and this book may lead you to want more about Churchill. On the other hand if a quick history is what you are looking for this is your read. It can be easily read in a couple evenings. its very enjoyable written. I recommend this and a!! of John Keegan works.

Churchill Lite

Have you had the experience of reading Dickens’s Oliver Twist and then watching a two-hour theater production of it? If you have, you may recall thinking, "Gee, everything is happening so fast!" You’ll get the same feeling if you’ve read Manchester and Reid on the life of Churchill and then found yourself reading Keegan’s book. "Gee, everything is happening so fast!" To give you a feel for the speed of the thing, notice that years 1941 through 1945 are covered in a single chapter of 20 pages.

I didn't read the book; rather, I listened to it. The reader, Richard Matthews, did a good job, although, not (in my opinion) the job Clive Chafer, the reader of the third volume of the The Last Lion, did. Chafer was a hard act to follow.

If you’re looking for a brief overview of Churchill’s war years, this might be the book for you. Having just read the Manchester-Reid volume, Keegan’s book, but for its final chapter (“Apotheosis”) felt like a waste of time. That last chapter, though, was well worth the price of the book. Essentially, it was analysis of the extent to which we ought to admire Churchill. The author concluded that he was indeed worthy of the greatest admiration; most anyone familiar with the great man is sure to agree.

Marvelous

This is a wonderful brief account of the extraordinary life of Winston Churchill. There is much in this little book that points to the leadership of this great man especially the power of his words to inspire. For those who don't know much about Churchill this is a great introduction for those who have spent hour upon hour reading Churchill's histories and many of the splendid biographies published about him this book gives a unique and valuable perspective. I really enjoy John Keegan's writing style Richard Mathews performance is nothing short of masterful. Love Simon Vance's audible books you will love Richard Mathews performance. If you listen to only one audio book this year Churchill would be my choice. It's narrative style and performance makes it a marvelous audible experience. Whoever says good history can't be entertaining has not read John Keegan!!!!

Worthwhile

The narrator is a bit too much for me. I prefer a straight un-dramatized read but the book itself is good. This was my first serious exposure to Winston Churchill and I would recommend it to any casual student of history. For those looking for an exhaustive study I would recommend that they look elsewhere.

Very nice good book

Like hearing about historical figures Churchill was one of my favorites to read about a dashing figure

He’s no Chernow or McCullough

Dry and boring. I love bios and have always wanted to learn about Churchill. I couldn’t finish this. I’ll look for another one.