Customer Reviews

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone, 1932-1940

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"The Last Lion: Alone, 1932-1940," the second of William Manchester?s projected three-volume biography of Winston Spencer Churchill, continues telling the story of the life of the 20th century?s greatest statesman. This volume covers the eight-year period from the beginning of Churchill?s longest period in the political "wilderness," to his rise to power as Prime Minister of Great Britain at the beginning of World War II. I think this book is even better than the first volume, "The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932." Manchester contends that the inter-war years, and not his years as Prime Minister, were Churchill?s personal "finest hour." Politically ostracized by two successive Prime Ministers ? Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain, the main architects of Britain?s policy of appeasing Nazi Germany ? Churchill was one of only a handful of men in Britain to speak out in favor of increased military preparedness as a means of countering the growing Nazi threat in Europe. Only when it became obvious in the late 1930s that the appeasement of Hitler had failed, did the British nation turn to the one man who had consistently advocated standing up to the Nazi dictator: Winston Spencer Churchill

As he did in the first volume of Churchill?s life, Manchester provides an insightful historical overview of the times in which Churchill lived. Especially fascinating to me was the account of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain?s 1938 trip to Munich, where the most infamous act of appeasing Hitler ? the sellout of Czechoslovakia ? took place, and where Chamberlain believed he had achieved "peace in our times."

"The Last Lion: Alone, 1932-1940" once again clearly demonstrates 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 . . .

I did a little research on this and thought I'd post what I found. William Manchester, sadly, died in 2004 before he could complete the 3rd book. But before he died he arranged for a journalist, Paul Reid, to write the rest of the book - now apparently scheduled for release in 2008.

Here is a blog posting I found from johninnorthcarolina.blogspot.com :

The Churchill Series - May 17, 2007

(One of a series of weekday posts on the life of Winston S. Churchill.)

As almost all of you know, William Manchester, one of the most popular of Churchill's many biogrphers, died while working on the third volume of The Last Lion, the first two volumes of which, Visions of Glory and Alone, topped best seller lists and remain in print.

But there will be a third volume after all. It's working title is Defender of the Realm. Paul Reid, a friend of Manchester's is working with Manchester's notes and drafts to complete the book in time for release in 2008.

One of those asked to review proofs of Defender of the Realm reported to others via email receiving the following from Reid:

I have finished Parts One (1940) and Two (1941) and will be through Parts Three, Four and Five by mid-2007. Publication is set for sometime in 2008. Bill's notes and interviews run to thousands of pages, enough to fuel at least three more volumes.

My job, therefore, is to pace this final volume. About half of it will cover 1940 and 1941, about forty-percent the remainder of the war and about 10-15 percent the post-war years. Bill saw the post-war years (or at least the last decade) as a long "afterward". Having been guided by Bill the last year of his life, and having in hand the pages he wrote (to the fall of France) I think I have a good feeling for the pace he set and where he was going.

The pages Bill finished are, as was usual with William Manchester, marvelous, full of suspense and foreshadowing, a real tale beautifully told.

Among many things he made clear to me was his desire that this book be an enjoyable read for younger people, people under 40 years of age who did not grow up with stories of the War percolating through their household.

Winston Churchill became Prime Minister only when World War II seemed hopelessly to threaten Britain. On retiring to bed late the first night of his tenure, rather than feeling overawed by the desperate struggle ahead, Churchill was "conscious of a profound sense of relief." One can imagine few men who would have felt such enormous self-confidence in a like situation. Manchester's biography brilliantly tells why Churchill was justified in so feeling. "Alone 1932-40" covers the years when Churchill, apparently a political has-been, unceasingly warned the country of the danger Hitler posed. His political superiors, full of class hubris, dismissed the warnings and recoiled from addressing the steps necessary to thwart Hitler. The British people were made of steadier stuff than their leaders, but, spiritually exhausted by World War I, cherished the hope that a second great war could be avoided. Manchester tells the story in thrilling fashion, making it especially compelling by writing not just about Churchill's heroism, but also covering at length and in unsparing terms, the appeasers, Chamberlain, Halifax, Henderson, et al. The story is as engrossing as a novel, and written elegantly enough to carry it along most pleasurably. Manchester's only misstep is his frequent use of the German original along with the English in many phrases quoted from the German principals. This might make sense where the meaning was ambiguous or there was an untranslatable nuance, but this is rarely the case. It seemed as if he was bringing in the German just because he enjoyed it. It's a minor quirk and should not deter anyone from reading a great book. I hope Manchester has not abandoned plans to complete the biography, which is comprehensive, but not intimidatingly long like the Gilbert series.

