Growing Up Churchill: A Daughter's Memoir of Peace and War

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Growing Up Churchill: A Daughter's Memoir of Peace and War

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 83 ratings · 23 reviews

In this charming and intimate memoir, Winston Churchill’s youngest daughter shares stories from her remarkable life—and tells of the unbreakable bond she forged with her father through some of the most tumultuous years in British history.

Now approaching her ninetieth birthday, Mary Soames is the only surviving child of Winston and Clementine Churchill. Through a combina...more In this charming and intimate memoir, Winston Churchill’s youngest daughter shares stories from her remarkable life—and tells of the unbreakable bond she forged with her father through some of the most tumultuous years in British history.

Now approaching her ninetieth birthday, Mary Soames is the only surviving child of Winston and Clementine Churchill. Through a combination of personal reminiscences and never-before-published diary entries, she describes what it was like growing up as the scion of one of the lions of twentieth-century statecraft. Warm memories of a childhood spent roaming the grounds of the family’s country estate, tending to a small menagerie of pets, evoke the idyllic mood of England between the wars. As she matures into one of her father’s most trusted companions, we are given rare glimpses inside the glittering social milieu through which the Churchills moved—as well as the rough-and-tumble world of British politics. With fly-on-the-wall immediacy, Mary describes the momentous debate in Parliament where Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was driven from office, paving the way for Winston Churchill’s ascension and the grueling crucible of World War II.

During the war Mary served as a gunner in the women’s auxiliary, helping to shoot down the German V-1 rockets then bedeviling London. Styling herself as Private M. Churchill to avoid publicity, she led a unique double life that comes vividly alive again in the retelling. Splitting her time between luncheons at Chequers—where she spent time with the likes of Lord Mountbatten—and the turret of an anti-aircraft battery, she was never far from the center of the action. Hitler even reportedly hatched a plan, never consummated, to hire spies to seduce her in order to gain access to secret British war plans. She attended the Potsdam Conference as her father’s aide-de-camp, arranging a memorable dinner with Harry Truman and Josef Stalin (whom she acidly remembers as “small, dapper, and rather twinkly”). And when British voters overwhelmingly turned on Churchill in the 1945 election, it is left to Mary to recount the pain and devastation her father could never publicly express.

The mutual love and affection between Mary Soames and her parents pours forth from every page of this elegantly written memoir. A Daughter’s Tale is both a moving personal history and a source of untold insight into one of the enduring icons of British national life.(less)

hardback, 400 pages

Published April 24th 2012 by Random House Digital, Inc. (first published September 15th 2011)

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Sep 13, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the loveliest book! I will definitely buy it so I can keep my own copy forever. It was such a treat to read these reminiscences by Lady Soames, the daughter of the great Winston Churchill.

She begins with an account of her idyllic life at Chartwell in the beautiful countryside. Here she enjoyed life with a menagerie of animals, watching the antics of her siblings, and riding and even bricklaying with her father. She felt somewhat isolated from her siblings because she was the youngest and...more This is the loveliest book! I will definitely buy it so I can keep my own copy forever. It was such a treat to read these reminiscences by Lady Soames, the daughter of the great Winston Churchill.

She begins with an account of her idyllic life at Chartwell in the beautiful countryside. Here she enjoyed life with a menagerie of animals, watching the antics of her siblings, and riding and even bricklaying with her father. She felt somewhat isolated from her siblings because she was the youngest and they were several years older so she describes herself as a bit ‘odd’. However, glamour touched on her life even then. Important politicians and artists, such as the painter, John Lavery, visited and young Mary had a hand in helping her sister, Sarah, elope!

Life soon became a splendid whirl of dances, balls, and several romances for the young and pretty debutante. Queen Charlotte’s Ball certainly seems like a fairytale event. Her teenage years were touched by sadness, however. A broken engagement made her feel guilty and lessened her confidence somewhat.

Mary Churchill had to grow up impossibly fast when the dark days of the war came. She describes these eventful years and the impact it had on her father, who became Prime Minister, especially vividly. Overhearing her father say that women would have to do the work of men now, Mary impetuously decided to join the war effort. She entered the mixed batteries and eventually became a Junior Commander in charge of over 200 young women. Although London was under fire and being devastated by terrible bombings, she still managed to have a good time on occasion – there were still visits to nightclubs, romances and enjoyable family occasions.

