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on February 6, 2012
While I had previously read two books on Churchill, both primarily involved his war experiences. I wanted to read a bit(emphasise on "a bit") more about the man, without having to read an indepth multi-page biography.
This fit the bill for me perfectly.
No, in reflection, it wasn't nearly enough information on such a man. Consequently, I've since started a much more thorough investigation of Churchill and his life, personal and political. But as an introduction to the study of Winston Churchill, I do not see how it could possibly be better.
As with other Penquin books that I've read, this one was not intended to go into much depth. It is, however, a wonderfully well written introduction of the entire life of Winston Churchill. That's what Penquin does, and it does it well.
I do not recommend this book to Churchill scholars, but I highly recommend it to those who want a good and complete introduction of the man, his experiences, accomplishments, failures and his traits, good and bad.
This fit the bill for me perfectly.
No, in reflection, it wasn't nearly enough information on such a man. Consequently, I've since started a much more thorough investigation of Churchill and his life, personal and political. But as an introduction to the study of Winston Churchill, I do not see how it could possibly be better.
As with other Penquin books that I've read, this one was not intended to go into much depth. It is, however, a wonderfully well written introduction of the entire life of Winston Churchill. That's what Penquin does, and it does it well.
I do not recommend this book to Churchill scholars, but I highly recommend it to those who want a good and complete introduction of the man, his experiences, accomplishments, failures and his traits, good and bad.
on March 21, 2015
I liked this book very much. When writing of Churchill it must be tempting for writers to go into a lot of detail since he was such a fascinating man, This is all very well but can lead to some tedious reading. In this book the author covers the life of Churchill without getting bogged down but still manages to paint a very complete picture of the life of Churchill. There can be no question that the author knows his subject and knows how to relate information clearly and concisely to others. He inserts passages from some of the better known speeches. The phases of his life are presented smoothly and leaves no dangling questions in the reader's mind. This is a very good book.
TOP 1000 REVIEWERon February 9, 2011
A excellent straightforward summary of Churchill's life
This book is an excellent, straightforward, summary of Churchill's life and accomplishments. Being less than 200 pages long it does not contain the wealth of detail contained in longer biographies, such as the almost 1000 page biography by Martin Gilbert. Keegan substitutes extensive detail with analysis and an excellent summary of events, and I found this to be an excellent tradeoff. Keegan writes with clarity and gets to the heart of the matter.
I read this book just after having finished Martin Gilbert's one volume, 960-page biography and I found Keegan's presentation to be more coherent and had a greater impact on me. I liked Gilbert's book and recommend it, but to some extent I found that its extensive, year-by-year treatment, tended obscure Churchill's contributions with a mind numbing level of detail. Keegan summarized these details and focuses on Churchill's greatness. Gilbert also shows Churchill's greatness, but sometimes I had to read between the lines to get a more rounded picture. There was no need to do this with Keegan's book.
I expected that John Keegan, being one of the premier military historians writing today, would have included more of Churchill's involvement in WWI and WWII. These facets of Churchill's life are discussed, but not in as much detail as I expected. However, the level of detail devoted to Churchill's war years was in keeping with that of the presentation of the rest of his life, and I do not feel that providing only a summary detracted from the overall 5-star rating that I am giving to this book.
This book is an excellent, straightforward, summary of Churchill's life and accomplishments. Being less than 200 pages long it does not contain the wealth of detail contained in longer biographies, such as the almost 1000 page biography by Martin Gilbert. Keegan substitutes extensive detail with analysis and an excellent summary of events, and I found this to be an excellent tradeoff. Keegan writes with clarity and gets to the heart of the matter.
I read this book just after having finished Martin Gilbert's one volume, 960-page biography and I found Keegan's presentation to be more coherent and had a greater impact on me. I liked Gilbert's book and recommend it, but to some extent I found that its extensive, year-by-year treatment, tended obscure Churchill's contributions with a mind numbing level of detail. Keegan summarized these details and focuses on Churchill's greatness. Gilbert also shows Churchill's greatness, but sometimes I had to read between the lines to get a more rounded picture. There was no need to do this with Keegan's book.
I expected that John Keegan, being one of the premier military historians writing today, would have included more of Churchill's involvement in WWI and WWII. These facets of Churchill's life are discussed, but not in as much detail as I expected. However, the level of detail devoted to Churchill's war years was in keeping with that of the presentation of the rest of his life, and I do not feel that providing only a summary detracted from the overall 5-star rating that I am giving to this book.
on January 23, 2012
Keegan's biography is good, short glimpse into the life of one of the most fascinating politicians to live. While brief, it covers every major aspect of his life in enough detail to give you passable knowledge and understand the thinking behind the man.
The book can easily be read in an afternoon and is in fact more than 10 pages shorter than the 208 advertised on Amazon. It does the job well, and doesn't feel too lengthy. However, it may not be for everyone. Keegan is primarily a military historian, and Churchill's military exploits receive more attention than his early life. If you have an interest in the military, though, this will only make the read more interesting. As it stands, Churchill had an interesting military career, so these parts are a joy to read.
Overall, a great introduction into Winston Churchill, recommended to all.
The book can easily be read in an afternoon and is in fact more than 10 pages shorter than the 208 advertised on Amazon. It does the job well, and doesn't feel too lengthy. However, it may not be for everyone. Keegan is primarily a military historian, and Churchill's military exploits receive more attention than his early life. If you have an interest in the military, though, this will only make the read more interesting. As it stands, Churchill had an interesting military career, so these parts are a joy to read.
Overall, a great introduction into Winston Churchill, recommended to all.
on June 23, 2014
Keegan, of course writes well, so the book is interesting. It is short and required little research, so I speculate it was authored for the money.I read it at the same time as "Churchill:The Greatest Britton unmasked". The latter, despite its own bias/point of view, has a huge amount of irrefutable info that shows Keegan's flattering bio/hagiography is misleading. That is disappointing because I am, otherwise, a huge Keegan fan.
on February 2, 2015
I recently discovered these Penguin Lives books and plan to order two others soon. They may be small and short, but the analysis and insight of the subject is excellent. I highly recommend them.
on October 9, 2016
under my expectations. very light.
on May 3, 2016
This is the best short biography of Churchill. I am glad I own it.
on February 18, 2003
John Keegan succeeds brilliantly in this short biography of Winston Churchill, summoning Churchill's persona and principles, as well as providing an overview of Churchill's role in the great events of his long life. While Keegan has crafted his book beautifully, he graciously allows Churchill's voice, in the form of snippets from his speeches, to provide this biography's rhetorical highpoints. This is a first rate portrait of an amazing man. Highly recommended!
