Clementine: A Biography of the Remarkable Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill

JR: Any Winston fan should grab a copy of this great informative book on the Churchill’s.

Canada on Nov 18, 2023

Leonard A. Barrie: This is an outstanding biography. Balanced in portraying the human frailties that underlying great strength of character. A highly recommended read

Canada on Oct 09, 2023

CS: The paperback condition is as advertised. Quick service.

United States on Oct 08, 2023

Barbara: I follow history but I never knew how much Clementine Churchill volunteered for and worked tirelessly during World War II. You will not get bored reading this book. I am giving it 5 stars as it is beautifully written with just the right amount of detail.

United States on Jul 31, 2023

pamg: This was an interesting read but you should be aware this really is in a big way a story of both Clementine and Winston Churchill. It would be difficult to separate them given how they were intertwined in both their personal lives but also Winston's professional career. I have the utmost respect for Winston Churchill and his leadership during WWII and feel strongly had he not been PM the outcome would have been very different. However you cannot ignore the fact that Winston grew up in a very dysfunctional family, Clementine grew up in a very dysfunctional family, together they had a very dysfunctional marriage/life, they raised dysfunctional children who went on to be for the most part dysfunctional adults. He constantly put his feet in his mouth and she was constantly trying to take them out. I think this books shows how she was the behind the scenes person always trying to "fix" the damage or open future doors. The chaos in this couple was exhausting and I can see why Clementine was constantly traveling without him - he was draining.

Two walk away thoughts.....I have read numerous book on Winston and this book in my mind made his relationship with FDR the least agreeable...

United States on Jun 19, 2023

Barbara: Totally enjoyed learning about the life of Clementine Churchill who deserves recognition for her role in history. Without her, Winston would not have functioned let alone achieve such myriad accomplishments - masterminding WW2, writing historical tomes resulting in the Nobel Prize for Literature, painting landscapes and more. Highly recommend.

Canada on Apr 21, 2023

D. W. Rowley: I have read many books on WWII. I won't say this is the greatest one, but it is an interesting back story of Winston's home life and what went on behind the scenes. The author seemingly wanted to portray Churchill's wife, Clementine, as a misunderstood and little recognized heroine responsible for keeping her husband on track. I found much to support why she was and is still unrecognized. She was a bad mother to all but her youngest child, she was a self-centered person who was absent much of the time. Seems like she was emotionally unstable person subject to outbursts. She had a bad start in life, but many people do, so that's always an easy answer for bad behavior. She truly did spend the majority of her life tending to her husband who wasn't easy to handle. Recommend to anyone who likes to read about WWII history.

United States on Feb 22, 2023

Richard Waldron: Some interesting insights to living with a famous person

Germany on Nov 04, 2022

Amazon Customer: Not only a fascinating account of this remarkable woman; who was a complex,survivor from a chaotic childhood, steeped in duty to husband and country - and adept at elegantly pushing through all protocol barriers of her time. She was a first in countless ways. My wartime grandmother said "Mrs Churchill won the war" and from this book I understood how. We learn of pivotal twists and turns within parliament and between the allies, when the outcome of situations depended on relationships and detail. Clementine was a master at influencing events. Purnell writes beautifully in a succinct, compelling style, reflecting Clementine herself, with a pragmatic understanding of her characters. An unusual angle on two world wars.
Rosalind

United Kingdom on Feb 06, 2021

Priamsdaughter: The reader's relationship with a non-fiction author is a little like a love affair: trust is a crucial element in such a relationship. Once trust has been breached it is never wholly regained. In just this book's introduction the breach of trust occurred first in the form of one deliberate misrepresentation. and then in an egregious misstatement of fact.

On page 1 of the Introduction the author writes " Churchill had delayed the D-day operation for as long as he could....Earlier that evening [June 5,1944] Winston and Clementine [Churchill's wife and the subject of this book] had discussed the prospects of the gambit's success at length and alone, over a candlelit dinner. No doubt he poured out his fears and she had sought, as so many times before, to stiffen his resolve. In the end, the command to proceed had been given." The bald implication here --one can really say the purported statement of fact here ---is that Churchill gave the order to go on June 6. Of course, the record is clear and undisputed that ONLY the Supreme Commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was empowered to give that order and indeed did give the order to launch the invasion of Fortress Europe on June 6,...

United States on Nov 05, 2015