this series. Ending Churchill's bio at 1940 is like eating a great apetizer and getting called away before you can enjoy the main course. Still, he brings to light the great truth of Churchill's phenomenal, stout-hearted genius. He was truly a man for his time, the man of the century, who assembled his team and studied his role for years before anyone but he understood it would be required. Any discussion of the word "vision" that leaves out Churchill in the thirties is struly neglectful -- he saw the future, and his necessary role in it, better than any historical figure I know about.

Manchester is such a modern and engaging writer, his ability to contextualize the man and his mileu is indispensible. We get to know the women who cultured and nurtured that lightning brain, the men who tried to debase his ideas because they led to course of action they were afraid of. This is the story of a lonely struggle to make the truth known, and to lead men, against the tide of opinion, to its inevitable consequense. It is one thing to bring about a change in ideas -- yet another to get people to act in ways that every bone in their bodies screams out against. Manchester elucidates the story with great attention to factual detail, and still makes the story compelling. Bravo!

For some inexplicable reason, the second (and unfortunately final) volume of William Manchester's biography sat on my shelf unread for some time. I think because the book spans the years 1932 to 1940 -- and does not cover most of World War II -- I skipped the book over, figuring that Winston's best and most important years were his war years. After reading "Alone", I realized immediately how wrong I was: if anything, Manchester's incredible book demonstrates that Churchill's so-called "wilderness years" out of power were his finest hour. Unquestionably, Churchill provided resolute leadership to Great Britain -- as well as the rest of the Allied world -- during the War. But he perhaps demonstrated even greater leadership while out of power, when he was quite literally the only European statesman who was repeatedly warning the world of the dangers of Nazi Germany and calling for rearmament to stand up to Hitler. Thus, "Alone" is not just about Churchill and his greatness, but also a powerful historical record of the dangers of appeasement in the face of tyrants.

This book goes beyond being a simple historical biography. Manchester's writing is delightful and seamless, literally depositing you into Churchill's time and Churchill's life. It maintains and builds a tenseness throughout the book as the world moves closer and closer to war despite Churchill's warnings, which if heeded, could have averted the conflict many times over. The work is meticulously researched and crafted, and flows perfectly. Perhaps most of all, reflective of the title, Manchester captures how completely and totally alone Churchill was during the 1930s. Aside from a very small coterie of loyal friends, Churchill alone rose in opposition to appeasement in the House of Commons and elsewhere hundreds of times as Hitler consolidated his power, practically begging his nation's leadership to stand up to the Fuhrer.

I suppose that one sign of a great work is that it moves you in some way, and evokes great emotion as you read it. The most striking asset of this book is how angry, shocked, and prideful I was as I read it. I shook my head in disgust at least 100 times as I read Manchester's descriptions of the putrid, almost treasonous behavior by Prime Ministers John MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin, and of course Neville Chamberlain as they repeatedly ignored Churchill's warnings and countless pieces of evidence showing that Hitler would not be appeased. Manchester's sections on the Munich Crisis and Britain and France's literal sacrifice of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis is particularly noteworthy; the Chamberlain government literally served the nearly defenseless nation on a platter to the German war machine despite a pledge from the British to defend them if invaded. Much of the book in fact summarizes the folly of His Majesty's Government's appeasement policy, and Churchill's many warnings against the policy. Fascinatingly, appeasement was heartily endorsed by nearly the entire British media establishment, which repeatedly refused to air Churchill's views and other dissenting voices. Indeed, as Manchester well demonstrates, the government and media literally crafted its policies and made important appointments, with pleasing Hitler being the sole objective. While hindsight is of course 20-20, reading these sections was completely maddening to me, and made me want to scream many times over.

