The Churchills

Apr 26, 2013 Dan Cowden rated it 4 of 5 stars

About two-thirds through this book, it's really quite interesting. It's a family / personal history of the Churchill (or Spencer Churchill) clan, from John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough circa 1650 through his slightly more famous descendent (Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, who's paternal grandfather was the 7th Duke, uncle was the 8th, and cousin the 9th) and the family until the late 1970s.

Not unexpectedly, the bulk of the book is spent on Winston and his immediate family; modern readers m...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Heikki rated it 5 of 5 stars

When you pick up a book of Winston Churchill, you sort of know what you are going to get. You think you will have yet another retelling of how Winston won World War 2, after featuring in the Boer War as a correspondent and even before that in Sudan as a cavalry officer. Well, yes - you get that, but you get a lot more than that and in a much more entertaining package than many other books can offer.

The main feature of this book is of course the extraordinary love and affection that Winston Churc...more When you pick up a book of Winston Churchill, you sort of know what you are going to get. You think you will have yet another retelling of how Winston won World War 2, after featuring in the Boer War as a correspondent and even before that in Sudan as a cavalry officer. Well, yes - you get that, but you get a lot more than that and in a much more entertaining package than many other books can offer.

The main feature of this book is of course the extraordinary love and affection that Winston Churchill found in Clementine Hozier. There are few couples at the top of the ruling classes in this world who have found a relationship that sees them through the good and the bad times: Margaret and Dennis Thatcher, Ronald Reagan with his Nancy, and Mikhail Gorbachev with Raisa Gorbacheva spring to mind. I do declare though that the Churchills take the cake. Clementine realized early on that Winston was an exceptional man and he would change the world, but only if he had a home to call his own and a balanced life. She set out to provide just that, and she did it so well that Winston was able to steer full steam ahead through times of peace and war.

This is not to say the Churchills did not have their adversities in life, far from it. Besides losing one daughter to sickness at the age of three, their other children provided ample problems all through their lives, and the author is very balanced in her delivery of these events in the Churchills' life. In fact, it is in a way cathartic to see that even if you rule the remains of an empire, you still have to deal with an unruly son whose ego was second only to his father's, and who had such trouble locating his place in the world.

This book also excels in the description of upper-echelon life in the late Victorian period into the Roaring Twenties and the post-war era. It is nothing short of revelatory to see how behind the facades, men are cuckolded with glee and women are thrust into societal sidelights through the unbelievable extramarital affairs of their husbands. It seems that many marriages were entered into for all the wrong reasons such as money, prestige, family ties or simple coercion.

Another feature that gets much air time in the book is the role of money in the said circles. Take Blenheim, the Churchills' family estate, a vast mammoth of a building in dire need of funds for repair and upkeep. The solution by the then Duke? Marry money. It's fine, because the mother of the bride-to-be had long been of the opinion that her daughter should be a Duchess. So, Sunny Marlborough and Consuelo Vanderbilt got married only to find very quickly that they were exact opposites in any issue imaginable. Sure, the next generation heir was produced, but the heart-rending story of these two unhappy people has been delivered by the author in a delicate vein.

WHy read this book? First, because it sheds light on Winston Churchill the man instead of WC the PM. Second, because few books have such a wide cast of characters, and still form a coherent narrative. And third, because this is the best book I have read so far that makes you understand just how the posturing, pomp, and circumstance of Victorian England actually operated, and how the influx of American money princesses changed things. This is a highly entertaining read and you will have much fun picturing people running into their mistresses in the company of another mistress while on the run from their wives. And vice versa.

