Name: The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932
Rating: 4.5 (14 reviews)
ISBN: 9780385313483

William Manchester

Describes the early life and political career of the British prime minister.

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932

Simon Elliott Stegall

An absolutely gorgeous biographical work. Manchester's prose is eloquent, insightful, and perfectly balanced. Whenever you start getting bored by dozens of pages about Parliamentary issues or British Imperial reform (which are still very interesting in their own right), the author deftly switches topics to give you a picture of Churchill's home life, his entertaining correspondences, or to tease the shadow that was beginning to spread in Germany. The analysis of Churchill's character is equally fair; he was a oratorical genius and a man of profound courage and love, but also one prone to rashness, haste and prejudice. Manchester's belief that 'one should not judge the past by the standards of the present' allows him to admire Churchill's admirable qualities and to critique his bad ones without slipping into revisionist bigotry or the contextless categorizations (racist!) which rot the modern view of the past.

As for Churchill himself: he was an incredibly divisive man in his own time, famously saying: "Whenever I feel flattered by the crowds who come to hear me speak, I remind myself that twice the crowd would arrive to see me hanged." Like most politicians, he had successes and failures, mistakes and victories. Unlike most politicians, he was a man of staunch principle with a deeply literary worldview. His total devotion to the truth and to what (he believed) was right was just as unusual then as it would be now, and well worth poring over 900 pages for. Bring on the next 2000!

Jeremy Anderberg

Some of the best writing you'll ever find in a biography. Period. It's looong, but worth it. Give it like 10-20 pages a day and pair it with other reading, IMO.

Jeni Enjaian

This book is hands down the absolute best biography I have ever read and I am only one third of the way through. I have been looking forward to listening to this book and Manchester did not disappoint. 
The book opens with a long, rambling introduction which is composed of a fascinating study of the Victorian time period into which Churchill was born. Manchester frequently takes the time to set the stage before moving on to the next set of events in Churchill's life. I absolutely love this. 
This book, as evidenced by the subsequent volumes is the most expansive biography I have ever read. That being said, I wish that Manchester had included more information about Churchill's personal life. A man's life is more than the summary of his political and military actions. 
As a historian, I am amazed at and thoroughly pleased by his copious use of primary documents. My respect for Manchester increased significantly after listening to the last chapter in which he discusses the availability (or lack thereof) of primary sources and his attempt to access them for use in his research. That's definitely the history nerd in me coming out. 
Lastly, Manchester paints a fairly objective picture of Winston Churchill. Manchester does not shy away from describing Churchill's flaws and mistakes while at the same time highlights Churchill's utter (and sporadic) genius. 
It's a long haul (and I'm not even halfway through) but this three volume biography is a must read for any history lover and especially for all Anglophiles.

The noted biographer-historian continues his life of Winston Churchill, focusing here on the years of Churchill's political exile and his increasingly forceful opposition to Hitler's Germany.

Alone, 1932-1940

The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill

While I prefer the first volume, the second volume did not disappoint. (Except the narrator, I could have done without the nasal intonation.)
I was a bit thrown off at first with the present tense narration of the introduction but that's most likely due to inattention on my part. It's easy to miss things like chapter headings and etc when listening to an audiobook. 
This book, while more history than biography, is absolutely fascinating. Manchester highlights Churchill's intuitive genius and everyone else's head-in-the-sand cluelessness when it comes to Hitler. Absurdly astounding. (I had typed absolutely but autocorrect changed it to absurdly. I like that interpretation.)
I do wish that Manchester had included more about Churchill's personal life. (Yes, a biography that spans more than 2400 pages lacks something. :D) However, Manchester is a historiographical genius. His storytelling ability rivals his subject. 

Again, I highly recommend the entire work.

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932

Reviews

Highlights