Sign in with FacebookKathryn's Reviews > Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour
Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour
by Lynne Olson (Goodreads Author)
by Lynne Olson (Goodreads Author)
Ostensibly a close-up look at some Americans in Britain during the war, but really much more. I could have easily done without the romantic entanglements of the three main players -- Edward R. Murrow (just as cool as you would expect), John Gilbert Winant (yes, he was just like Mr. Smith when he went to Washington), and Averell Harriman (yawn) -- with members of Churchill's family :) but in theory, it's very interesting that these transplanted Americans were so involved in that way with that particular family.
The story basically "bookends" the British wartime work of the three mentioned Americans, and it's all fascinating stuff (well, truth be told, I found nothing about Harriman that was even slightly appealing) but what interested me most was Olson's meticulously-researched and winningly presented descriptions of other Anglo-American relationships, most notably that of Roosevelt and Churchill (reams of material, some of which may surprise) and also the general dynamic between the two countries, specifically seen between the American servicemen and their British hosts (hint: it's much more involved than the simple British complaint that the GI's were "overpaid, oversexed, and over here").
Fascinating reading, a real page-turner.
The story basically "bookends" the British wartime work of the three mentioned Americans, and it's all fascinating stuff (well, truth be told, I found nothing about Harriman that was even slightly appealing) but what interested me most was Olson's meticulously-researched and winningly presented descriptions of other Anglo-American relationships, most notably that of Roosevelt and Churchill (reams of material, some of which may surprise) and also the general dynamic between the two countries, specifically seen between the American servicemen and their British hosts (hint: it's much more involved than the simple British complaint that the GI's were "overpaid, oversexed, and over here").
Fascinating reading, a real page-turner.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read Citizens of London.
sign in »
Reading Progress
| 01/27/2011 | page 67 |
|
14.0% | "Although Olson's introduction includes what I found to be a jarring salute to President Obama's promotion of global cooperation (I mean, he was barely in office when she wrote this), "Citizens" is very well-written, a fascinating account of the Blitz-era work of Edward R. Murrow, Averell Harriman, and John Gilbert Winant." |
| 02/01/2011 | page 202 |
|
41.0% | "My favorite scenerios so far: Sarah Churchill one-upping her father with her insider's information regarding the exact number of Allied ships headed for North Africa; Murrow escaping death by heeding his wife's premonition; Winant ending the British coal miners' strike with one speech. Fantastic book!" |
Comments (showing 1-15 of 15) (15 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Ed
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Jan 28, 2011 05:44am
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)
reply
|
flag
*
I think I just might be; it's keeping me at the edge of my seat, as if I don't know what's coming next. What a writer!
And what characters the subjects of the book are; and what a time to be in London, if you could forget about the bombs...
Yes, exactly! It's making me want to time-travel or something. How about the incident where Mrs. Murrow narrowly saved their lives by not going to the pub? Amazing stuff.
I don't know if you have ever watched the BBC Camomile Lawn, which is on DVD, or the Dance to the Music of Time, also on DVD. Both are also novels by Mary Wesley (light) and Anthony Powell (heavier) respectively. Anyway Camomile Lawn is set largely in WW2 and three volumes of Powell's 12 volume British equivalent to Proust are set in war time and both these have colored my take on the time. My late Dad was a radar instructor on the South Coast of England at Rye in 1940 by the way, so I also have his tales. :)
That is so cool about your dad! My dad is also late :) but he turned 15 in December of 1940. So after basic training, etc., he only had six months as a tailgunner in the European Theater before V-E Day. But he talked about it all the time. I actually snuck a picture of him with his uniformed crew in my book regarding the need to obtain civilian clothing for escapees along the Comet Line. It sort of fit. :)
Glad you liked it. Murrow and Harriman I already knew a bit about, but Winant was an interesting new figure for me. Seems like an obvious character for a movie....gotta a film script in ya??
Funny, I asked John if he'd heard of Winant and he also hadn't (although he knew who Harriman was).Film script? I wish! Who would play the lead?
Matt Damon? He did a movie about the early days of the CIA 'The Good Shepherd' that might have prepared him. Though I kinda like the idea of him in his Bourne role too. :)Though a young Al Pacino might have worked, not to mention Jimmy Stewart! Any time you want to work on this, just say the word. My friend Kathi recently did the UCLA script writing course.
Matt Damon would be awesome (I've seen all the Bourne movies with my sons!) but someone unknown might be fun too. Right, as if the screenwriters would have any say in the matter. :)
I may download this to read on holiday, as you found it so fascinating. Of course Churchill's mother was American and so there was an immediate sympathy. I wonder if the author contrasted these people with the Americans who were less sympathetic. I am thinking of Joe Kennedy for one.
Yes, Kennedy is definitely presented at this book's beginning and is sharply contrasted with his successor to the post, John Gilbert Winant. He and Murrow were on a mission to stir Americans to the British cause, so you'll definitely find the contrast you're looking for.And this is a perfect holiday read since it's so difficult to put down!
