Rating: 
Summary: Extremely well-written
Review: Very rarely does someone write a truly readable biography. Usually, I am left either wanting to know more or must force myself to finish the book when I am 3/4 done. Manchester moves things along at a nice pace while leaving few stones unturned.Since reading a much shorter biography as a teenager, I have always been fascinated by Churchill. This book (and the second, as well) provide a wonderfully in-depth look at the man who becomes the Lion of England. From his early years to his exciting career as a correspondent and soldier, the first volume of The Last Lion is as good a biography of Winston Churchill as I can imagine. Some will consider the biographer too kind, but who among us is without fault? Churchill certainly stands as one of the greatest men in modern history.
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Summary: The sad part is that Manchester never finished
Review: this series. Ending Churchill's bio at 1940 is like eating a great apetizer and getting called away before you can enjoy the main course. Still, he brings to light the great truth of Churchill's phenomenal, stout-hearted genius. He was truly a man for his time, the man of the century, who assembled his team and studied his role for years before anyone but he understood it would be required. Any discussion of the word "vision" that leaves out Churchill in the thirties is struly neglectful -- he saw the future, and his necessary role in it, better than any historical figure I know about. Manchester is such a modern and engaging writer, his ability to contextualize the man and his mileu is indispensible. We get to know the women who cultured and nurtured that lightning brain, the men who tried to debase his ideas because they led to course of action they were afraid of. This is the story of a lonely struggle to make the truth known, and to lead men, against the tide of opinion, to its inevitable consequense. It is one thing to bring about a change in ideas -- yet another to get people to act in ways that every bone in their bodies screams out against. Manchester elucidates the story with great attention to factual detail, and still makes the story compelling. Bravo!
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Summary: The Last Lion
Review: This is a stupendous book about an equally stupendous man. It is a must read for anyone who is fascinated by the spirit of great men. Manchester at his best
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Summary: Volume 1 of the life of Winston Spencer Churchill
Review: "The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932," is the first of William Manchester's projected three-volume biography of Winston Spencer Churchill. I found it a superbly crafted, supremely well researched account of the first 58 years of the life of the 20th century's greatest statesman. With wit and candor, Manchester chronicles Churchill from his earliest days as the neglected and troublesome first child of Lord Randolph Churchill and his American-born wife, Jennie, to his entry into the political "wilderness" over home rule in India in 1932. Manchester's portrait of his subject is balanced and objective; we see Churchill at his finest: a courageous (almost to the point of foolhardiness) army officer, and later a gifted Member of Parliament who became one of the youngest Cabinet ministers in British history. We also see him at his worst: a Cabinet minister with appalling political judgment at times, quick to meddle in other ministers' affairs while neglecting his own, and with an uncanny ability to alienate not only his political foes, but almost all his political allies as well. In addition to a wonderfully written chronology of Churchill's life, Manchester provides an overview of the times in which Churchill lived. I was fascinated by the author's account of Victorian England -- its culture, its mores, and its view of itself in the world. The sections which describe Churchill's times make highly entertaining and absorbing reading by themselves. "The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932," clearly shows why William Manchester is one of the pre-eminent biographers at work today. The book is written with obviously meticulous scholarship, insightful analysis, and crisp, sparkling prose; I have yet to find a better account of Churchill's life. Now, if only Mr. Manchester would give us that third volume . . .
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Summary: A Book That Changed My Life
Review: William Manchester's two volume biography on the life of Winston Churchill is unforgettable. Manchester retells this great man's life with startling details that keep you consistently enthralled. The book's genius is not only in the biographical account, but in Manchester's ability to weave this biography into a lush context. The Last Lion's power comes from detail. Here, when Hitler first moves his troops we find that on the same day Margaret Mitchell's editor changed "Pansy" to Scarlet, and "Tommorow is Another Day" to "Gone With The Wind." Manchester seizes every opportunity to share his vast knowledge with his readers. The result is a work that seriously re-evaluates criticisms of Churchill that abounded both during and long after his lifetime. I am a better man for knowing the amazing life story of Churchill. Manchester's book makes this learning enormously entertaining.
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Summary: A fantastic read
Review: More than just the life of Churchill - it's a portrait of an era - the sunset of the British empire, the turn of the 20th century, the transition from Victorian thru Edwardian England. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Last Lion
Review: Manchester's two volume biography sparkles. Many biographers do no more than summarize the facts they uncover. Manchester does much more;he glues together the facts with superb writing. Manchester's volumes offer an encyclopedic treatment of Churchill and the era in which he lived. Because the volumes are written with style, clarity and wit, they are a pleasure to read. Manchester's work is the best biography I have ever read.
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Summary: A wonderful book about an amazing life.
Review: The Last Lion series truly opened my eyes to the genius of Churchill as both statesman and man. I'm not particularly a history buff, and I enjoyed it on every level. Manchester does a remarkable job of bringing this giant of the millenium alive. My only complaint is the lack of a third volume, which is a decade overdue - it would be a shame if this masterpiece goes unfinished.
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Summary: A c;ear analysis of this century's rise to power.
Review: Manchester's second volume on Churchill provides a perspicuous account of Churchill's rise, fall and ultimate ascent to power. Perhaps no other narrative affords such an intimate insight into Churchill's wit, wisdom, and prescient views of the rise of the National Socialists in Germany. Manchester details how Churchill's lonely stand againts the NAZIS cost him is rank and privilege in Parliament. Ultimately, Churchill's premonitions came true, and he alone was called upon to save England, and the free world, from the barbarous deeds of the NAZIS. A must read.
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Summary: A superb narrative of the this century's greatest statesman.
Review: Manchester provides a lucid and entertaining perspective of the events that shaped the rise of this century's greatest statesman. This volume of the two volume series is essential to understanding the man, his politics, and his rise to power. Manchester's perspicacious narrative reveals the elements that composed the Churchillian psyche including his mother's maternal indifference and promiscuity, his fathers's political maneuvering, Victorian morality and immorality, his contempt for formal education, his love for military fortunes, and his call to the political arena. Volume I is a must read before Volume II (1932-1940)
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