Churchill: Walking with Destiny

When I took this 1,100 page volume out of the box it weighed a ton. I was pretty sure I would probably abandon it before I finished. I was wrong. Coincidentally I finished the last 50 pages on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. This is the definitive biography of Churchill, a worthy investment in adult education. It looks at his life in incredible detail and benefits from access to previously unavailable sources. The diaries and other writings of many political leaders add to the detail and depth of analysis. The King's notes from their weekly meetings during World War Two were also available for the first time. I'm and early Boomer, born in 1948. The war seemed liked ancient history to me. I sort of knew about Churchill and his importance in world history while I was growing up. I think we had one of his histories on our bookshelf. However, I never got around to reading anything by or about him. This seems like the right time. This volume is, without question, the best place to start. Andrew Roberts' accomplishment is amazing. His style and analysis of Churchill's life are combined into a presentation that is enjoyable and easy to read, with an unparalleled level of detail I had an impression that Churchill was always a popular and widely admired leader, especially during the Blitz. If fact, there were plenty of politicians who disagreed with him throughout his lifetime of public service. They challenged many of his strategies and decisions, especially during WWII. His ascent to Prime Minister was his intention in his younger years. He was the center of controversy during both world wars and the years between them.. He enjoyed popularity with Britain's civilian population during World War Two. That wasn't true of many of the ministers and colleagues in the House of Commons. His strategies and decisions were widely criticized. In fact many were prescient, much to the dismay to many of his foes. Roberts also discusses the US and Roosevelt and their role in supporting the British war effort until the US declared war on Germany and Japan. Stalin didn't play as large a role as we think he did,. Churchill's family members also are crucial to understanding his many of his actions. Their relationships with him contributed to his leadership and ultimate success. I've enjoyed this type of historical biography for a long time, although I didn't particularly enjoy history in high school. This is absolutely at the top of list. It is interesting and educational and worth the investment in time. It puts the first half of the 20th century in perspective. It also sets the stage for American prosperity and recovery from the ravages of war during the second half of the century. You can't help but contemplate the time and effort that Andrew Roberts expended.to create a volume of this significance. I prefer to sit down with a real book with pages made out of paper. It's sad that some of those people are tapping on their smart phones during every moment they are awake. They can't put them down long enough to enjoy a good read. They might benefit from reading something other than their phones..

It has taken me quite a while to sit down and write this review of Andrew Roberts’s remarkable biography of Winston Churchill. There are a few reasons why it has taken me so long. Churchill-Walking with Destiny challenged many of the notions I have had of Winston Churchill since I was a young student of history. It took me a while to come to terms with some of these long-held opinions and evaluate them against the new evidence that Roberts provides. The fact that my reading this book coincided with the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of many of the closing acts of World War II in Europe also delayed my writing this review. Roberts presents evidence and arguments that have led me to re-evaluate not just Churchill’s actions during World War II and the Cold War, but also the respective roles of Britain, the Commonwealth, and other nations from the end of the war until today. Enough excuses! On with the review! I think the most important aspect of this book is that it draws on materials that have not been available to historians and researchers until very recently. Accessing diaries from notables such as King George VI and parliamentary documents from the House of Commons, Roberts is able to explain many of Churchill’s actions and thoughts with much more certainty than could the historians and biographers of earlier generations. Written evidence, especially that of the King, provides insights into some of Churchill’s more questionable and controversial decisions and beliefs. Even if the new evidence does not absolve Churchill of complicity in some events for which he has long been criticized, it does provide greater context and begs consideration of the options that Churchill might have had before him. Roberts carefully reexamines events such as the Tonypandy Riots, the Indian Famine, Churchill’s role in the defense of Antwerp in 1914, the Dardanelles Campaign, and his early opinion of Mussolini. It is the reassessment of Churchill’s roles and actions in these and many other events that really invite readers to reassess Churchill himself. Also explained in several instances is Churchill’s perception of himself and his careful assessment of when to fight for a cause and when to back off. Roberts acknowledges a certain amount of hero-worship for the protagonist, but also criticizes where criticism is due, and asks readers to evaluate certain actions and thoughts within the context of new evidence. Context, itself, is a critical part of this examination of Churchill’s life. While many biographies present decisions, events, and motivations in a rather matter-of-fact manner, Roberts manages to show that decisions were not always simple and straightforward. In fact, most decisions Churchill made—especially during his middle age and through World War II—were well-considered and based on history and a careful reading of his contemporaries, but we’re far from simple. Roberts points out, as have others, that Churchill was often motivated by his perception of how history would judge him—and Britain. He considered how history would judge him and England when advocating for the Dardanelles campaign, resisting the appeasement movement in the 1930s, and many other critical points in history. His use of history to support political and military arguments, and his awareness that he was writing several chapters of history himself helped him arrive at some decisions that might be seen technically and practically as misguided, but morally correct. Regarding the man, himself, Roberts paints a great picture of a man who loved his country, his wife, his friends, and his many artistic and scientific passions. Roberts provides ample evidence of Churchill’s work ethic and his demands for loyalty and facts. Churchill’s abilities to absorb mountains of information (especially when he wanted to) and compartmentalize that information is evident. So to is his ability to (usually) organize military and administrative advisors into cohesive units. The book abounds with humorous anecdotes and sets them in context to allow the reader greater appreciation for his quick and devastating wit. Roberts also shares moments where Churchill’s pride colored his thoughts and writings, allowing readers to understand the flaws in his histories and other writings. As the biography wound down, I found myself wanting more. This want is not a reflection on Roberts, but is actually a compliment. While other biographies and histories left me thinking I “knew” Churchill, Roberts provided so much new information and so much fuller context, that I now feel like there is much more to know. I am hopeful that others will pick up where Roberts left off and help us all better understand the enigma that was—and is—Winston Churchill.

