Fascinating! It is rare that a non-fiction book pulls me in like this one.

3.75 stars
Winston Churchill holds a soft place in my heart. His patriotic and inspiring speeches were a game changer in World War II. A Great War leader that did a hard and courageous job that would have been impossible for many.

Keegan’s biography was a insightful read and it wasn’t all about Churchill’s successes but also include his political downfalls. It was refreshing.

A great quote of Churchill’s about the soldiers who fought in WWII is - “They never asked the question, ‘What shall we gain?’ They asked only the question, ‘Where lies the right?’” Keegan describes this quote as an unintentional epitaph of Churchill’s life. This was thus the best part of the novel. Keegan’s use of the quote finished the novel on an epic conclusion.

This book is just what I wanted it to be. A not too long biography of the man, that would allow me, together with this anecdote from Orson Welles, to be an adequate companion at a hypothetical sophisticated dinner party if the subject of Churchill ever comes up.

https://youtu.be/TpqwY7QL7r8?t=48s

This is a fine introductory biography, but it really doesn't serve the man justice. Churchill, love him or hate him. is too complex a personality to adequately summarize in a 200 page biography.