Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Marvelous
Review: I was inspired to read about Churchill, among others, after reading Time magazine's Man of the Century issue. I picked Wm. Manchester's first volume in complete ignorance as to the identity of the author or his reputation as an historian and biographer. I quickly realized that I was reading a finely written, thoroughly researched, and detailed biography of the one man who alone is probably most responsible for saving the world from the horrors of Nazi Germany. The second volume continues where the first left off: Winston still in the political wilderness, the lone British statesman who recognized Hitler for the tyrant history proved him to be.I cannot express how much I learned about this time in European history. As an armchair student of history, I never understood, until now, how Europe could stand by and let Hitler first gain control of Germany and then of Eastern Europe. And I certainly never comprehended the role of Churchill, nor the many prices he willingly paid in his career and personal life. I have only two complaints about the second volume. First, the voice of Clementine Churchill, Winston's wife and so vitally present in the first volume, seemed absent, a vacuum in this tale about these tumultuous 8 years. In the first volume, she encouraged, advised, cajoled, and consoled Winston throughout his political ups and downs. Often she was right on target in how Churchill should proceed. In the second volume, she is notable only in her absence. The second complaint: no third volume. I sincerely hope that Mr. Manchester is having success in this particular endeavor. Any other biography just won't do!
Rating:
Summary: Superstar
Review: I've read a lot of books in my life, but I guess I had to wait to find one of the best books I've ever read. It is hard to believe that a "history book" could be a page-turner, but I literally could not put the first volume down. Or the second. Manchester is a fantastic writer and his admiration and enthusiasm for the Last Lion is evident. Do yourself a very big favor and read these books, Vol. 1 and 2. I sure hope there's a Vol. 3 in the works.
Rating:
Summary: Superstar
Review: I've read a lot of books in my life, but I guess I had to wait to find one of the best books I've ever read. It is hard to believe that a "history book" could be a page-turner, but I literally could not put the first volume down. Or the second. Manchester is a fantastic writer and his admiration and enthusiasm for the Last Lion is evident. Do yourself a very big favor and read these books, Vol. 1 and 2. I sure hope there's a Vol. 3 in the works.
Rating:
Summary: Freedom's Greatest Defender, Hitler's Greatest Enemy!
Review: Most people today know Winston Churchill at the great British Prime Minister of WWII. But Churchill was 65 when he became Prime Minister and had a public career spanning more than forty years. In this excellent book which is part biography, part history, William Manchester focuses on the period of 1932-1940 when Churchill was out of power, an outcast in his own party and universally derided as a warmongering relic. Churchill referred to these years as his "wilderness years" and they are among the most fascinating of his life because the years of Churchill's political exile coincide with the rise of Hitler and the growth of Germany from defeated power to world menace. Indeed, as Manchester chronicles, Churchill's return from the wilderness was intimately connected to the rise of Hitler because Churchill's relentless public opposition to Hitlerism and British policy towards Germany throughout the thirties is what led to his continuing exile while this same stalwartness preserved him from the mark of shame that infected the rest of the British elite when the policy of appeasement collapsed in 1939. Manchester has an unrestrained admiration for Churchill. Nevertheless, at no time in this volume does he overlook Churchill's many faults of personality. Many of these faults become clear when Manchester examines Churchill's personal life at his Chartwell estate and his relationship with his family and the servants and secretary's who worked for him. Despite these faults, however, the Churchill of this book comes across as a man touched with greatness and who is well aware of it. But this book is not merely the story of Churchill but the story of the small shabby men whose policy of appeasement in the face of absolute evil laid England low. Most of the government during the thirties fits this bill but in particular Manchester singles out the three prime ministers, Ramsey McDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain and Chamberlain's foreign minister Lord Halifax.. The author's contempt for these "Men of Munich" drips on virtually every page. He contrasts their fecklessness with Churchill's steadiness. Certainly Churchill recognized from day one that Germany had been overtaken by a deranged criminal regime and that such a regime would necessarily threaten the peace