Winston's War [Paperback]

Michael Dobbs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2003

From a bestselling novelist with an unrivalled insight into the workings of power comes a compelling new novel exploring Winston Churchill's remarkable journey from the wilderness to No 10 Downing Street at the beginning of World War II. Saturday 1 October 1938. Two men meet. One is elderly, the other in his twenties. One will become the most revered man of his time, and the other known as the greatest of traitors. Winston Churchill met Guy Burgess at a moment when the world was about to explode. Now in is astonishing new novel, Michael Dobbs throws brilliant fresh light upon Churchill's relationship with the Soviet spy and the twenty months of conspiracy, chance and outright treachery that were to propel Churchill from outcast to messiah and change the course of history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Michael Dobbs' latest novel is a vividly realised record of the events surrounding the great Briton's remarkable rise. An intriguing tale of espionage and treason ! a work to enthral. This novel never ceases to be compelling.' Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail 'Churchill is a brooding presence ! as riveting as Francis Urquhart. Dobbs' novel is astonishingly historically accurate. He certainly knows where all the skeletons are hidden and where every body is buried. He manages to give a vivid impression of the seamier side of politics in the year that immediately preceded the outbreak of war ! compelling.' Anthony Howard, The Times 'Dobbs has done a brilliant job in evoking the drama and despair of Britain hovering on the edge of the abyss.' Sunday Express 'Michael Dobbs weaves a fascinating tale of conspiracy, blackmail and treachery ! This page-turning, meaty, densely textured wartime thriller unblinkingly dissects the wealthy oligarchy that nearly ruined Britain and throws a very new light on Burgess and his place in history.' Myles McWeeney, Irish Independent

About the Author

For two decades, Michael Dobbs has been at the right hand of political controversy. He was at Mrs Thatcher's side as she took her first step into Downing Street as Prime Minister, and was a key aide to John Major when he was voted out. In between times he was bombed in Brighton, banished from Chequers and blamed for failing to secure a Blair-Major television debate.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Pb; First Edition edition (May 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006498000
• ISBN-13: 978-0006498001
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,347,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An absorbing tale of political infighting, April 9, 2004

By 

Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Winstons War (Hardcover)

Based on historical fact, WINSTON'S WAR is a solid and absorbing fictional rendition of the leadership struggle between Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill between October 1, 1938 and May 10, 1940.

As the book opens, Chamberlain has returned to 10 Downing Street a public hero after the signing of the Munich Agreement between himself and Adolf Hitler which gave the latter the Sudetenland in return for "peace in our time". Meanwhile, relegated to the periphery of British politics and virtually an outcast, Churchill obstinately lashes out against appeasement and loudly proclaims the necessity for total war to save democracy from the depredations of the Nazis. What subsequently follows is history: the German subjugation of the rest of Czechoslovakia and the invasion of Poland, the German-Soviet non-aggression pact, the Phony War, the Soviet invasion of Finland, the British military's Norwegian fiasco, and the crisis in His Majasty's government in May 1940 that ultimately elevated Winston to the premiership.

The cast of characters in this sweeping story by Michael Dobbs of political maneuvering, skullduggery, and backstabbing is an historical Who's Who of the times: the ailing, haughty, and pacifist Chamberlain, who personifies England's bitter memories of the Great War and the popular concept of "never again"; the ambitious and self-absorbed Churchill, whose pugnacity sometimes clouds prudence; the defeatist, philandering, and anti-Semitic U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Joseph P. Kennedy; the alcoholic, disillusioned and psychologically tortured idealist, Guy Burgess (of Burgess, Philby, and Maclean of Cold War infamy); the stuttering King George VI, who whines that the German invasion of Poland interrupted his grouse hunting; and the Machiavellian newspaper mogul, William "Max" Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook.

It's in the minor details with which Dobbs fleshes out the story of Chamberlain's fall and the rise of his nemesis, Churchill, to an epic 685 paper-backed pages (UK HarperCollins edition). And it's the length of WINSTON'S WAR that is, perhaps, a minor flaw. Some of the subplots seemed unnecessary, and should have been severely cropped by a ruthless editor: the love affair between the crippled WWI survivor "Mac" McFadden, barber to the politically great and one of Guy's information sources, and Carol, a housemaid and part-time prostitute; and between Bournemouth postmistress Sue Graham and Army Sergeant Jerry White - though the experiences of the latter did usefully tie the Norway debacle into the storyline on a personal level. Slightly more relevant, but still mildly tedious, was the dysfunctional relationship between Brendan Bracken, Churchill's closest confidant, and Kennedy's niece, Anna Fitzgerald. Perhaps Dobbs perceived a need to include Carol, Sue and Anna to make it less of a Guy Read.

Chamberlain was toppled not because he sought to appease Hitler and avert a cataclysm, but because he didn't have the mettle to wage all-out war when the necessity for it was thrust upon him. That was to prove to be Winston's genius. The author's genius is in portraying the labyrinthine venality of Whitehall and Fleet Street powerbroking at a time when solidarity against a rapacious common enemy was desperately necessary.

WINSTON'S WAR is the first in a series of novels about Churchill's wartime leadership. According to the back cover, the next book is apparently NEVER SURRENDER. I shall seek out and buy it immediately.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth In Fiction, December 12, 2007

By 

Robert Derenthal "bucherwurm" (California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Winston's War (Paperback)

Many writers of historical fiction start with an actual event in history, and then let their imaginations run free. This fascinating book shows great imaginative restraint. Certainly there are fictional threads running through the tale, but Mr. Dobbs seriously wants to tell us about Neville Chamberlain's politics of appeasement, a policy that ended with his downfall as Prime Minister.

Throughout the book we are a fly on the wall listening to the political machinations of the principle characters in the story which include, Chamberlain, Churchill, Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, Lord Halifax, the traitor Guy Burgess, and many others. It is fascinating to see Chamberlain's party struggle to hold on as their political capital steadily declined. Churchill, on the other hand starts as an outcast, one who continually cries out that peace with Hitler is an unattainable goal. His rise to First Lord of the Admiralty, and then to Prime Minister is a long fight against the odds.

I am a history buff who's read books on WWII and English history, and this book taught me many things that I didn't know. Now I've said that this book fascinated me, the almost 700 pages just sped by, but I must say that this book may not be everybody's cup of tea. It definitely is not a wartime thriller. The novel is full of conversation, and as for action you'll have to settle for walks through the garden of Buckingham Palace with Lord Halifax, and King George VI (who, we find out, was so tongue tied that it was difficult for him to make clear statements).

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great work, March 11, 2005

By 

S. J. Leighton (China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winston's War (Paperback)

I picked this book up in Bangkok as I was browsing through a second hand book store, and didn't expect much until I read that this was a novel by the guy who wrote House of Cards, To Play the King and The Final Cut.

As mentioned above, this covers the events leading up to World War 2. It provides a great insight into the behind the scenes goings-on in parliament, the rivalries and treacheries in the run up to Winston Churchill becoming Britains war time Prime Minister.

It's a superb read, really gripping from the first page through to the end. Definately recommended for anyone who has an interest in WW2, Churchill or British history. In fact, I would definately recommend this to anyone, it's easy going and difficult to put down.