I hesitated writing a review of this book because I know it is impossible to do full justice to Manchester and this fantastic book. I just wanted to express how much I enjoyed the book; it completely lives up to its reputation as perhaps the finest Churchill biography and easily the most accessible. I, like millions of other readers, am greatly saddened that illness and other tragedies kept Manchester from completing the final volume of his intended trilogy. Treat yourself to this book: it will give you greater appreciation of Winston Churchill's greatness, courage, and foresight, and probably an even greater hatred of appeasement and diplomatic cowardice.

Five big stars.

Manchester begins the book by describing what life for Winston Churchill was like in the 1930s. He goes into detail about Churchill's home Chartwell and the expenses Winston had to meet to live his lifestyle. Winston earned the necessary money writing histories and newspaper columns. His writing gave him not only an income, but a voice about the coming Nazi aggression that most of England was blind to.

We've seen promising political careers derailed due to self-indulgence and Churchill's career seemed just that in the 1930s. He was a young member of the cabinet in World War I, but after a principled cabinet resignation in the early 30s, he became an outsider in his own party. This didn't stop Churchill from antagonizing everyone who wouldn't listen to him. Eventually, his rise to Prime Minister in 1940 was one of history's biggest I told you sos. But it wasn't his ability as War Prime Minister that made Churchill great, according to Manchester, but his ability to see early Nazi aggression and danger when the whole world slept. Whether you agree or disagree, Manchester has created a wonderful detailed comprehensive biography of the time period.

Manchester's easy way with words, apt scholarship and detailed descriptions really bring the time period to life...

Manchester's two volume biography sparkles. Many biographers do no more than summarize the facts they uncover. Manchester does much more;he glues together the facts with superb writing. Manchester's volumes offer an encyclopedic treatment of Churchill and the era in which he lived. Because the volumes are written with style, clarity and wit, they are a pleasure to read. Manchester's work is the best biography I have ever read.

The long awaited third book in a trilogy about the stupendous life of Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill by renowned historian William Manchester is to be completed at last! Finally, millions of devout fans will be able to buy the book, set for publication in 2007.
Before he died, Manchester chose a long- time friend, admirer, and writer to finish the task.
Paul Reid, a former feature writer at a Florida newspaper has been a life long history- lover and admirerer of both Manchester and Churchill.
Interested in Mr. Reid, I read some of his articles. They are amazing. Evocotive of Mr. Manchester's style in the way they flow easily along, the articles are a great read, no matter the subject.
I am excited to hear that the book is coming out in 2007, and will note the date on my calendar.
IT'S COMING AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anything and everything with Mr Manchester's name on it is superior. But this 2nd WSC volume may surpass all his other work . He shows in fine detail how this eccentric,brilliant,pushy,bulldog of a man manipilated,charmed and bullied his way,and what a rough time he had in convincing the smug British establishment in the mid 30's of the dangers brewing in Germany.At the time WSC was "out in the cold".It's an old story,but the sheer drive of Mr. Churchill, and the ostrich-like ability of his compatriots to look the other way,here amounts to a fresh,mesmorizing account. WSC's days in exile are described in minute detail, even his habit of walking around Chartwell in his birthday suit,and the reaction of his female secretary.All the players are here,and Mr Manchester's method in exploring motives and personalities will keep the pages turning...I suggest giving the TV a rest for a couple of weeks to make an effort to read this.It may be more interesting now with the parallels in the post 9/11 world.

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.......