Fascinating! It is rare that a non-fiction book pulls me in like this one. ( )

Very readable, short history. Keegan’s grasp of history and context is amazing. Some sections a bit written to format and form, so a 4 and not a 5. ( )

Winston Churchill biographies come in all shapes and sizes, from the massive to the svelte. John Keegan's contribution to the genre is definitely on the latter end of that spectrum; his book, a volume in the Penguin Lives series, covers Churchill's nine decades in less than 200 pages. To achieve this, Keegan must condense a long and active life, one that stretched from participation in Queen Victoria's "little wars" to an effort to achieve detente with the Soviet Union. This invariably requires the sacrifice of depth and detail, yet it also gives Keegan an opportunity to define more clearly the overarching themes of Churchill's life, which he sees as defined by clearly delineated moral principles to which he remained true throughout his long political career.

Keegan also brings to his task a long career as a military correspondent and historian, and it is no surprise that his coverage of Churchill's career is exceptionally insightful considering the space available. And yet there are weaknesses that contrast with the book's strengths. The book itself suffers from poor editing, and the narrow focus of his bibliography on military titles raises questions about the depth of knowledge informing Keegan's analysis. For these reasons, Paul Addison's superb [b:Churchill: The Unexpected Hero|1604091|Churchill The Unexpected Hero|Paul Addison|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387699760s/1604091.jpg|1597388] is far superior as a short biography, but for those unable to locate a copy of it Keegan's book will fit the bill for anyone seeking a useful introduction to Churchill and his achievements. ( )

As an eminent military historian, John Keegan was an ideal choice for this contribution to the Penguin Lives series. Several full-scale Churchill biographies are available, and for readers disinclined to tackle a detailed multi-volume work, Keegan's book offers a fine introduction. Despite this book's relative brevity (~200 pages, 5x8" in dimension), the author manages to cover Churchill's entire life and career. The years surrounding World War II will be of particular interest to the general reader, and here they are given particular attention, making up ~60 pages of the book. Churchill is presented in full complexity, and his early, disastrous military mistakes, his problematic views (notably racism and colonialism), and political difficulties are neither hidden nor over- emphasized. In the final chapter, "Apotheosis", Keegan argues that Churchill is worthy of great admiration, primarily for his role in helping to save England during the war years. Indeed, in his account, it is hard to imagine England having resisted the German attack without Churchill's courage and stirring rhetoric.

Note: The Publisher's Weekly summary of this book wrongly states that Churchill once belonged to the Labour party. While Churchill did join the Liberal party before returning to the Conservatives, he certainly never joined Labour, despite his support for government programs to help the poor. ( )

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