Some of the most interesting events in the book occur when Mary travels with her father to important conferences in Canada and Berlin. She is in a position to describe MacKenzie King, the Prime Minister of Canada, as a ‘cosy old thing’ and Roosevelt as a ‘cute, cunning old bird’! Her joy at being able to help her father on these occasions shines through the book.

Her agony at watching her father suffer when important battles are lost during the course of the war makes the reader feel for her. Many dreadful events are brought home to the reader in this book, such as the fall of France and the defeat at Tobruk. At one stage Mary even fell to her knees to pray because she was so unhappy about her country’s situation.

I am not going to write about the ending but most readers will find that it’s one of their favourite parts of this wonderful book.(less)

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Dec 20, 2012 Evelyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In an age when so many memoirs by children of famous--or even not famous--parents are actually just tell-all indictments about dysfunctional parenting and miserable childhoods and are riddled with tales of stories ofabuse and rife with accusation, this memoir is none of the above, which is thoroughly refreshing. Mary Soames, nee Churchill, makes it clear from the very start of the book that she loved and respected her parents, regardless of their faults. Whatever dysfunction and/or disappointmen...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you are a student of British history or World War II, then Mary Soames memoir of her life through her mid-twenties is a worthwhile read. Soames is the youngest daughter of Winston and Clementine Churchill. She was the only one of their children still living "at home" when her father was named prime minister in 1940, charged with keeping Great Britain from falling under Hitler's sythe.

Despite being the child of artistocrats and despite the privileges that might have been bestowed on her as th...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Kereesa rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People interested in the historical aspects of Churchill's life

Shelves: 2012, life-writing-seminar, memoirs-diaries-biography, historical, meh, books-i-ll-never-read-again

I have not read many memoirs. I have probably never really read many in my life, nor will I ever read many in my days to come. It's not a genre I know very well, or have much interest in most of the time. My boyfriend always says he bleeds milkshakes, and I think the same could be said for me and fantasy.

That's not to say I don't understand or get the point of a good bio/autobio/etc... I do, I just have a lack of interest most of the time, and honestly prefer something with a little more magic...more I have not read many memoirs. I have probably never really read many in my life, nor will I ever read many in my days to come. It's not a genre I know very well, or have much interest in most of the time. My boyfriend always says he bleeds milkshakes, and I think the same could be said for me and fantasy.

That's not to say I don't understand or get the point of a good bio/autobio/etc... I do, I just have a lack of interest most of the time, and honestly prefer something with a little more magic to my story :P

Anyway, A Daughter's Tale is by no means the worst book, autobio or not, that I've had the displeasure of reading, but is definitely by no means something I'd recommend to anyone other than a Churchill historian, or someone interested in the day to day on-goings of WSC. And that is precisely the problem:

A Daughter's Tale is sadly not really about Mary Soames, or her relationship with her parents or siblings. Instead it is a rather surface look at the social life of WSC and his family. Details about people, fashion, and even food hold precedence, while Mrs. Soames carefully, and uncritically, writes about her family life almost shallowly. Her personal feelings are minimally, if ever, discussed or reflected on, while moments where her family is behaving less than admirably are passed over just as quickly, and even, in a few cases, explanations are left unsaid. Soames's narrative is almost a contradiction somewhat as it attempts to present negative aspects of her now dead family, yet attempts to protect them from this at the same time.

Her relationships with her father and mother are probably some of the most interesting aspects of Soames's narrative, especially in relation to their near constant absence for most of Soames's life. Her relation with her older siblings is another aspect that's certainly intriguing, especially regarding their vast differences in age, and Soames's misguided attempts to be involved in their lives. In addition to this is Soames's nearly invisible narrative regarding her weight, an aspect about herself that is mentioned not only by other people, but even indirectly by Soames's mother and even Soames herself.

There's also this weird emphasis on fashion, especially regarding WSC, that's just odd. Seriously, I'm not here to read about Winston's matching slippers, as exciting as that may seem.

Well, looks like I've got enough to talk about for my seminar.