And you will see that there is such a thing as true love.(less)

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Feb 08, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Even at 600+ pages this was an easy gossipy read that sped by. Mary S. Lovell has written of the big names and famous families before (The Mitford Sisters, Bess of Hardwick and Beryl Markham) so she knows the territory. Though she begins at the beginning with the first Churcills, the original Duke of Marlborough and his wife Sarah, most of the book concentrates on Winston Churchill and the generation above and below him. Given a thrice-married beauty for a mother (Jennie Jerome, one of the first...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Jenny Brown rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book paints an almost mind-numbing picture of the lifestyles of a parasitic class of people born either to obscene wealth or a life eased by a network of powerful connections, who spent much of their time screwing around with other people's spouses, buying and decorating expensive properties bought with other people's money, attending exclusive parties, looking down on anyone not as well born as themselves, and whining about their poverty even when their incomes were literally 25 to 50 time...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Tracey rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one really

I have read Mary S. Lovell's The Mitford Girls and enjoyed it, so was quite interested to find this in a library The tone is much the same as with the Mitford book, and it makes for easy reading. BUT!!!! I am only on page 33 and already have found 2 factual errors. Granted neither of them impede on the story but they are details that it would have been very easy to get right. It makes me wonder about the accuracy of her research overall. Disappointed to see these. Hope there won't be any more.

O...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Kiwiflora rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is quite a daunting prospect to review a book about such a monumental person as Sir Winston Churchill. Google his name and pages and pages of stuff are listed. Any one of these provides a potted biography, lists of his many outstanding achievements, the ups and downs of his political career, his talents and interests, his personal and family life, his memorable quotes, trusts, speeches and books he wrote. The latter a career in itself.

So the purpose of this review is not to tell you about Si...more
It is quite a daunting prospect to review a book about such a monumental person as Sir Winston Churchill. Google his name and pages and pages of stuff are listed. Any one of these provides a potted biography, lists of his many outstanding achievements, the ups and downs of his political career, his talents and interests, his personal and family life, his memorable quotes, trusts, speeches and books he wrote. The latter a career in itself.

So the purpose of this review is not to tell you about Sir Winston's life, but about this particular book which sets out to document it. And what a book it is. It sheer size alone is huge - running to 670 pages, with the last 100 pages comprising bibliography, notes, appendices and a most impressive index; chock full of photographs; and a comprehensive family tree. All of which I regularly referred to.

Beginning with the origins of the family dukedom (awarded by Queen Anne in 1702), the first chapter gives a brief but fascinating history of the family up till about the middle of the 19th century and the time of the 7th Duke of Marlborough. Sir Winston's father, Lord Randolph, was the third son of this particular Duke. From then on the book focuses in huge detail on the life of Winston, literally from cradle to grave.

The research the author has put into this book is quite staggering. I always find it quite remarkable how people in our recent past kept so much of their personal written correspondence. This is now such a rich source of information about daily life, issues, and relationships of those who until quite recently really were living amongst us. I am thinking of letters that Winston wrote at boarding school to his parents, or the heart felt letters and notes that he and his wife Clementine wrote to each other constantly through out their marriage. Not only has the author managed to find her way through all this material, but somehow she has the ability to put it all together in such a way that at times you feel as if you are invading someone's innermost thoughts, or being given permission to wallow in the salacious gossip and lurid details of the lives of the British aristocracy. Will email and Facebook ever provide us again with such a rich and thoughtful insight into lives?

There is plenty of scandal and gossip throughout this book. Quite startling too I have to say: a whole appendix devoted to whether or not Lord Randolph died of syphilis, for example. And one look at the extensive family tree, with Winston and his brother Jack in the center of it, shows that they are the only ones who were married only once. So much for 'till death do us part'. There certainly wasn't much of that around! Fascinating reading.

But it is not all social climbing, bed hopping, and saving face. I doubt whether Winston would have had the impressive career and political life he had if it had not been for the support, devotion and undying love of his wife Clementine. She herself was an amazing woman and became a life peer, as well as a Dame. Her own war service as president or chairperson of various service groups earned her enormous respect and recognition. Yet her role as Winston's life long partner will be what she is forever remembered for. As the saying goes, behind every successful man there is a great woman.

From childhood Winston set his sights on a career in politics. His love of toy soliders and battle planning meant a defence career was also a foregone conclusion. To make these subjects interesting and readable to the average reader is quite an achievement; there were perhaps only a few pages when I felt I had read enough about that particular political machination (plenty of them), or the intricacies of a certain military action. The one section that did have me riveted however was the appalling debacle at Gallipoli in 1915-1916 when Churchill was the First Lord of the Admirality. As a result he received much of the blame for the disaster. Coming from New Zealand, the battle of Gallipoli features very heavily in our history and national identity as it also does for Australians. We know a lot about this battle in this part of the world. So to have the author so vividly, concisely and simply tell the story, for me, was one of the main things I have taken away from this book.

