Customer Reviews

Savrola: A Tale of the Revolution in Laurania

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Written when he was 23, Savrola was Churchill's only novel. It embodies his personal philosophy on life, which was to govern his later military and political career. For those who know of his later exploits, it provides an amazing foreshadowing of events in his own life. Though the plot is sometimes clumsy, there are flashes of poignancy in his prose that are deeply insightful for a man of his age.

The frailties and strengths of human nature, political in-fighting, battles, wars, forbidden love, philosophy and revolution. They are all here, vivdly portraded in this, Winston Churchill's only novel.

It is basically, a good story, well told and superbly written, in that confident direct and compelling manner, which all experienced readers will undoubtedly recognise as the hall-mark of a literary master.

A mastery which over a lifetime of some ninety plus years, produced forty-three book length works in seventy-two volumes, including the masterpieces "A History of the English Speaking Peoples" and " The Second World War". A massive achievement, which was finally recognised by the award of that supreme accolade, the Nobel Prize For Literature.

Written in 1897, "Savrola" first appeared in serial form in " Macmillan's Magazine" , and, first published, in book form, by Longmans Green, New York, in 1899, this early and unique Churchillian masterpiece has since appeared in various editions, including Hodder and Stoughton's SevenPenny Library, in the 1930's.

Although it is said to be much underrated, it does, without doubt, reveal much of Churchill's emerging political philosophy, and I found it totally absorbing.

I would heartily recommend it to all readers, especially enthusiasts of the Life and Times of Churchill and all serious students of politics and military history.

It is a riveting read I couldn't put it down!!!

Diane Sharrock May 2007