2.5/5(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

Quite enjoyable peek into personal life of the Churchill family from the perspective of the youngest Churchill daughter, Mary. Covers the period of time from her birth until her marriage (two years after the end of WW2).

My only quibble is how she refers to her parents: she jumps around from "Mummie and Papa" to "Winston" and "Clementine" pretty much randomly. She also removes herself from some situations with her siblings (older brother Randolph, older sisters Diana and Sarah) by saying things l...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Pearl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Probably I should have known from the sub-title that this book would be a memoir of the author herself, not of her father. But I didn't, and it took me a while to get over that disappointment when beginning to read the book. I have always been a big Winston Churchill fan, despite the fact that he was a conservative and I'm not and that he loved and tried to hang on to the British Empire and I'm not an admirer of imperialism. I didn't know enough about Mary Churchill to want to read a book about...more Probably I should have known from the sub-title that this book would be a memoir of the author herself, not of her father. But I didn't, and it took me a while to get over that disappointment when beginning to read the book. I have always been a big Winston Churchill fan, despite the fact that he was a conservative and I'm not and that he loved and tried to hang on to the British Empire and I'm not an admirer of imperialism. I didn't know enough about Mary Churchill to want to read a book about her.

Of course both Winston and Clementine Churchill play major roles in Mary's story. Mary was the youngest of the five Churchill children. The fourth child died suddenly at age three and both Churchill's were grief stricken. Mary was born a few years later and was eight years younger than the next youngest child. She grew up as the apple of her father's eye and as a great comfort and friend to her mother. Mary's memoirs end at the close of WW II when she is in her very early twenties. Most of her story is told through her diary entries at the time, so we get a fairly young and frequently immature Mary.

A little blurb on the dust jacket describes the memoirs as "totally honest." I think not. Clearly the Churchill family was warm and loving and, as with all famous families, the children hope not to disappoint their parents but have a hard time living up to their legacy. We get none of this from Mary. She hero-worshiped her father. Her older siblings seem to have had a harder time being Churchills than did Mary. I did not want her to write an expose, as many children do; but I did hope for some analysis and sober reflection. Perhaps the diaries of a young girl would not reflect this but writing about seventy years later, I think it's fair to expect some reflection and analysis.

She does write rather charmingly of her early years at Chartwell, the Churchill's country estate, where her father loved to paint and do household improvements, her mother loved to garden, and she (Mary) delighted in keeping chickens, goats, horse back riding and various other country things. The book also includes the time the family spent at No. 10 Downing Street and Checkers, when her father was Prime Minister during WW II and she herself volunteered for service in the army. I thought this was the most interesting part of her story. We learn that the Churchills, being great Francophiles, were particularly devastated when France fell to the Nazis. We learn a little of the deprivation suffered by the air raids and bombings and rationing and how much they envied the Yanks who seemed to have so much more than the British soldiers or the British people during the war. Their presence in England evoked appreciation and jealously - they were "overpaid, oversexed--and over here!"

Mary met almost everybody who was anybody at that time. The list of names goes on and on and is very impressive, but that's it - it's like a list. Very little insight. These famous people were charming, entertaining, well dressed or not. We don't get too much more. As a part of high society, she attended lots of parties and balls. We always find out what she wore and who she danced with, but, again, not much more.

For some reason I could never detect, her parents are variously referred to as papa and mummie and Winston and Clementine. They were both high spirited and somewhat high strung and fiercely devoted to each other. Other accounts I have read about their marriage bear this out but also say that Clementine sometimes had to escape from Winston because he could be so exasperating. Mary mentions some long voyages her mother takes on her own but never hints that the reason was she needed a breather from her father. She also very briefly alludes to Pamela's affair with Averell Harriman as being a major reason for her divorce from Randolph, the oldest in the family and the only son; but never alludes to the many rumors about Randolph's affairs or his drinking. Harriman was a close friend of the Churchills and apparently continued to be, despite Pamela's leaving their son for him. To be fair, Mary does write about Randolph's frequent bad behavior which caused his father much embarrassment.

I couldn't help comparing Mary's memories to those of Curtis Roosevelt, Franklin and Eleanor's grandson. He wrote a very loving memoir of growing up in the White House, much of the time in the care of his grandparents. He called his memoir "Too Close to the Sun." He also, as his title suggests, is more reflective. One take-away that I got from thinking about these two families is that the Churchills were much more emotionally available to their children and to everyone than were the Roosevelts.