What I also take away from this book is that the world is sorely lacking in leaders with the outstanding qualities that Winston Churchill had. I can't think of a single leader in recent years who has the ability to inspire people,to not be afraid, who, as the author tells it, is not in the job for personal glorification or sees the job as a means to his own ends. The author clearly loves her subject; her admiration for the man and what he achieved in his life time and for his country is enormous. Whether this is a failing of the book I do not know, as I have not done any research or previous reading of Winston Churchill. The author has however, compiled mountains of material into a most readable and fascinating account of Britain, Europe, its leaders, movers and shakers over almost ninety years and for that reason alone it is worth reading.

Mary Lovell has written biographies of some very interesting well-known and not so well-known people and families - the Mitford sisters, Beryl Markham, Amelia Earhart and Jane Digby, plus others. I have read two of these other biographies, both of which were easy, enjoyable and informative, but also large reads!
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Mar 31, 2013 Steven rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I learned an important lesson reading this book. That would be to research your biographer and your options before deciding on a book, and especially if the subject matter is well known. When again will I get around to the Churchill's and Winston? It will be a good while and this book will be with me until such time as I pick up another. There are likely far better books on Winston Churchill and though I've read none of them, I suspect this is not among them. Before I go further I want to say I...more I learned an important lesson reading this book. That would be to research your biographer and your options before deciding on a book, and especially if the subject matter is well known. When again will I get around to the Churchill's and Winston? It will be a good while and this book will be with me until such time as I pick up another. There are likely far better books on Winston Churchill and though I've read none of them, I suspect this is not among them. Before I go further I want to say I did enjoy Lovell's biography of Lady Jane Digby, a far less known person of historical account than Winston and less works to choose from (and so maybe I am fooling myself) but I recall it being an enjoyable read.

As the book's title says, this is one about the Churchill family, not just Winston, detailing their loves and times of war. As such the author gives all of the Churchill's their due. The author however takes you on unnecessary jaunts covering the background of people only very peripherally associated with the Churchills. While interesting enough in of themselves (Clara Jerome for example) they would have been better covered in other works.

The writing at times was embarrassing truth be told. I recall the author transitioning from one paragraph to another with: "But anyways...". This tone and style stuck in my craw and made it difficult to take the biographer seriously. At other times it was nonsensical and seemed like filler to enlarge the page count of the book and not something meaningful and essential to the larger story.

While the book begins with a discussion of the Churchills, the Marlborough Dukedom and the palace of Blenheim, one picks up this volume for the Big Kahuna, Winston Churchill himself. Sadly the author fails here too. His early life and later his involvement in the Boer Wars and politics is chronicled well enough. It only gets weaker however as time moves forward. Most important events are handled very lightly and briefly: The disaster at the Dardanelles Strait in WWI and later during events in WWII. I don't even recall the author mentioning the all important friendship with FDR. His most important and greatest speech (We will fight on the beaches...) only garnered a brief mention. I did learn what I had not known before, that he was a prolific author and painter throughout his life.

More time and exposition was given to familial arrangements surrounding various holidays and home-life. Nothing too terribly wrong with this but it was done at the expense of far more monumental and important points in Churchill's life. Much time is spent characterizing his and his wife Clementine's marriage and their devoted love for one another. This wasn't unwelcome by any means and I was left with a great respect for Clementine and her indefatigable support of Winston. The adage here is appropriate, behind every great man...Sad to read it was largely at the expense of their children.

I understand there are biographies of Jennie Jerome (Winston's mother), Consuelo Vanderbilt (Winston's aunt by marriage), and others. One would be better served by seeking those out than relying on this book to tell their respective stories. Much of Winston's children and their lives are chronicled herein also. Most of the Churchill men were forgettable, even pathetic, and Winston stands out among them as a far better person. This book was a poor attempt and missed opportunity to shed light on Winston and place him appropriately in history. There are surely better options. I was only able to finish the book as his life was so extraordinary, even this attempt was reasonably compelling to propel me on to the last page.

