Well told history of inspirational unsung heroine

I bought this after finishing the 3 volume history of her husband, The Last Lion. It was clear from Manchester ‘s epic work that I could not understand Winston Churchill without understanding Clementine Churchill. This book is indeed enlightening, about a woman who was at once intellectually strong and emotionally fragile. She had an unprecedented influence on her husband, and had her own direct dealings with everyone from FDR to the generals and British cabinet. What I find especially inspirational is how she remained steadfast during a hard marriage to a supremely difficult man, who nevertheless loved and cherished her. It’s not an exaggeration to say that, together, they saved human civilization . Both were flawed — particularly as parents. Yet together they were great, in the most ideal sense of that word. It’s a reminder that marriage makes an impact on society that transcends its impact on the two individuals involved.
The book presumes at least a rudimentary knowledge of 20th century European history, especially the 1930s and World War II. It’s focus is on Clementine Churchill, not on the World-shaking history unfolding at her dinner table. The narrative includes just enough history to remind the reader of what was going on.
The narration was good. However, I found the tone a bit sonorous, especially compared to the rather lighter tone of The Last Lion. But that’s a minor complaint. I thorough enjoyed this audiobook.

81 people found this helpful

Exasperating At Times But Very Good--

If you keep Clementine in context, this is a very good book. Clementine was a woman ahead of her times, when women were still almost second class citizens, not really thought of as good as men. She did more as the wife of a Prime Minister than any before than and most after Churchill. If you can keep that in mind, you're in for an interesting ride.
But there's a lot here about her being, yes, the reason Winston didn't become a full-blown tyrant--but that's because she devoted a whoooole lot of her energy to keeping him in check, his towering rages, his excessive alcohol consumption, his tendencies towards self-grandiosity. What time and energy she had which could've been used a tad, just a tad, towards her children, was otherwise consumed. To say that her son was darned near a sociopath might be going a bit far, but not by much. Her daughters could've used some maternal guidance and nurturing too, but Clementine just didn't have it for them.
Clementine is a book about the family, the historical and political era, being a woman in a different time. Yes, I quibble about her ability to sacrifice her family for the sake of Churchill, but if you get past that, the exasperating, then perhaps you'll see that that everyone during that time of upheaval had to sacrifice a lot.
It's hard to swim against the tide, but to be able to hold back the whole of the tsunami that was Winston Churchill, and a world war? That's saying a lot about the strength of the woman.
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174 people found this helpful

More Gossip than Biography

I found this book to be a mixture of fact and conjecture.Going from praising Clementine and Winston to rather salacious gossip
about her, Winston and the entire family. While Churchill WAS the right man for the Job during WW2 he was portrayed
as a an egomaniac and a selfish bore. Clementine"s portrayal went from a strong supportive wife, to bullied wife,to
a very selfish person in her own right. Both were portrayed as terrible parents. Sprinkled throughout the book was a lot.
of salacious gossip. No one came of in a good light . All of their children lived tragic lives. This Biography seemed to be more of a Tell All book than a biography .It was not flattering to any one. I found the ending very sad.

13 people found this helpful

wonderful and inspiring

I did not expect I would enjoy this book so much. It is very much an account of an era, and not just about the life of "Clemi" Churchill. I feel like I learned so much about certain aspects of World War II history I was not aware. Superb narration by Susan Lyons, as always.

50 people found this helpful

Excellent

Susan Lyons did a superb job narrating this book. I chose this over The Last Lion because I wanted to know more about the intimate part of Churhill's life and Sonia Purnell delivered a well researched book with a well spring of rich sources. Clementine Churchill has not been given enough credit for her contributions to the world. Purnell aims to remedy that. Without Clementine there most likely would not have been a Winston.

24 people found this helpful

The Power behind the Winston

What made the experience of listening to Clementine the most enjoyable?

Continuing revelations about the remarkable relationship with Winston, the stability she provided him, and their joint dedication to his political survival and success

Who was your favorite character and why?

Clemintine by far

Which character – as performed by Susan Lyons – was your favorite?

The narrator did right by everyone

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but that was impossible.

Any additional comments?

For anyone interested in 20th century's pivotal characters, this is recommended.For history buffs. For Churchill enthusiasts. For WWI and II types. If it hadn't been connected to my ears I could not have put it down.

9 people found this helpful

Superb Bio of A Woman Deserving Wide Recognition

Masterfully written to share both Clementine Churchill's strengths and weaknesses equally. This is stirring biography at its best -- revealing the enormous impact of an incomparable woman on a crucial moment in western history.

9 people found this helpful

Interesting but kind of hard to go though

It is an interesting book with many detailed facts about the life of Winston and Clementine. It feels more like an enumeration of historical facts than a nice cohesive story. At some point I felt I could not finish it, I got bored. I wanted to know more about Clementine as a person, how she felt. Instead the book just listed things that happened to her or Winston by dates. Some things make no sense and left me wondering. For instance, she is described as incredible loyal to Winston and staying always in his shadows. Yet, most of her life she seemed to have taken vacation after vacation alone/ without her husband/family. The book makes the point that Winston was stressing her out and causing her a lot of health problems. Yet, it claims that she was missing him and loved his company. If she loved his company so much, why was she going on these long vacations only without him? Also the books says that Winston loved her for 60 years, yet it claims that he loved other women and their company. It is unclear whether he actually slept with other women or he just loved their company and innocent flirted with them. She seemed to have been a terrible mother, redeemed by her dedication to Winston. Yet, I am not sure I understand what this dedication meant. She was cheap with the servants, yelling at them...yet, she is described as very kind and compassionate. Anyway, I hope I have hinted to a few things that make me not like this books as much as I thought I would.

3 people found this helpful

Outstanding, engaging bio

Clemmie Churchill is the epitome of true class and courage in an era which prized both qualities. The narration and cultural markers make this bio one of my all-time Audible favorites.

11 people found this helpful

This is a really great history of Mrs. Churchill

This was a great book about Clementine Churchill. At least in the Audible book store, this seems to be the only book about her. Likewise, in the many biographies about Winston Churchill, she is rarely mentioned, if at all. One wonders why, as she appears to have been an incredible partner to her husband, upon whose advice and perspective Winston Churchill seems to have relied heavily. In fact, he seems to have been completely reliant on her for support and advice in all things — from matters of the table to matters of state. Clementine Hozier Churchill's story is wonderful to learn about.

2 people found this helpful