of the world. The Men of Munich just could not see it. Churchill believed, without once wavering, that a foreign policy built on strength and deterrence could prevent war but that a policy of appeasement could only guarantee it. The Men of Munich believed quite the opposite. Manchester shows the motivation of the appeasers to be more complex than commonly understood. Nevertheless, since, to their mind, no rational human being could want war, any dispute with Germany could be resolved through diplomacy and negotiation. It never occurred to the Churchill's foes that Hitler was no rational human being but rather quite mad or that they were not "negotiating" with him so much as giving in and retreating. A review of the events of the thirties shows a steady British retreat beginning with the failure to stop the re-occupation of the Rhineland then the failure to halt the annexation of Austria, the infamous betrayal of Czechoslovakia at Munich and finally the failure to prevent the final conquest of Czechoslovakia. Indeed, even after the invasion of Poland and declaration of War, Britain and France held back from aiding the Poles for fear Hitler would "turn west". Not until Churchill returned to power, nearly a year after the start of the war and days before the capitulation of France did the policy of appeasement truly end. Even without the benefit of hindsight, the policy of the British government during this period defies belief. Churchill stands as starkly in contrast to these appeasers as he does to the criminal Hitler. Churchill's wilderness years contain important lessons for today's policy-makers. Appeasement of evil is not only wrong but foolish. It never preserves peace but only guarantee's war. Manchester is a great writer. His prose is lively and his storytelling ability is excellent. All lovers of history will adore this book. I highly recommend it. What a pity that there will never be a third volume chronicling the war and post war years of Churchill's 90 year life.
Rating:
Summary: light up a fat cigar and enjoy this great work
Review: Only Manchester could do such a huge important man as Churchill justice in describing his life and making it real to us in the 1990s.This is so well written you will cherish it for life.I cant understand why he hasnt finished with the last lion series i hope hes not dead .Visions of glory the first volume was better than alone but the real action would start with the yet published third volume that I anxiously await.any info on that would be much appreciated.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Simply superb! What a tremendously written book on a great man. Churchill gets my vote for the man of the century and Manchester presents him in 3 dimensional color. A must read for anyone who chooses "never, never, never [to] give in". [Start with Volume One - Visions of Glory]
Rating:
Summary: Reveals the importance of being true to principle.
Review: The book brilliantly reviews the steadfast determination of Churchill to warn Great Britain of the oncoming peril. In the face of rejection and political suicide, Churchill stayed true to his beliefs and thereby saved Western civilization. Manchester captures the determination, frustration and excellance of the greatest leader of the 20th century. I cannot wait for volume III.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This book is wonderful--scholarly, richly detailed and engrossing. Mr. Manchester grips you from the first page to the last with his command of language and detail. I devoured both volumes of the intended 3-volume series. On a very sad note, however, I must repeat here something I read on the Net. According to one of Churchill's children, Mary, Mr. Manchester is ill and will not be able to finish the third volume of the biography. I was very sorry to hear of his illness, both on human terms and the loss to scholarship as well.
Rating:
Summary: A book written in white heat
Review: This is a great book of historical writing. For those who question the role history has in our lives I suggest you read this book and look at the world anew. Its focus is Churchill's fight against the appeasers in 1930s English politics. The staggering stupidity and the relentless badgering of Churchill as he stood his ground is an amazing story. Many people have described the Battle of Britain as Churchill's finest hour, but it was these long years with fascism growing in Europe that really mark him with distinction. Manchester is a brilliant historian and this is his masterwork. A dreadful pity that the third volume was never printed due his ill health.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I have ever read.
Review: This is the best treatment of the era between the wars I have ever read. One can understand why the British Government, in effect, committed treason when faced with another world war against Germany. Manchester's Churchill is the greatest man (or woman) of the 20th Century. Can't wait for Vol. III.
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