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

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"The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932," is the first of William Manchester's projected three-volume biography of Winston Spencer Churchill. I found it a superbly crafted, supremely well researched account of the first 58 years of the life of the 20th century's greatest statesman. With wit and candor, Manchester chronicles Churchill from his earliest days as the neglected and troublesome first child of Lord Randolph Churchill and his American-born wife, Jennie, to his entry into the political "wilderness" over home rule in India in 1932. Manchester's portrait of his subject is balanced and objective; we see Churchill at his finest: a courageous (almost to the point of foolhardiness) army officer, and later a gifted Member of Parliament who became one of the youngest Cabinet ministers in British history. We also see him at his worst: a Cabinet minister with appalling political judgment at times, quick to meddle in other ministers' affairs while neglecting his own, and with an uncanny ability to alienate not only his political foes, but almost all his political allies as well.

In addition to a wonderfully written chronology of Churchill's life, Manchester provides an overview of the times in which Churchill lived. I was fascinated by the author's account of Victorian England -- its culture, its mores, and its view of itself in the world. The sections which describe Churchill's times make highly entertaining and absorbing reading by themselves.

"The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932," clearly shows why William Manchester is one of the pre-eminent biographers at work today. The book is written with obviously meticulous scholarship, insightful analysis, and crisp, sparkling prose; I have yet to find a better account of Churchill's life. Now, if only Mr. Manchester would give us that third volume . . .

William Manchester (1922 - ), one of the GI generation's finest writers, has written about everything from the Kennedys to acid-penned reporter H.L. Mencken. But in this book he presents his greatest work - a superb biography about one of the twentieth century's greatest heroes - Sir Winston Churchill. This volume, which includes the first fifty years of Churchill's crowded life, is written with a Victorian style and passion for adventure that Churchill himself would have admired. (What other biography uses the word "Array", instead of "Table of Contents", to list the chapter headings)? Churchill's life does read like something out of a Hollywood script - he was the scion of one of England's most prominent families. His father was a member of Parliament and could have become Prime Minister, had he not developed syphillis, which eventually drove him mad and killed him at an early age. He was often cruel to his son Winston, harshly criticizing even his smallest mistakes. His beautiful American-born mother had extramarital affairs with many handsome men, including the King of England. Largely ignored by his wealthy and famous parents, Churchill was a "problem child" in his youth, and was expelled from several private schools until he finally found a career in the British military. He fought in a number of small but bloody wars in Britain's colonies in Africa and India, and he often was in the thick of the fighting, recklessly exposing himself to bullets and cannon fire. In the Boer War in South Africa in the late 1890's he was captured by enemy troops and placed in a prisoner-of-war camp, but made a daring escape and returned safely to his own forces. Elected to Parliament at the age of 25, he quickly moved up the political ladder, even changing political parties when it suited him. By World War One he was the head of the British Navy, but here things began to go wrong. In 1915 he proposed to invade and conquer Turkey, a German ally, thus knocking it out of the war and allowing Allied forces to attack Austria and Germany from the south. The plan was sound, but the invasion was so bungled by incompetent British generals and admirals that it was a total failure, and Churchill was forced to take the blame and resign in disgrace. He then spent some time as an infantry officer in the front lines in France, and in the 1920's enjoyed something of a political comeback as the Chancellor of the Exchequer (a position similar to our Secretary of the Treasury). However, his poor handling of Britain's economic woes led him to fall out of favor, and by the end of the book in 1932 Churchill is an outsider in Parliament, with little real power or influence. Yet this book is far more than a simple biography. True to form, Manchester offers an engrossing account of the entire Victorian era that Churchill grew up in - the glories of the British Empire, the racist "raj" system in British-ruled India (where white Englishmen were encouraged by hotel signs "not to beat their (Indian) servants" in the hotel lobby); the terrible conditions that Britain's poor lived under; and the peculiar social mores and customs of the British upper class to which Churchill so proudly belonged. Although Manchester clearly admires Churchill (and who wouldn't, after reading this book), he isn't afraid to note that in many ways Churchill was a very flawed man, and must have been difficult to deal with. An open snob, Churchill had all of the prejudices of his class - he treated his servants poorly, insulted his secretaries and others who couldn't keep up with him mentally or verbally, disliked strong women and wasn't above making chauvanistic remarks about them in public, and he had a huge ego and seemed to think that the rest of the world revolved around him and his needs. And, while he expressed sympathy for the lower classes, he regarded Britain's middle class with aristocratic disdain, this despite the fact that they paid most of the nation's bills and taxes. Yet his genius, as Manchester copiously notes, was genuine - his brilliant skills as a writer and orator, his political and personal courage, his genuine committment to personal freedom and liberty, all these and more made him one of the great historical leaders of all time. Quite simply, not only is this Mr. Manchester's finest work (out of many), but it reads more like great literature than a simple biography - "The Last Lion" is a larger-than-life book about a larger-than-life man. My only regret is that due to his recent stroke Mr. Manchester will not be able to complete this biography - a real tragedy for anyone who loves great biography.

