Rachel TretheweyRezensionen

This book follows the lives of Winston Churchill's daughters - Diana, Sarah, Marigold, and Mary. Born into a political family with strong views, the daughter's reacted to the stress and publicity in different ways. This was a very well written and interesting novel. The daughter's lives were fascinating in their own right. The book was well paced and the characters dynamic. Overall, highly recommended.

I've encountered the Churchill sisters previously, but usually as tertiary to the main story. In this history, the daughters of Winston and Clementine Churchill are the focus, as each followed her own path and lived through eventful years. I appreciated this book for its valuable insight into the Churchill family - a family in which Winston is often the dominant figure. I feel that I learned new things about each family member and have a more complete picture of what Churchill family life was like. For anyone interested in the Churchills, I would recommend this book.

Winston Churchill, one of the most exceptional men of the 20th century, a giant during World War II, and a person that I have admired and enjoyed studying over the years. While I knew that Winston had daughters I never delve much deeper than surface information, which is why I was excited to read The Churchill Sisters.

Dr. Rachel Trethewey did an astounding job on this deep dive into the four Churchill daughters. An incredibly thorough and well researched book, The Churchill Sisters is chock full of quotes and first hand knowledge that goes with the flow of the narrative and reads more like a historical fiction with its fluidity.

The Bibliography is astounding, with page after page of sources and notes, not to mention interviews with actual living relatives that gives this text that much more credibility. There is also an index in the back to help reference a particular person or subject quickly, which I greatly appreciated, especially when I went back to go over a certain subject to ponder and couldn’t remember exactly where I read it.

The Churchill Sisters takes you to the beginning of Winston and Clementine’s relationship, with details of their upbringings, then the details of each daughter's births and their upbringings. The rest of the book goes through each of their unique stories mingled and mixed throughout the decades with such great detail there were moments I found myself lost in this past world.

One thing I never realized in my studies of Winston Churchill was just how codependent his wife and daughters were to him. It was never a secret where their loyalty lied, but I never knew it was to such an extent. I have always been fascinated with the magnificent Winston Churchill but never realized his family was just as fascinating as the man himself.

The author states in the introduction that this is a true love story, showing the undying love and loyalty manifested between Churchill and his daughters, and I quite agree, though this love story is a unique one. I have a close relationship with my own father but reading the almost obsessive devotion these three had with their dad was admirable at times, and cringy and uncomfortable at other times. I admire a family that is close, but there is a fine line between close-knit and codependent, and this line was quite blurry between Churchill and his girls.

Finally, I must mention a few subjects that could be triggering for some. First there is depression and mental health discussed at length throughout the story, due to almost everyone dealing with what Winston called “the Black Dog.” It is a subject that is heartbreaking yet relatable, as many are affected by mental health issues in one way or another. I myself have diseases in my own family but, though I am well versed in this subject, it didn’t change the fact that these parts were, at times, difficult for me to read. If you are sensitive to this subject be forewarned.

There are also escapisms and addictions, like alcoholism, as each member of the Churchill family dealt with tough situations, such as deaths and broken relationships, which one daughter in particular was almost continuously haunted by. There is also suicides and deaths that also could be triggering for some, but these are just the facts, and the details about each death are brief and respectful.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed The Churchill Sisters, and cannot recommend highly enough. It helped me understand Winston Churchill on a deeper level, and made my appreciation grow. I now truly believe that he was an incredible man thanks to the women that stood behind him and supported him his entire life.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.

The well researched story of the lives of Winston Churchill's three saughters. His son is mentioned but not central to the book. The daughters are unique in so many ways but there is one central thread that they share which is their devotion to their parents (Winston and Clementine). They were not the greatest parents but the girls give them a pass. Two struggle with depression and one with alcoholism. I love some of the trivia such as Winston and his youngest Mary love cigars and have contests as to who can build the longest ash. A great book for history buffs.

The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine’s Daughters

Diana, Sarah, Marigold and Mary could never forget they were Churchills. They were surrounded by a clan of larger than life characters: their father Winston “the greatest Englishman”, their mother Clementine,” the socialite, their brother Randolph “, the Golden Boy and their eccentric cousins, the Mitford Girls where ever present one way or the other in their lives. This is their story from the time they were born till the day the lights went out.

Drawing on family letters and the copious archived deposits in the Churchill Archives Centre, the author brings to live the remarkable although tragic story of three women: Diana, Sarah and Mary (Marigold died at age 2) each had different characters but all three were imbued with a sense of responsibility toward their father, each other and their country. In alternate chapters we breeze through their intimate saga and their complex family dynamics. It is inevitable that facets of Churchill’s achievements are explored along with his devotion to his daughters and theirs toward him.

Although thousands of books have been written about Winston Churchill but this is the first account focussing on his daughters. The book brings colour into the Churchill saga and gives cinematic glimpses into the privileged. It is well-said, well-researched and interesting.

A lot is said in this book I could go on and on but I will stop here not wanting to remove the enjoyment by giving too much.

I received an advance copy of this book from St-Martin Press and Netgalley for an honest and unbiased review: this is the way I see it.

Three beautiful, talented sisters from an illustrious family, The Churchill Sisters Diana, Sarah, and Mary Churchill each had different personalities but shared in common their idolization of their father, Winston.

Winston was a loving and involved father, while Clementine needed distance and often escaped the demands of her life by taking vacations apart from the family. Later in life, she developed better rapport with her girls, but it was Winston who was always the center of the home.

I loved learning about these woman, especially their service during the war and their role supporting their father politically. But I was saddened to know that, like their brother Randolph, who is believed to have suffered from bipolar disease, they did not have happy ever after lives.

Sarah served in photo reconnaissance during WWII. After the war, she resumed her life as an actress. Her commitment to her career resulted in several failed marriages. Then, she suffered the loss of her beloved soul-mate. She struggled with self-esteem issues and alcoholism.

Diana had a career in the Royal Navy Services during the war, but later had two failed marriages and contended with mental health issues.

Mary served during the war in anti-aircraft batteries and accompanied her father on important political missions. She had a successful marriage and children and wrote her parent’s biographies.

This accessible, concise, and moving group biography will appeal to many kinds of readers.

I was given a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Insightful!