Save your time and effort and choose a better known biographer of Winston than this one. I've read other biographers like McCullough and Massie, so I like to think I know a good biography when I read one. This sadly was not one of them.(less)

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Sep 23, 2011 Sandravanek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Enjoying it; but had to put it down to read "the Help". Soon as I finish "the Help" , I will go back to the Churchills. I find it fascinating the way upper class England in the late 19th century treated their children...What would all the child psycologists say today about raising children that way? They'd probably say the children would be scarred forever; and yet it produced such towering figures such as Winston Churchill. I am only as far as his early childhood, so probably shouldn't rush to...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

The first Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) was a soldier of such genius that a lavish palace, Blenheim, was built to honor his triumphs. Succeeding generations of Churchills sometimes achieved distinction but also included profligates and womanizers, and were saddled with the ruinous upkeep of Blenheim. The family fortunes were revived in the nineteenth century by the huge dowries of New York society beauties Jennie Jerome (Winston's mother) and Consuelo Vanderbilt (wife to Winston's cousin).

Mary...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mary S. Lovell has once again taken me on a journey through history with that touch of gossip and intrigue. Her attention to research and details draw me into every book she's written. The Churchills is no exception. I had always read and hear so much about Winston, but had never known about the rest of the family, their important roles in history and their antics, foibles and blunders. The appendix was a final delight, like an after dinner glass of brandy in front of the fire. I am sad to have...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Evangeline Holland rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: edwardian, historical-non-fiction, churchill-family

Lovell writes a sprightly and detailed biography of the important members of the Spencer Churchill family--namely, the first duke and duchess of the 17th and early 18th centuries, and Winston Churchill's parents, brother, and their extended family. I've read many biographies of the individual members, but Lovell ties all of their stories into one, and gives greater prominence to the women of the family, which I appreciated since Clementine Hozier Churchill rather fades into the background betwee...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was juicy! I have been meaning to read a biography on Winston Churchill for ages, but haven't decided on the best author yet. This was a great introduction to the Churchills, who were in fact aristoracy--part of his family have a line of Dukes! His father was second in birth order, so not technically a Duke, but this family was involved with scandals, scandals, scandals. There were lots of marriages, mostly arranged, but some for love. Lots of bankrupty, death from typhoid to syphillus...more

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Sep 03, 2012 King rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well done book very well documented about several male generations of the Churchill family ( mostly dating back to 1880's) who are the descentdants of the Duke of Marborough who defeated the Spanish army in 1714 and rewarded both the Dukedom and Blenheim Palace9where Winston was born). Most of the book is about Winston his life and his relationship the succeeding Dukes of Marolborough. This is a very inciteful and engaging documentary of this formative era in world history and the Churchill's pl...more

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May 13, 2013 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone wanting inspiration and motivation to achieve a more fulfilling life.

Recommended to Maggie by: My mother.

Shelves: historical-fact

4.5 stars
The lives of the rich and famous, the titled and the privileged, are not necessarily so great and the Churchill’s did not go unscathed. Mary Lovell has produced a really great account of the lives of this famous family, not in a singular fashion either, but by providing us with accounts of all sorts of people who were in and out of their lives to add richness to this story.
Lovell has studied and researched her subject in great detail, obviously from a rich resource of personal diaries,...more 4.5 stars
The lives of the rich and famous, the titled and the privileged, are not necessarily so great and the Churchill’s did not go unscathed. Mary Lovell has produced a really great account of the lives of this famous family, not in a singular fashion either, but by providing us with accounts of all sorts of people who were in and out of their lives to add richness to this story.
Lovell has studied and researched her subject in great detail, obviously from a rich resource of personal diaries, letters, photos and quotes from latter day family members and those caught up in the whirl of their existence. Their lifestyle was one of the constant struggle to stay in the circles of the ‘upper crust’, with little store other than their wit and charisma to do so, as they were not as fabulously rich as most of those they mixed with.
As usual, we have the men wasting the money and then having to scout around for some rich heiress to marry. At least they did the sensible thing and injected some new genes (and wealth), back into their bloodline by sourcing the odd heiress or two from America. Obviously a win/win for both parties, the Churchill family desperately needing the cash and the American’s seeking the title!
I initially wanted to read this book because of my admiration for Winston Churchill. I was fascinated that from what I had read previously about him I hadn’t picked up on the full extent of his literary talents and how many books and articles he had published. Although self promoting, he was so articulate, intelligent and energetic one cannot help but be drawn to him
Being the son of a second son, he didn’t get a look in on the inheritance of the famous Blenheim estate – however these large estates could also be a millstone around the heir’s neck as Lovell demonstrates.
With the privilege of being born into the upper class also came, particularly for women, the burden of keeping up appearances. This meant marrying for money or position or both and not love, having to produce an heir and a spare (a phrase coined by one of the Churchill wives) and having to provide pleasant company no matter how boring and tedious. For the well educated woman such as Consuelo Churchill (married to Winston’s first cousin Sunny) as she points out while describing a four day hosting of a Royal visit:

