Churchill

By: Paul Johnson

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

In Churchill, Johnson applies a wide lens and an unconventional approach to illuminate the various phases of Churchill's career. From his adventures as a young cavalry officer in the service of the Empire to his role as an elder statesman prophesying the advent of the Cold War, Johnson shows how Churchill's immense adaptability combined with his natural pugnacity to make him a formidable leader for the better part of a century.

Johnson's narration of Churchill's many triumphs and setbacks, rich with anecdote and quotation, illustrates the man's humor, resilience, courage, and eccentricity as no other biography before.

Winston Churchill's hold on contemporary audiences has never slackened, and Paul Johnson's lively, concise biography will appeal to historians and general nonfiction listeners alike.

©2009 Paul Johnson (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Quick Easy History Lesson

Where does Churchill rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really enjoyed this book. Now I want to learn more about the man.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Winston of course!

What about Simon Prebble’s performance did you like?

He sounded like the way I thought the book should sound.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I was on a flight from Philadelphia to London.

Any additional comments?

I only wish I would have had time to visit Chartwell.

Short but Superb

A quick, but comprehensive, bio of the greatest man of the 20th century.
One yearns for a leader of his resolve, energy, intellect, charisma, humor, and generosity.

An incredible figure in history

Great work of biography at a high level. I am motivated to delve into more biographies on Churchill.

Short; yet informative.

This is a very good "gist" of Churchill's life. If you are not familiar with his story, this will give you a good feel for it. If you are, it may fill in some holes or gaps. The orator has a pleasant way of telling this story.

Excellent book

What made the experience of listening to Churchill the most enjoyable?

The story, very well done! Thanks Mr Johnson!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Churchill?

The struggles that never seemed to let up, even after some victories.``

Which scene was your favorite?

NEVER GIVE UP NEVER GIVE UP

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES

In depth-no. But a GREAT place to start!

Several reviewers have panned this as "not detailed enough" but I would call this is a starter book on Churchill. If you want detail, do the 3-part The Last Lion by Wm Manchester. This gives you the "flavor" of Churchill without being heavy handed. I had already done Manchester's 1st volume & love the detail & depth, so this seemed a little lightweight to me, but was very informative, all the same. If someone is unsure how they feel about a large tomb about someone they don't really know, start here. The performance of the narrator was excellent!

Inspirational

A wonderful reading by an impressive and insightful author on a character whose impact on democracy it would be difficult to overstate. Highly recommend.

Excellent account of an incredible man!

Churchill was an amazing character at a pivotal point in world history and Paul Johnson does a fantastic job of pointing out the key factors in Churchill's background, his character, as well as the factors, that both helped and harmed Britain in both WW1 and WW2. One very interesting detail was Johnson's explanation of the Gallipoli disaster in WW1 that Churchill was blamed for. I think Johnson has it correct and that Churchill was the scapegoat rather than the villain. It can be more difficult to follow historical narratives in an audio version, but Johnson's excellent writing makes this critical time in history understandable.

An excellent summary biography.

It seems the great majority of negative comments or reviews on this title seem to hinge on the fact that this book does not offer a sufficiently detailed account of this, that, or the other incident of Churchill's life or career or facet of the man himself.

Please consider then, that this book is a summary biography of a man who was a prominent statesman on the geopolitical stage through two of the most pivotal conflicts in world history (the two world wars), and overlapping into a third (the cold war), who found the time, energy, and genius to be a prolific Nobel-Prize winning author, a first-rate adventurer, accomplished painter, master orator, wit, and general renaissance man.

DOZENS of books would have to be written to tell the life story of such a man in any kind of detail. HUNDREDS have. Churchill himself published some 43 book-length works in 72 volumes, many of them documenting his own experiences.

If you want to delve into deep details of all, or some or other episode or adventure out of the incredibly broad sweep of this man's titanic life experience, then by all means, jump into the deep reservoir of works on (or by) Churchill. I should think you could easily keep on reading about Churchill in greater depth for the next decade or so; at least. IF you are not quite ready to devote years, and just want to start out with a reasonable-length summary biography of a truly amazing character, this is a very well written text, very well read by the always competent Simon Prebble.

Fascinating Portrait of Fascinating Man

Like many others, I loved this bio due to its ability to paint a well-rounded portrait of one of the 20th Century's most fascinating characters without getting bogged down in too much scholarly detail. Easy to digest without dumbing down the material. If you're at all interested in history, Churchill or psychology, download this one!