Regretfully, today I completed my first reading project of the year, “Churchill: Walking With Destiny” by Andrew Roberts. By some accounts, this is the 1,010th book written about Winston Spencer Churchill. One may wonder what could be said that has not already been written. But Roberts utilizes new sources of information not previously available when other works on Churchill’s life have been written. For example, Roberts was provided exclusive access to transcripts of the War Cabinet and the diary of King George VI, who carefully recorded his meetings with the Prime Minister during WWII. Roberts also had access to a massive trove of correspondence and diaries from Churchill’s friends, enemies and family. All of this primary source material provides ample justification for yet another volume to be written about Churchill. To many, Churchill is a caricature. He is often perceived as such because his accomplishments and body of work is so great it is barely believable that one man could have lived all that accomplishment in one lifetime. But that is what makes Churchill so interesting. Roberts provides a great service to humanity in writing this book. In a massive single volume (982 pages) Roberts provides the breadth and depth and significance of this consequential world leader. It is hard to think of a very long list of historical figures who, when described as consequential, one could be criticized for understatement. But such was Winston Churchill. When I read a great book about a great man, I am drawn into the narrative and I develop a mental relationship with both the author and the protagonist. When I complete such a volume I mourn the fact that it is must come to an end. The mark of an author’s ability to draw one in to his narrative is whether the reader fells empathy and pain as the subject of the biography struggles or triumphs. This is the case in this instance—Roberts is a master storyteller who draws you in with his prose, and the remarkable life of Churchill does the rest. Of course, like all men, Churchill died. But I found myself very impacted by the world’s loss when this great man breathed his last breath. Roberts has not written a panegyric; rather, Roberts views Churchill through an objective lens, showing Churchill in his greatness and in all his faults. One would expect no less from a professional historian, even one who has studied Churchill for the past 30 years. Many who have reviewed this new work have commented that it is the best one volume written about Churchill. While I do not have the breadth of reading to be able to make an informed judgment, I will say that what Roberts has captured in this one volume, albeit massive, is quite impressive. Roberts has captured Churchill in a unique way and I believe that this work will stand the test of time and become standard reading on the life of Churchill. One thing that you learn about Churchill is that he was a professional historian. Indeed, he wrote more than 6 million words in his lifetime in 37 volumes. This depth of historical knowledge allowed Churchill to place current events in proper historical perspective. Because there is “nothing new under the sun” it would be wise for leaders to be students of history. As Lord Kilmuir wrote to Churchill in 1956, “I have always believed that a living sense of history is a sine qua non of a politician.” When judged by this standard most of our government leaders seem like Lilliputians in a world of giants. No wonder our leaders seem to steer a rudderless ship of state by the whims of the uninformed and fail to reach any destination of consequence. Reading this one volume should be a requirement to graduate high school. This book provided me a better historical perspective of the world situation during the great world conflicts than any textbook ever did. So, read this book and become better informed. Read history to become more prescient as the past will be repeated in the future. And we need an informed electorate so that we can expect more from our leaders than we do. Read this book and be inspired by this dominant dynamo of a man. Thank you Andrew Roberts, I will always be in your debt for this beautiful work of history. I am on to my next reading project, which arrived in yesterday’s post, Napoleon by, you guessed it, Andrew Roberts. Happy reading!

