
Churchill's Shadow
The Life and Afterlife of Winston Churchill
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Keeble
About this listen
Winston Churchill is generally considered one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, revered for his opposition to appeasement, his defiance in the face of German bombing of England, his political prowess, and his memorable speeches. He became the savior of his country, as prime minister during the most perilous period in British history, World War II, and is now perhaps even more beloved in America than in England.
And yet Churchill was also very often in the wrong: He brazenly contradicted his own previous political stances, was a disastrous military strategist, and inspired dislike and distrust through much of his life. Before 1939 he doubted the efficacy of tank and submarine warfare, opposed the bombing of cities only to reverse his position, shamelessly exploited the researchers and ghostwriters who wrote much of the journalism and the books published under his name, and had an inordinate fondness for alcohol that once found him drinking whiskey before breakfast. When he was appointed to the cabinet for the first time in 1908, a perceptive journalist called him "the most interesting problem of personal speculation in English politics".
This revelatory book takes on Churchill in his entirety, separating the man from the myth that he so carefully cultivated, and scrutinizing his legacy on both sides of the Atlantic.
©2021 Geoffrey Wheatcroft (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Meh, with a few gold nuggets
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A well balanced telling of the impact of Churchill
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Extraordinary, highly engaging work of historical scholarship.
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Respectful but not reverential
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A solid, yet, wonderfully written book.
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A few facts and a quote in context, would be nice.
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Leftist Negativity
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This book suffers from three major faults.
Number one the book is badly in need of editing. It is entirely too long and repetitive not to mention foot notes that make absolutely no sense and I have nothing to the book number two in the beginning the author states that he will draw on contemporary comments to back up his position. New sentence Churchill was a politician. New sentence every politician has supporters and detractors. New sentence the author repeatedly draws on the detractors but rarely offers support.
A perfect example would be in World War I when they invaded Turkey. A subsequent review by the British Navy exonerated Churchill because the Royal Navy did not perform as it had promised to. Another review the Royal Navy was supposed to go up the Darnell straight and Shell the Turks on the high ground, but the navy decided not to do that at the last second This was not explained at all in the book although it’s the information that cleared Churchill. New sentence this clearance has never been adequately explained in many volumes of Churchill’s life.
Number three the author has attributed many fails from athletes foot to dandruff following Churchill‘s death to Churchill. he goes to ridiculous extent to impeached Churchill. It is tiresome and totally dishonest.
Too long, unfair and Tedious
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Cynical and negatively biased perspectives
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