Winston Churchill was neglected by his parents. He desperately wanted a relationship with his father, but could never please him. The desire for paternal acceptance colored his life and underlay his treatment of his own son. Because of his strained relationship with his father, Winston indulged his son Randolph to the point of spoiling him.
The Churchill men were alike in having many outstanding qualities, but there were also dark sides to their personalities. Both men were charismatic and brilliant speakers. Both had terrible tempers and a fondness for alcohol that sometimes went too far.
Although the book doesn’t present new facts about the relationship between Winston and his son, it paints a portrait of the relationship over their whole lives as well as exploring Winston's relationship with his own father in the early chapters. I particularly enjoyed the scenes of Winston with his children, reading to them, taking an interesting in their school work, and explaining things to them. It was also interesting that the author showed to some extent how Winston’s doting on Randolph impacted his daughters and Clementine.
The book is well written and easy to become immersed in. I enjoyed the book because it took a balanced look at the Churchill men pointing out both their great gifts and their equally great flaws. If you’re a fan of Churchill and the WWII era, this is a book you’ll enjoy.
I received this book from Dutton for this review.
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