I have read more than a few biographies. It doesn't take long into the book before you realize this is an academic work intended to provide reference material for future generations. The book is very thorough to the point of tripping over itself with details. Every date, every person at a meeting, even what people ate gets covered. While the book's chapters separate Churchill's life into time periods, during those chapters it bounces around in time making the flow somewhat confusing. You also need to have a grasp of British politics before you crack the cover or you will be wondering just who is what. By the time you read of the 20th Earl of Ostrich you may be caring not a wit about his significance. If you love a richly detailed biography, then you may well like this book. If, on the other hand, you are a more casual reader looking for the main points about Churchill and his life and career, you will feel like you are slogging through a swamp in order to pluck the flowers of insight you seek. I gave the book 4 stars, but it is really a split decision 3 and 5. It gets 5 for thoroughness and 3 for interest and readability. Decide how much detail you want and proceed accordingly in deciding which book about Churchill you purchase. If I had a do over, I'd look for something less voluminous.

An excellent book, highly readable and informative. Although the book is exceptionally well written, I did notice (having read every word of the book) two recurring aspects of Roberts' writing that I found somewhat jarring. First, Roberts is too prone to use “where” after words that are not locations. The following formulations appear: pantomime where (p. 16), party where (pp. 94, 117, 429), forum where (p. 151), debate where (p. 251), corps where (p. 252), by-election where (p. 294), election where (p. 304), argument where (p. 330), book where (p. 425), meeting where (p. 502), dinner where (p. 724), issues where (p. 812). In all these cases, “where” could and should have been “in which” or “at which.” Secondly, a number of sentences here and there don’t seem to scan. For example: (i) The sentence before the gap between paragraphs on page 18 doesn’t work. (ii) On page 86, two sentences in a row start “By contrast…” (iii) On page 474, the sentence starting “They discussed…” doesn’t make sense; “in which” should be a new sentence starting “In this discussion, …” (iv) On page 837, it’s unclear what “it” is in the first full sentence on the page. (v) Page 888 contains the zigzag formulation: “One reason... was partly because…” A few other factual and typographical items I noticed were: 1. Page 396 describes defense spending in 1935/1936 “as a proportion of GDP.” It should have been made clear that GDP statistics were only constructed later, so defense spending would not have been described in these terms at the time. 2. Page 521, near the end of the page, there is a typo: “to wrote to” should be “wrote to’ 3. Page 540 There is a typo that has the effect of misquoting a Churchill passage: “encompassing” should be “compassing.” 4. Page 549: “part… were” should be “part…was” 5. Page 572: A Nazi memorandum of July 2, 1940 titled “The War Against England" is sourced to a 1959 book titled War At the Top, but it had already been quoted in a number of books in the 1950s including a book by Ian Colvin in 1951 titled Chief of Intelligence. 6. Page 757 claims that August 1941 remarks marked “the only occasion on which Churchill expressed a belief in any kind of life after death.” This is not correct; indeed, on page 222 Roberts quoted a reference by Churchill to heaven in his book Painting As a Pastime. 7. Page 775 uses the term “strategic bombing” as though it does not include bombing of urban/civilian targets, but usually the term does include such countervalue targets. 8. Page 780 refers to “98,000 thousand.” Either the second “thousand” is a typo, or this should be “98 million.” 9. Page 827: “he did he” should be “he did.” 10. Page 849 says of a letter Churchill wrote to FDR, “It was not a letter he reprinted in his war memoirs.” Here “reprinted” should be “printed” (the letter had not been “printed” to start with). 11. Page 870 has a paragraph on an April 1945 conversation in which Churchill criticized the USA and its allies for putting pressure after WWI on Italy and Germany to abandon having monarchies. As Churchill made the same criticism on pages 10 to 11 of The Gathering Storm, this is not a view for which attribution to a private Churchill conversation is necessary. 12. On page 897 there is a likely material misquotation from a letter written by Anthony Eden. Roberts gives Eden referring to Churchill’s “patent inclination” to stay Conservative party leader, but D.R. Thorpe’s 2005 book on Eden (p. 340) gave it as “present inclination” and the full sentence, given by Thorpe, suggests Thorpe’s rendition is accurate. 13. Page 900: “such hatred as” is misquoted as “such hatred that.” 14. Page 925 says “Labour had nationalized one fifth of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.” Labour nationalization was of industries (a stock) not of items in GDP (a flow), so the description does not make sense as written. 15. Page 914 gives David Butler as Princeton University-affiliated in 1950, but in fact he was only there in 1947-1948 (Who's Who 1987, p. 257). 16. Page 932 says that 1952 saw “the first time since 1945 that the Americans had taken Britain’s side against a third power.” As the UK and USA were fighting the Korean War together since 1950, this statement cannot be correct. 17. Page 1025 refers to "the writings of... Alan Clark" on Churchill, but no Alan Clark writings are included in Roberts' bibliography.

