Churchill

Walking with Destiny

By: Andrew Roberts

Narrated by: Stephen Thorne

Length: 50 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller

One of The Wall Street Journal's 10 best books of 2018

One of The Economist's best books of 2018

One of The New York Times' notable books of 2018

"Unarguably the best single-volume biography of Churchill... A brilliant feat of storytelling, monumental in scope, yet put together with tenderness for a man who had always believed that he would be Britain’s savior." (Wall Street Journal)

In this landmark biography of Winston Churchill based on extensive new material, the true genius of the man, statesman, and leader can finally be fully seen and understood—by the best-selling, award-winning author of Napoleon and The Storm of War

When we seek an example of great leaders with unalloyed courage, the person who comes to mind is Winston Churchill: the iconic, visionary war leader immune from the consensus of the day, who stood firmly for his beliefs when everyone doubted him. But how did young Winston become Churchill? What gave him the strength to take on the superior force of Nazi Germany when bombs rained on London and so many others had caved? In Churchill, Andrew Roberts gives listeners the full and definitive Winston Churchill, from birth to lasting legacy, as personally revealing as it is compulsively listenable.

Roberts gained exclusive access to extensive new material: transcripts of War Cabinet meetings, diaries, letters, and unpublished memoirs from Churchill's contemporaries. The Royal Family permitted Roberts—in a first for a Churchill biographer—to read the detailed notes taken by King George VI in his diary after his weekly meetings with Churchill during World War II. This treasure trove of access allows Roberts to understand the man in revelatory new ways, and to identify the hidden forces fueling Churchill's legendary drive.

We think of Churchill as a hero who saved civilization from the evils of Nazism and warned of the grave crimes of Soviet communism, but Roberts's masterwork reveals that he has as much to teach us about the challenges leaders face today—and the fundamental values of courage, tenacity, leadership, and moral conviction.

©2018 Penguin Audio (P)2018 Andrew Roberts

Critic reviews

A USA Today Book You Won't Want to Miss

A Washington Post Book to Read in November

A Christian Science Monitor Best Book of November

A Mental Floss Best Book of 2018

An Octavian Report Essential Read for 2019

A New York Post Book That Should Be On Everyone's Holiday Gift List

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018

A Lit Hub Best Book of 2018

Shortlisted for the 2019 Plutarch Award

"The best single-volume biography of Churchill yet written. . . . Roberts tells this story with great authority and not a little panache. He writes elegantly, with enjoyable flashes of tartness, and is in complete command both of his sources and the vast historiography."—Richard Aldous, The New York Times

"Terrific . . . By drawing on many previously untapped sources, Mr. Roberts has produced a more complete picture of his subject than any previous biography."—The Economist

"Even if you’ve read every other book about the former prime minister and seen all the movies, expect revelations. For example: The royal family permitted the author to read King George VI’s diary notes about his wartime meetings with Churchill. That’s a first."—The Washington Post

a bit long but still good

this one was a but long. the most salient lessons were evident in the first third of the book and the remainder just adds a walk through history. nevertheless overall it is good but not awesome. I still give it five stars because the performance is top notch.

Excellent, serious, humorous and balanced.

as a budding Churchill scholar I thoroughly enjoyed this biography of Winston Churchill. Even though I recently read all of The Last Lion biography by William Manchester I still learned new information from this book, was constantly surprised, and enjoyed every minute. I particularly appreciated the fact that this biography addressed many of the current rumors and false characterizations of Winston Churchill that I see in the news today. Narration was excellent it was easy to tell when Churchill was being quoted, but it was never a caricature.

Great Warrior

Excellent book about history and autobiography of a great man.History of a country and the world

Historian Must

I always appreciated Winston Churchill to be a great man. I only knew a small part of the story. After listening for 48 hours about his whole life, I was completely amazed. This planet would be a horribly different place without the amazing accomplishments of Mr. Churchill.

Deep sorrow.

I was born in 92 and learned the basics of Churchill in school, he was PM during the Second World War, his look on Hitler, his friendship with Roosevelt. Needless to say it was lacking. But what Roberts has done in this book is nothing short of extraordinary. I feel as though I’m a professional on Churchill now. I will soon be telling all my friends about him.

I found it very helpful to pause to look up speeches in YouTube that corresponded with the part of time while listening. It brought tears to my eyes listening to Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat almost 80 years after it was given. A true testament oratory skill.

Stephen has brought this book to life, given it form, a dimension in its own. It was a pleasure to listen to you for 50 hours.

Conquer we must, as conquer we shall.

What an incredible life!

I knew very little of Churchill before this biography and I couldn’t be happier now that I’ve learned about his life. It’s hard to believe such a man existed. It’s hard to imagine if he was destined to be great or the times of the day demanded a man of his stature to rise up and lead the world. I thought the performance was absolutely well done and didn’t seem too gaudy.
Definitely will recommend to friends and family.

WHAT A STORY!

His life, his ambition, his successes and failures were all over the top. Worth every minute of a long listen!

Outstanding, Absolutely Outstanding

Churchill by Andrew Roberts is simply an outstanding work of biography: well-researched, well-written, and well-reasoned. Roberts does not write a hagiography, nor does he pen a celebrity hit piece. Roberts respects his subject and writes a balanced bio on a man that is larger than life. Don’t let the fifty hours of audio narration intimidate you, the narrator’s voice is consistently engaging, never monotonous, or overly dramatic. Great work of historical biography, a book that will stand up to the test of time.

Hard to turn off

I’ve read or listened to several Churchill or other bios. This is the best thus far. In several passages I found myself weeping at the picture of Sir Winston Churchill that Andrew Roberts portrays. I only wish I had been alive when that great man worked his magic over millions and saved civilization from the Nazi scourge.

Stephen Thorne does a superb job in his reading. Among the best I’ve heard in audio books.

This book does not delve into some of Churchill’s life like the great three volume series by William Manchester. But Roberts covers areas heretofore uncovered due to his access to newly opened archives. A real treat.

A most excellent biography

I have read earlier biographies of Winston Churchill, and this one is without a doubt the very best. Roberts truly makes Churchill come alive as a person as well as a politician and statesman

Although Churchill has been dead for over 50 years, I was palpably emotional as I listened to the description of his last days and his funeral.
I cannot recommend this book to highly nor to too many of my friends

I recommend it to all.