"The number of changes of costume was in itself a waste of precious time. To begin with, even breakfast, which was served at 9:30 in the dining room, demanded an elegant costume of velvet or silk. Having seen the men off to their sport, the ladies spent the morning round the fire reading the papers and gossiping. We next changed into tweeds to join the guns for luncheon, which was served in the High Lodge or in a tent. Afterwards we usually accompanied the guns and watched a drive or two before returning home. An elaborate tea gown was donned for tea, after which we played cards or listened to a Viennese band or to the organ until time to dress for dinner when again we adorned ourselves in satin, or brocade, with a great display or jewells ... one was not supposed to wear the same gown twice. That meant sixteen dresses for four days." Pg 152

It is Lovell’s ability to be able to select the most appropriate quote or anecdote to neatly sum up the lifestyle of this family and how they lived under the pressure of keeping their footing within it.
My heart went out to Consuelo (of Vanderbilt pedigree) who was very well educated, did not want to marry Sunny but was manipulated to do so by her ambitious mother and obviously was seen by Sunny’s mother as an answer to their prayers for an injection of wealth into the family in order to sustain their lifestyle and class.
The other burden for this privileged class is that loveless marriages are supposed to be sustained at all costs and that even though one could have discreet affairs, one could still not fall in love! So with Jennie (Winston’s mother) and Consuelo, when they did succumb to their true desires scandal followed them.
This class also had duties to perform for the greater good and they did so on many occasions with great energy and charity, such as when Jennie set up a hospital ship for the wounded men of the Boer war. The thing is, if you have no domestic chores to do, plenty of cash at your disposal so you do not have to work, what else is there to do? There would be many who wouldn’t bother with charity but would be happy to indulge themselves.
With regard to Churchill, my admiration for him has grown for a number of reasons, which became clear through Lovell’s sympathetic approach to this great man.
Although he grew up in a privileged class he was essentially a self made man within those circumstances, earning his own money through talented writing and as an MP. I did not realise the scope of his writing ability in this regard before reading this book.
Secondly, he overcame a neglected (home) abusive childhood (school) without bitterness – he certainly did not appear to dwell on it. How he moved on from his early childhood experiences of emotional neglect from his mother to admire and love her dearly in his adulthood is a lesson to us all.
His energy and talents were, to say the least, amazing. Most importantly he put them to good use for the greater benefit of his country. He didn’t squander his heritage, his talents, his class position and money on women and booze as so many of those around him did.
Winston, being self financed, was also in the privileged position of being able to marry for love albeit he was able to choose from a very elite stable given the circles he mixed in. He is also portrayed by Lovell as a very loving husband and father.
He didn’t like to waste a minute of his day and battled bouts of depression and illness to achieve this through a passion and discipline to make his life count. A primary factor in all this of course, is the love and loyal support his wife provided him throughout their long marriage. She campaigned for him through 15 elections, she was by his side when he needed her and she gave him incredible latitude with regard to his absences due to work and holidays and, most of all, complete trust. He didn’t have to worry himself about domestic affairs whatsoever. He certainly would not have had the time to do so.
Most of all, he is remembered for saving us from Hitler, his greatest achievement.
For anyone wanting to find inspiration, motivation and be in awe of a truly great man, I thoroughly recommend this book. Of course, he is not without faults, but some of the greatest amongst us have the biggest flaws. It is a matter of whether we can overlook such faults to see the greater good and benefit achieved by such people.
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Oct 07, 2012 Ruby Hollyberry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bio-memoir