William Manchester's two volume biography on the life of Winston Churchill is unforgettable. Manchester retells this great man's life with startling details that keep you consistently enthralled. The book's genius is not only in the biographical account, but in Manchester's ability to weave this biography into a lush context. The Last Lion's power comes from detail. Here, when Hitler first moves his troops we find that on the same day Margaret Mitchell's editor changed "Pansy" to Scarlet, and "Tommorow is Another Day" to "Gone With The Wind." Manchester seizes every opportunity to share his vast knowledge with his readers. The result is a work that seriously re-evaluates criticisms of Churchill that abounded both during and long after his lifetime. I am a better man for knowing the amazing life story of Churchill. Manchester's book makes this learning enormously entertaining.

Brilliant biography by an author who is to the political left of his subject. Manchester doesn't let his political beliefs color his judgement of Churchill. The Victorian Era comes to life with Manchester's prose. The author's defense of Churchill's strategy in the failed Dardanelles campaign is convincing.

Manchester has written a masterpiece. His intimate portrayal of Winston Churchill, one of the most charismatic figures of the 20th century, reads like a classic novel and is filled with more information than many history books. Born as the grandson of a duke at a time when the British Empire was at its height, Churchill's youth is full of adventure as well as adversity. His parents are absent throughout most of his childhood and he is largely brought up by his nanny. He attended Harrow during his high school days and then went on to Sandhurt, which is the equivalent to England's WestPoint. Churchill was never popular among his classmates but excelled at fencing and was a truly great polo player.

After Churchill graduated from Sandhurst he was assigned to the Fourth Hussiers Calvary Regiment as a second lieutenant. He begins his tour in India and would go on to fight in the Boer Wars in Africa, where he was captured as a P.O.W. His dramatic escape would help make him a household name. Manchester then navigates the reader through Winston's time as a young war correspondent, his first failed attempt to run for Parliament, and his engagement to Clemintine. Churchill is victorious in his second attempt at Parliament and through his great ability and oratory, becomes a member of the cabinet by his early 30s. His tenure as First Lord of the Admiralty during WWI is a highlight of this volume. He would hold six different cabinet positions before 1925. He would change political parties twice. At moments he had penetrating insight and incredible vision, his mind could juggle multiple ideas at once, and his work ethic is legendary. But make no mistake; his blunders were nearly as big as his triumphs.

This is a beautiful story and a fascinating history. Manchester portrays Churchill as an original. Churchill would entertain guests while he was taking a bath. Once a lady of social standing was appalled at Churchill's behavior and said, "Winston, you're drunk." Churchill's reply: "Yes, and you are ugly...but I shall be sober tomorrow."

I highly recommend this book as well as the second volume. Excellent reading!

Very rarely does someone write a truly readable biography. Usually, I am left either wanting to know more or must force myself to finish the book when I am 3/4 done. Manchester moves things along at a nice pace while leaving few stones unturned.

Since reading a much shorter biography as a teenager, I have always been fascinated by Churchill. This book (and the second, as well) provide a wonderfully in-depth look at the man who becomes the Lion of England. From his early years to his exciting career as a correspondent and soldier, the first volume of The Last Lion is as good a biography of Winston Churchill as I can imagine. Some will consider the biographer too kind, but who among us is without fault? Churchill certainly stands as one of the greatest men in modern history.

Persons wishing to get the complete, official story of the life of Winston Churchill had best get a copy of the official biography by Martin Gilbert (8 vols.). However, for those who lack the monumental time and patience it takes to wade through the tens of thousands of pages in the official bio, (as I am now doing) this is an admirable biography. Where Manchester succeeds (and where Gilbert fails) is in painting a portrait of the age into which Churchill was born. Churchill is next to impossible to understand in the context of our modern society. His character and something of his essence become clear, however, due to Manchester's vivid, insightful, and entertaining explication of the late Victorian era in Britain. Churchill was, as manchester deftly explains, the last of the Victorians. Readers are transported back in time, to feel what it was like to be an aristocrat, the elite of the elite, in the capital of the Empire upon which the sun never set. Bravo for William Manchester. One can only hope the third and final volume of this biography series is not long in coming

Today [4-14-01] Lady Mary Soames [nee Mary Churchill] stated on CSPAN Booknotes that William Manchester is ill and will not complete the third book on Sir Winston Churchill.

Godspeed William Manchester, and thank you for everything.......

This fully lives up to its reputation as perhaps the best biography ever written. Manchester does a peerless, masterful job filling in the background colors and giving a complete picture of Churchill from a young man into his early fifties. As Manchester emphasizes, this background was essentially the decline and fall of the British Empire and the aristocracy who ran it. Manchester's main point, that Churchill was a Victorian who also lived in the twentieth century, is brilliantly made. Churchill himself is presented in all his perplexing, influriating splendor: an impetuous, charming, ambitious genius who all too often jumped out of the plane without a parachute. If you wish to know why he was rejected by the British people at the polls just after his greatest triumph (and job done) this fascinating volume of his early triumphs and memorable failures is indispensible (answer: they needed his boistrous energy in war but they didn't trust him in peace

William Manchester is a tremendous writer. A man like Churchill deserved to have his biography writted by a writer as gifted as him.
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting, not only to learn much about the great man Churchill, but also to have their mind expanded and stretched by excellent literature like this. There are not many people writing like this today, sadly enough.
This is not an easy read, in fact most people will do well to have a dictionary near by - but it is worth it. Drink deeply and you will learn so much more than you would have thought possible about the world from the late 19th century up through WWII.
Drink it up! 6 stars.