I must say that while volume 3 continued to detail churchill's tremendous influence on the ultimate outcome of WWII it also presented his mistakes and human flaws perhaps more clearly than manchester's eloquence tended to mask.

Churchill is a hero of mine largely reinforced by my reading of the first two volumes.

While The fine tune of Manchester's prose that consumed me in vol 1 and 2 is not present, the historical events and churchill's tenacity remain compelling. Hard to believe it was over twenty years ago. 'Imagine my anticipation when I learned that the third volume of manchester's opus would be completed (having devoured the first two when issued). Reid then had to review Manchester's notes from his previous research, complete his own research and finally write the book. T his volume took more than 20 years to come to fruition, partially because Manchester only enlisted the help of Reid shortly before his death in 2004. Reid was a close friend of Manchesters, as well as a political writer for COX Newspapers. After suffering two strokes, Manchester announced that Reid would pick up where he left off. He also received the National Humanities Medal and the Abraham Lincoln Literary Award. William Manchester was a biographer and historian, writing 18 bestselling books and winning numerous awards. While it doesn't delve into military practices, the book looks at the political decisions and their ramifications. Churchill played such an active, hands-on role as both Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Britain during World War II that his life is deeply intertwined with the political side of Britain's involvement in the war. From his organization of Britain's military response to the actions he took to bolster support from the United States and other allies, the book shows a man leading a country could have easily been torn apart by either war or politics.Ĭhurchill's intellect, courage and will are evident in Defender of the Realm, but the book isn't entirely focused on the man. Unfortunately for Churchill, this came just as his small-but-powerful nation was being attacked by its European neighbor, Nazi Germany.ĭefender of the Realm takes an in-depth look at Churchill's work during and after the war. The third volume, however, was completed by journalist Paul Reid and released in 2012.Ĭovering a 25-year period from 1940 to 1965, Volume 3: Defender of the Realm begins as Churchill takes the office of Prime Minister. Admirers of the first two volumes of the Winston Churchill biography 'The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill' wrote off their chances of ever seeing the third and final book when the author died in 2004.

The last lion churchill book