A good biography should include photos, maps, footnotes (to verify citations), bibliography, and detailed index. On those criteria, this is a superlative biography, with all of those in abundance. The author, training and residing (mostly) in England, has adapted some Anglicisms for this American audience, but be prepared to navigate from time to time the intricacies of elections to the House of Commons, which are not. Although one volume, this paperback edition is massive, with almost 1000 pages of text alone, plus an additional nearly 40 pages of footnotes (not to mention a ‘select bibliography’ and detailed index). For such a man, who published 37 volumes of prose, mostly history, of over 6 million words (pp 972-3), in addition to his life-long commitment to politics, this hefty work of small print is barely enough to encompass the minimum needed to paint his greatness, without omitting his exasperating deficiencies – this is, to reemphasize, a biography, and not a whitewash. The author’s task, of reading all this and much more (including, especially, his letters to his wife Clementine, Soviet Ambassador Maisky’s musings, Brooke’s frustrations in his diary entries) and then organizing the thousands of notes taken to form a comprehensible logical tale, cannot ever be fully appreciated by us passive consumers, by us laymen. Mr. Roberts has composed a captivating tale, told in accessible, ever sensible and pleasing prose, putting it into that rare class of great biographies with John Lewis Gaddis’ “Kennan” and George Packer’s “Our Man” (on Richard Holbrooke). This is especially true of the first half, 1874-1940, “The Preparation”, introducing WSC (Winston Spencer Churchill) to “The Trial”, his guiding of the UK through WW2, from 1940 and down to his death in 1965. This first part lays the groundwork in masterly fashion for the reader to understand how WSC had trained himself for this display of incomparable leadership after May 1940. Roberts interweaves, throughout, the leitmotif of WSC’s father, Randolph, showing convincingly, without the all-too-common modern psychobabble, how that absent father, dying too early, held sway over WSC his entire life (see, especially, WSC’s touching work “The Dream” described on pp 904-6). How odd it is to realize that without this demanding, psychologically distant father, WSC would have been a different, a lesser man. What parental lessons can be taken from this? WSC’s description of Soviet foreign policy seems apt: ‘A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.’ (p. 472) While Roberts details the opportunities lost to avoid WW2 – in particular, the remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936, where Hitler had given orders for retreat on the first sign of resistance from France (p. 397), to von Kleist’s assessment that Germany could not have withstood more than three months if the Sudetenland had not capitulated in 1938 (p. 430) – Neville Chamberlain’s key role with “peace in our time” is painted in much more sympathetic and subtle colors. Roberts shows, in addition, that Hitler’s intrigues for ‘peace’ do not end after September 3, 1939 and the declarations of war from England and France. In fact, he gives a convincing counter-factual scheme for Halifax, in Churchill’s absence, suing for peace (p. 978) – it was only Churchill’s intransigent stubbornness that insured England’s opposition to one of history’s most perfect embodiments of undistilled evil. All of this, and more (including delicious helpings of WSC’s unequalled wit) distinguishes this book. What does not: a) The Versailles Treaty was not nearly as ‘harsh’ as he paints it (p 273). Its provisions could have been met, with good-will from Weimer Germany, but the ‘stab-in-the-back’ legend was much more damaging, making that good will politically difficult. Moreover, Clemenceau did not agree to ameliorating them, those provisions, because he couldn’t: he was barely able to get them accepted by the French Chamber of Deputies, which wanted them to be much harsher. b) The author recognizes the moral problem of “Bomber” Harris and the indiscriminate leveling of German cities, but seems to confuse ‘strategic’ and ‘tactical’ bombing (p 781). Moreover, his ‘select bibliography’ does not include A.C. Grayling’s “Among the Dead Cities”, a required primer on this subject. (A window in the apse of Westminster Abbey is still dedicated to Harris, his crews, and his atrocities.) c) Roberts reports of course the abomination of the death camps, but does not delineate, with any finality, when Churchill first became aware of them, implying it was July 1944 (p. 829). He notes that the Americans (the only ones who could, as it required daylight precision) refused to agree to bombing the rail lines into Auschwitz, but does not explain why that decision was made. This would have made the book even longer, but not by much. He could have added, for example, the inaccuracy of the storied Norden bombsight, with after-war surveys showing 50% of bombs missing their target by more than 1000 ft; or the average time needed during the war to repair rail lines: 2 days; or the terrible death toll of bombing raids, where it was an exceptional crewmember who survived more than 20 flights; or the overwhelming need to end the war, which such raids would not have aided and quite possibly even delayed. d) The author’s Hoover Institute credentials, ie his conservative leanings, are evident in Churchill himself as a subject, to be sure (see, eg WSC’s support of what we call ‘right-to-work’ legislation, p. 324), but Roberts is often critical of Churchill’s most outrageous racial comments. Thus, fortunately, that conservatism does not leak out very often, but when it does, it is jarring, as in his comment that Reagan was ‘instrumental’ in destroying the Soviet Union (p 855) which is just absurd (the key was Gorbachev, and any post, any even inanimate object, in the White House could have served as that ‘instrument’). And, to assert that overthrowing Mossadegh in 1953 despite its producing the Iran Revolution of 1979 was worthwhile (p 941) is distressing, to say the least, as it throws a disturbing light on his previously nearly impeccable faculty of judgment. The above four qualifications notwithstanding, if you are interested in WSC, buy this book. You will not regret it.