Speaking of the Roosevelts, Mary liked them both very much but found Franklin, in all his charm, a bit overwhelming and finally a bit tiring. Of course, she was fairly young when she met him. She does tell one story that I really enjoyed. On a White House visit, the Roosevelt's had a zealous guest who chided Churchill about the way the British treated the Indians. Churchill asked if she was "referring to the brown Indians in India who multiplied alarmingly under the benevolent British rule. . . or the red Indians in America, who I understand are almost extinct." Evidently the harassing guest was silenced but FDR was delighted and laughed uproariously.

At ninety +, Mary Churchill Soames is the only surviving child. Although these memories end just as WW II ended and she married, apparently she has led the longest and happiest life of any of the Churchill children. From others reaction to her, as told in her book, she was apparently funny, intelligent,and charming. I think we saw too little of this in her book. She has written a biography of her mother. I'm interested in learning more about this elegant and fascinating woman but, if I choose to read more about her, I don't think it will be Mary's book.
(less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed learning more about the life of this prominent family in Britain during WWII. I admired that the entire family did their part during the war and made sacrifices along with all the other citizens, although they were admittedly sheltered a bit with WC being PM. Mary kept a close relationship with both parents, even though they were absent for much of her childhood. Interesting and a nice read.

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Aug 20, 2012 Kaija rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The beginning is hard to follow, as it is difficult to recall one's childhood with ease.
Once she gets to her teenage years it is much easier to follow, and a good insight into her life, and her fathers. Somewhat disappointing it does not go on past her marriage to discuss her father's death, the birth of her children, etc.

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Mar 13, 2013 Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's another book in my journey of understanding the life and times of people in the 1930's and1940's social and political life in both England and the United States and their connections to each other.

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Nov 17, 2012 Frances Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Winston Churchill's youngest and only living child writes an interesting memoir about her famous father. It's sympathetic yet gives a good picture of the war years in Great Britain.

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Oct 14, 2012 Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Such a interesting period of time. At 23, during the war she was in command of 230 in her ATS unit. That is more teachers than my 47 year old principal supervises on a daily basis.

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Oct 03, 2012 Gwen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved it. The visuals of life during that time, from her perspective were amazing. There are quite a few little french sayings salted in which I didn't understand at all.

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Dec 29, 2012 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Enjoyed the clear writing style and this gave me a glimpse into life as a member of this family. It left me feeling inspired.

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Aug 13, 2012 Lisa Hayes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

I just started this--disappointing that it only goes up to her marriage. She had an interesting life with a very successful husband. I would like it to cover her whole life.

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Sep 30, 2012 Marjorie is currently reading it · review of another edition

She is a delightful writer. I enjoy reading history through the lens of people who lived it.

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Jan 02, 2013 Leigh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, books-set-in-england, kindle, memoirs, world-war-2

Entertaining story of what it was like to grow up as the youngest child of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Loved it.

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Jan 06, 2013 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very good, she writes really well and it certainly was a fascinating upbringing. It's a pity that the book ends when she's 24. I hope there's a sequel.

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Sep 16, 2012 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biographies-autobiographies

A wonderful memoir by Churchill's daughter. More on http://bookwinked.wordpress.com

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Jan 26, 2012 Hillingdon Libraries marked it as specially_requested · review of another edition

Find this book at Hillingdon Libraries

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Dec 02, 2012 Emily Klein rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although I found this a little slow in the beginning I enjoyed the view of Churchill, his family, an WWII as told from his youngest daughter.

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Feb 10, 2013 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a sweet and grateful person.

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Nov 25, 2012 Tiffiny Corbett rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Didn't hold my attention.

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May 15, 2013 Marcia marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: to-reserve-non-fiction

May 15, 2013 Pat added it · review of another edition

May 11, 2013 Cong342 added it · review of another edition

May 07, 2013 Lemerific added it

May 03, 2013 Julia Lanter marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-autobiography, nonfiction, evening-book-group

May 01, 2013 Emma marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 30, 2013 Louise marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 28, 2013 Sarah marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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