I always get a positive impression overall when I feel I've learned a lot, and I read it quickly, although parts gave me a headache. So I kind of liked it, but.... I've read some other composite biographies, including by this author, and they did not give me the feeling that the author only really wanted to do a bio of one person, (possibly Consuelo Vanderbilt as too much of the book is about her - to me boring - life). I would have been happier with a biography of mainly Winston Churchill, or m...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Lindz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, historical-non-fiction, british, 21st-century, read-2013

There is something about Lovell's writing that makes the lives, affairs, gowns, parities, marriages and divorces of the British Empire of the 20th Century so important. It was the garden parities, the balls, the adventurers, the safaris that seem to make Britain great, what what. It is what I loved Lovell's other book 'The Mitford Girls'. It does actually warm my heart that it was the likes of Bertie Wooster giving it a go and what not that built up the empire. Ok it was that glossy, but I like...more There is something about Lovell's writing that makes the lives, affairs, gowns, parities, marriages and divorces of the British Empire of the 20th Century so important. It was the garden parities, the balls, the adventurers, the safaris that seem to make Britain great, what what. It is what I loved Lovell's other book 'The Mitford Girls'. It does actually warm my heart that it was the likes of Bertie Wooster giving it a go and what not that built up the empire. Ok it was that glossy, but I like the image.

This is Mary Lovell's world and she writes it well.

'The Churchills follows this same vein. Though of course there is one extremely prominent member of this old and prestigious English family. Winston is of course the most conspicuous and important person of 20th century British history. I can't really think of anyone else that consumed as much of that century as Winnie. His political career in 1901 and ended pretty much on his death in 1965. His deep gravelly voice still echoes on with 'We shall fight them on the beaches.' In fact I remember when I was in England him being voted greatest Briton.

This is a Tankless biography on Churchill, only a glimpse of a Spitfire. Yes Lovell does touch on Churchill major events the Boar War, the First World War and the Dardanelles, and of course his great moment the Battle of Britain. Obviously Churchill was a workaholic, and never got up to any really proper shenanigans, and it is shenanigans what this book it about. So thank god for his many relatives, or it would have been Winston drinks too much Champaign and Clementine (his long suffering wife) sighs and dabs her forehead exhausted with a handkerchief.

His father (Randolph) another prima donna politician died of syphilis. His mother (Jennie) the first of the Million Dollar Princesses (wealthy American heiresses marrying poor aristocrats with titles), who married three times in her life time, each time her husband younger and younger. I remember years ago watching an interview with Mick Jagger, which showed a daughter asking her father not to bring anyone younger than her to her birthday. I wondered if he had to have a quiet word with mummy, her final husband was three years younger than Winston, oh the scandal. You would have never wanted Jennie as a mother, but oh she would have been great at a party.

I found a lot of this book engrossing, I loved the descriptions of society weddings and society affairs all through Victorian to post war eras. In the beginning Lovell states divorce was unacceptable, but my goodness it happened a lot, they were divorcing and re-marrying all over the place. This is a book with a lot of big personalities, even the Mitfords manage to sneak back in.

But at times Winston did not always seem to fit in with his large boisterous family, while he was creating military fiascos (Gallipoli), or saving the world in the 1940's, his actually personality (which by all account was huge and boisterous) got lost a little. This could also be because Lovell tries to defend him at every turn. She is quite happy to write her other character warts and all, but Winnie she wants to wrap up in cotton wool. He felt like Saint Winston more than mere mortal. Lovell did grow up during the war, and listened to many of his moral building radio speeches. I thankfully have had not such experience.

The writing at times was a little repetitive, when people meet the attraction was always mutual, Clementine did not trust so and so (poor woman didn't seem to like anyone), and so on. But it was a engrossing and entertaining, what you want from a garden party really.

