Product Description

Richard Holmes's insightful new biography of one of Britain's greatest leaders is both a study in character and the story of an extraordinary career. Much has been written about Churchill's role as British prime minister during the crisis years of the Second World War, but in this book Holmes uses new material to investigate the influences that shaped the man: his troubled schooldays, his flamboyant politician father, Randolph, and his famously attractive American mother, Jennie. Holmes argues that the qualities that made Churchill great also led him to commit catastrophic blunders. The same recklessness that made him a hero when he was a young correspondent during the Boer War arguably cost thousands of Allied lives during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, and may also have contributed to the fall of Singapore in 1942. "In the Footsteps of Churchill" takes us on an exhilarating journey through Harrow School, the North-West Frontier, the Sudan, South Africa, 10 Downing Street and his beloved Chartwell; a journey that begins in the aristocratic splendour of Blenheim Palace and ends in the quiet of a country churchyard not far away the compass of an extraordinary life in a few Oxfordshire acres. 'Richard Holmes provides a truly fresh interpretation of the great man Holmes's mature and wise portrait is studded with facts about the period and episodes in Churchill's life that amuse, engage and entice. The author's eye for the telling detail, as well as his deep immersion in all the relevant archives, raises this book far above the common ruck of Churchilliana.' Andrew Roberts. 'This supremely skilful military historian achieves a freshness of approach that makes Churchill hard to put down.' Max Hastings, "Mail on Sunday".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #347647 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Customer Reviews

A fascinating read
It took me 10 pages to get used to Richard Holmes way of writing, but after that I couldn't put it down. I found this an easier read than Roy Jenkins Churchill book, which I didn't finish. If you want a whole-life biography about Churchill, written in a form that excludes short simple sentences, with lots of references from others, and the opportunity to form your own opinions, this achieves it nicely. I would not have managed this book as a teenager, but as a mature, average IQ reader I found it very enjoyable.

A Non-Promotional Piece on Churchill
Holmes writes honestly about a man who had as many flaws as successes during his colourful political career. Holmes touches on things like how Churchills ego dictated most of what he did and also his love of oratory speeches, which he spent countless hours dictating to dedicated secretaries, were written with his legacy in mind even from a young age. Holmes does not paint a picture of a hero, but of a man who was a victory for circumstance and in terms of being suited for war leadership, lucky one came along in terms of his legacy. He discusses in detail taboo subjects like his mothers relationship with Churchill containing "erotic overtones" and how his work colleagues found him tiresome yet inspiring.

The book is extremely well researched, well written as you would expect from an Oxford Lecturer of many years experience. There is detail on every page, presented in a balanced arguement. Holmes looks beyond Churchill attempting to write history in his huge paper trial of memoirs, books and speeches and looks behind all of this to reveal the truth about the man who intrigues us so much. Very highly recommended. I have given this book five stars because it is easy to laud Churchill as a hero of the nation, but more commendable to note that much of his strengths of character could also be considered massive weaknesses.