The Second World War, Volume 2: Their Finest Hour [Paperback]

Winston S. Churchill (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Second World War | Publication Date: May 9, 1986

The eight uneasy, dangerous months from May to December 1940, as Britain stands isolated and Germany follows its war path.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Winston S. Churchill (1874-1965) has been called by historians "the man of the twentieth century." Prime Minister of Great Britain (1940-1945), Churchill won the Nobel prize for literature in 1953.

Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (May 9, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395410568
• ISBN-13: 978-0395410561
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.9 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping history recounted from and at a very high level, May 14, 2000

By 

Owen Hughes (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Second World War, Volume 2: Their Finest Hour (Paperback)

I bought Churchill's 6-volume history of the Second World War many years ago, but did not find the strength to begin reading it until some time later. The effect was immediate. Although it took me over a year to read all of it, that was only because I have long had the habit of reading a number of books concurrently. I simply couldn't put Churchill down. To say that the story of World War II is a gripping one, is to put it mildly. How much more gripping do you think it might be in the hands of that one unique individual who was both one of the central players and the recorder of the events themselves. At times, I found myself actually wanting certain historical events to go in favour of the Allies although, naturally, I already knew the outcome! Such is the effect of Churchill's writing.

In the second volume "Their Finest Hour," Britain was holding the fort against Hitler alone. After Dunkirk, spirits were low all over the place and the value of Dr Goebells's secret weapon was able to come into play with great effect. One can imagine the feeling of the citizenry of Britain at that time, trapped as they felt themselves to be in that little island, with an unbeaten army just across the channel snarling at them. The whys and wherefores of the actions of both Hitler and the German General Staff at that time, can be discussed until you are blue in the face. The fact is that, although most people on both sides of the Atlantic thought they were about to hop across and finish the job, the Germans hesitated, mainly for lack of a plan, and lost the chance. I don't know for sure if Churchill also thought the British might have been defeated in July, August or September of 1940, but from the end of that odd period of stalemate, he never looked back.

This is fine writing by a, dare I say, highly experienced writer who was right in the thick of things almost from the word go. What a stroke of luck it was that Churchill, like Caesar but unlike Napoleon, both lived it and wrote it.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A classic, but the Kindle edition is lacking, December 14, 2009

By 

P. Jacobs - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Their Finest Hour: 002 (The Second World War) (Kindle Edition)

Sadly, the Kindle Edition of this work fails to do it justice. Churchill has dotted this text with numerous charts and tables illustrating the progress of the war, and every single one of them is completely illegible. The Kindle edition has included them at a shamefully useless resolution, and so I must suggest that any interested reader buy a different edition. I am very disappointed in this purchase.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Charts and tables are unreadable, January 11, 2010

By 

Marcelo W. De Brisac - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Their Finest Hour: 002 (The Second World War) (Kindle Edition)

This is probably one of the best books I ever read. However, the Kindle version has low res charts and tables that are unreadable, even when zoomed. So, in the kindle version you lose all the diagrams that are there to help you understand the great battles. I strongly suggest you buy the paper edition.