I recommend this book. The author is very even-handed -- I appreciate him dispelling a few items where Churchill stretched the truth in his superb early biography "My Early Life" (a charming best-seller with utterly superb writing). At a few points, especially with respect to Churchill's changes and reshufflings of officials during early WWII, it is difficult to follow and one must reach back to figure out who is who. Also, there are some sections where focus on day to day action lumps a lot of different activities in one long chapter. The author is quite exhaustive in his research, much based on new sources. For instance, he efficiently knocks off the story that Churchill suffered from depression (the "black dog") at p. 224. The writing is very clear and interesting -- I appreciate the many quotations from Churchill's quips and speeches, both long and short. For example, on "...the job of an MP, 'He is asked to stand, he wants to sit and is expected to lie.'" (I will resist quoting many more bon mots attributed to Churchill, but for complete text of his speeches, grandson W.S. Churchill published "Never Give In! The best of Winston Churchill's Speeches".) The author greatly appreciates those speeches -- one is "one of the greatest addresses of history" (p. 550) , another "will be remembered as long as the English language is spoken." (p. 563and it is probably true) This bio is not a hagiography, however, as the author is balanced in showing times when Churchill's judgment simply was not trusted, with some justice (e.g., p 250 on events in 1917). The author also writes that Churchill was a "compulsive risk-taker in peace and war, at the gambling tables and in the stock market..." (p. 322 and also p, 339) The man was a funny old bird, utterly impossible to work with except that he rose to the precise time in history when he was needed. One of the early assessments of his character stands out: made around 1906 to a man asking for advice and who became Churchill's private secretary for 30 years -- "The first time you meet Winston you see all his faults, … and the rest of your life you spend in discovering his virtues." (p. 99) This is a long book; text almost 1,000 pages. I am only two-thirds through it but am discovering many Churchillian virtues and highly recommend this book.

Usually reading a book of this length requires a reader to make a commitment, knowing that there will come a moment where the wall will be hit and you will have to knuckle down and plough on through. Not with this book. This is a magisterial, magnificent, mesmeric, masterpiece of a biography from start to finish. It is by far the best of the twenty-plus Churchill biographies I have read. It is as if Andrew Robert's entire career as a historian has been but preparation for writing this tome which captures so perfectly and truly this titan of man. Robert's work on Napoleon was also brilliant, but when you read this work you are left thinking he only took Napoleon on as practice for Churchill. For this book is an astonishing, superhuman accomplishment. In many ways this is the Churchill we all know, but with a level of rich detail that reveals so much more about him. The rambunctious young man comes across at times as an unsympathetic character and yet this explains so much about his later career. A man with huge emotion which, when mixed with his juggernaut knowledge of history, drove his decision making and the principles he stuck to all his life. Yes, Churchill made huge colossal mistakes - this is no hagiography. Yet on the important things, with the entire British establishment ranged against him, Churchill stayed firm, was proven right and saved Liberty. Roberts gives us themes around which Churchill's life was ranged, such as the constancy of his visits to the Other Club, the continual belief that he lived in his father's shadow and the sniping he had to put up with from the likes of Chips Channon and the British establishment so convinced of appeasement. Yet we also receive a lesson into Churchill's speechmaking that no other biographer has delved into. But it is Robert's writing that really makes this biography. We don't see Roberts in the pages. He is hidden as any historian should be, in deference to their subject. But the words he uses to describe the place in history which Churchill's key speeches in the summer of 1940 hold, are beautiful and powerful and make the reader's soul swell in admiration. I had to put the book down at those points and wipe my eyes. This is history at its finest from a historian at the very top of his game. A must read for everyone.