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Feb 01, 2012 Dick Edwards rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 18, 2012 Nabila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent. I learned the hard way after suffering through a particularly bad biography of Mandela, that an interesting subject matter doesn't instantly equate to an interesting read. No such complaints here, the author takes the excellent source material and has produced a book that reads like a fantastic soap opera - and I completely mean this in a complimentary way. Also, loved the footnotes - never thought I'd say that, but they're great - sometimes funny, but always loaded with additional in...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Alistair rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was given this and it is a book i would not habe read otherwise . it is really a biography of Winston Churchill and his immediate predecessors and his own family . The writer marshalls her resources brilliantly and the story races along with the right balance between society gossip and scandal associated with some of Churchill's family ( his father died of syphilis and his own daughter was an alchoholic ) and circle and hard fact about his political career and his role in WW11
There is a lot t...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Lindabava rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the 1970's I had read Anita Leslie's book, Lady Randolph Churchill, the story of Jennie Jerome. Little did I know studying world history that Winston
Churchill's mother was an American. History books did not find this relevant but I found it fascinating.
I wonder if we will ever have another Sir Winston Churchill. If you enjoy history I would recommend The Churchills: In Love and War.

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Jan 29, 2013 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyable history, well researched but easy to read and not too full of fact & figures. I wouldn't have usually chosen a book that focused so much on a person such as Winston Churchill but the author constantly weaves the story around the other members of the family and I never felt it was too biased towards him. I've read a couple of Mary Lovell biographies in the past and will search out more.

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Jul 05, 2012 Leigh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I've read several of Lovell's biographies and several biographies of Churchill. This is a biography of the family, rather than just the man. Gilbert, Manchester, and Johnson have WSC the man well-covered. This is a delightful read that sets Churchill firmly in his family and social context. Nice addition to my WSC shelf.

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Sep 16, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Lovell does an admirable job of describing more of the Churchill family then just Winston. Although, be not mistaken Winston Churchill takes a large share of this book and it ends with Clementine's death. The highlight of the book was finding all the connections the Churchills had made with the famous people of their time, long before Winston's fame.

Winston is the most famous, but his family was not short of interesting people. It was so good to see the family, how they shaped/influenced Winsto...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Mskarla rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not sure I agree with other reviewers who characterize this book as "fluff" or a light read. It appears to be meticulously researched. It is well written and engaging. That it focuses more on people and less on politics should not relegate it to the category of lightweight. That being said, it was fun to read. Yeah, I know it's about the aristocratic classes of Britain and they were morally bankrupt, etc. but their antics were certainly entertaining. Plus, there are many people in this book...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book. I really admire Winston Churchill for his foresight and leadership during WWII. It was so interesting to read about his ancestors, family and the people in his life. He was an exceptional man who was born at the right time, in the right place.

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Jun 20, 2011 Mardel Fehrenbach rated it 3 of 5 stars

I can merely say it was okay in a big curl up in the armchair with a glass of wine and indulge in a bit of gossip kind of way. It was fairly quick to read, and offered very little of substance, and was basically an entertaining bit of fluff. I'm certainly not above a bit of fluff here and there, and the book did round out my mental images of a few people who, heretofore, had been vague names on the pages of multiple books and histories.

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May 12, 2012 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Maybe this book is a bit “gossipy,” but I for one sometimes enjoy hearing about women and their lives rather than just the men who generally populate history books. It’s a rather terrifying family, but there’s something endearing about them as well.

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Jul 20, 2011 Candy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. I've read political biographies before with some family in it but found this one full of family drama and suspense. Churchill was a great man and it was interesting to find out about the people who helped him become that way.

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Mar 30, 2012 Catherine Robertson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Eminently readable story of a most eminent if slightly bonkers family. Winston comes across as an absolute darling, if one can describe the saviour of the free world as such. Randall comes across as an absolute [expletive censored]. What a shame.

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Feb 28, 2012 Hillary rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the book because it offered an in depth look into the life of Winston Churchill. This the second book I have read my this author. In general I find Lovell's book entertaining because she personalizes the people she is writing on very well. The only problem is when you read her stories you feel that she is biased and you are not getting an objective viewpoint.

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title link	preview: The Churchills: In Love and War
avg rating	preview: The Churchills: In Love and War Goodreads rating: 4.06 (253 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9578383-the-churchills?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328038397l/9578383.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9578383-the-churchills?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Churchills: In Love and War by Mary S. Lovell[/url]

The Churchills: In Love and War

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