Clementine: 1

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Late in life, Winston Churchill claimed that victory in the Second World War would have been “impossible” without the woman who stood by his side for fifty-seven turbulent years. Why, then, do we know so little about her? In this landmark biography, a finalist for the Plutarch prize, Sonia Purnell finally gives Clementine Churchill her due. This biography certainly emphasizes the personal, which I like. There is a chapter entitled “Operation Seduction USA” which shows how Churchills’ daughter Sarah was “involved” with Gil Winant (the newly appointed U.S. ambassador); both were married at the time. Their daughter-in-law Pamela (married to their son Randolph) was openly carrying on an affair with Averill Harriman (the U.S. lend-lease representative in London). Likely the Churchills’ felt sorry for Pamela in her tempestuous marriage with their son. The audiobook is well narrated by Charlotte Strevens. The pronunciation is British rather than American and it should be so. It took me a while to accustom myself to this. Once I got the hang of it I had no trouble understanding. The speed was good. Enfrentaram juntos duas guerras mundiais, com ele viveu períodos de bem estar e outros bastante difíceis.

Ms Purnell has written a fascinating look at the wife of probably the 20th Century’s greatest citizen of Great Britain and maybe it’s greatest prime minister. The author had the advantage of thousands of letters and notes passed between them over the course of their lives and it allowed her to paint a very complete picture of both their personal and public relationship. To say Winston was a difficult man to live with is an understatement. Yet in over 60 yrs of marriage, there was very little hint of scandal or other people intruding into their marriage. It seems that unlike their parents they remained faithful to each other for the length of their lives together. Purnell does a superb job explaining the complexity that is Clementine. Many people believe that Winston Churchill saved Western Civilization ... and that Clementine kept Winston sane. Both WSC and CC came from wretchedly neglectful parents. Sadly, they had serious shortcomings in their own parenting. Historians have mostly ignored Mrs. Churchill. The only biographer until now was her daughter Mary Soames. Purnell appears to have been fair minded and scrupulous in her biography. The book is well written and researched. There are lots of pictures to peruse. The events of the First and Second World War are drawn from a British point of view, in a concise and clear manner only referring to those events directly related to the Churchills. The Dardanelles disaster, Winston’s “wilderness years” of the 30s and the efforts of him and his wife in drawing America into the Second World War are told from a perspective I have not read before. Hearing of Clementine’s views and behind-the-scenes involvement is eye-opening. I appreciated the explanation of why even after victory at the end of the Second World War Churchill failed to be reelected. Generally a victor is honored! How Churchill reacted and how Clementine reacted to losing the election in 1945 and what they felt and did is interesting to observe. I found it revealing to compare the respective couples - the Roosevelts and the Churchills. Clementine was so very different from Eleanor, yet both helped, guided and opposed their respective husband in their own way. One views markedly different personalities and different cultures. The close look at Clementine’s importance to Winston and her role in his career has not been covered with such depth in the other books I have read as it is here. First: her name rhymes with mean, not mine. And while we're talking about words one reads but never pronounces, the audio preview taught me that brougham sounds like broom!

I liked this book because it so well portrays the complicated relationships between the members of the Churchill family – Winston and his wife Clementine and their five children. I thought about the love between Winston and Clementine. One sees both the love and also the hurt they caused each other. I thought about the parents’ respective relationships with the children. No two relationships were the same and this gives food for thought. Did Clementine learn from her earlier mistakes in child-raising? Could Clementine ever relate to her children as Winston did? How did the children relate to their parents, and why did each one behave so differently? There is deep suffering within this family but for different reasons and with different outcomes. The personal interactions are well explored. I didn’t see any of them drawn in a superficially favorable light. Wow, I really AM impressed. This is VERY good. It starts out good and amazingly enough gets better and better. It is about time somebody turned their focus on Winston Churchill's wife, a person behind the scenes who did so much. She was unflinchingly respectful of the man she married. He was quirky and self-absorbed by any standard. But she held fast to her belief that he was a great man, and she never belittled him, it seems, in public or in private. On their first anniversary he wrote, I feel so safe with you & I do not keep the slightest disguise. This doesn't mean she acquiesced to whatever he said; she edited his speeches, challenged his thinking, and was hard on him, if need be.

On the other hand, Ms. Purnell is not a particularly good writer, and has, in fact, a tin ear for language. A clunky stylist, she also misuses words like "remiss" and "diaphanous." More seriously, there are several errors of fact. (I defy you to figure out the relationship between Diana Churchill and Diana Mitford--she is variously described as Clementine's niece and as Diana C's 2nd cousin. [I think the latter is correct, unless you agree with Ms. Purnell that Clementine's biological father was Lord Redesdale!]) Ms. Purnell seems somewhat careless in small matters, which always makes me feel uneasy about the large ones. I went into this book without much knowledge of the Churchills, but it did help to have a basic knowledge of the world events that happened during their lives, especially WWII. I probably enjoyed the early part of the book more than the latter. Near the end of the war, it often seemed like a recitation of events with their reactions to them. However, the Epilogue was moving. It gave you a sense of how much less stress was in Clementine's life after Winston died, yet at the same time how much she loved him. Negaliu likti šališka, kai kalbama apie tokią stiprią moterį kaip Clementina Churchill. Ji turėjo savo trūkumų ir jie visi čia atskleidžiami. Ir kartu tai knyga, kuri atskleidžia Churchillių šeimos kasdieninį gyvenimą, jų tarpusavio ir šeimos santykius. Sužavi jau vien faktas, kad sutuoktiniai vienas kitam parašė 1700 laiškų, telegram, raštelių. Tai kokia, ta sėkmingos ir tokios ilgos santuokos paslaptis? She had Winston's complete trust and was privy to a majority of top-secret information during the war.With Winston there was no such thing as moderation. She poured herself out, helping him, until she was empty. Then she went off for a get-away by herself for an extended time. Again and again. I think the hardest thing for me to reconcile were her many long absences when the children were very young. Unlike her American counterpart Eleanor Roosevelt, Clementine Churchill has received relatively little recognition or approbation from history. Eleanor is heralded as one of the great women of the century in her own right; indeed, she lived such a separate life from her equally famous husband Franklin Roosevelt that her role as a wife is very much the least of the hats she wore. In contrast, whatever fame or recognition Clementine has earned over the years, her name is always coupled with that of Winston, never independently. Stars. On the one hand, this biography opened up the world of the Churchills, and made Winston's resounding success as wartime Prime Minister even more remarkable, considering the enemy he faced and his own (and Clementine's) flaws. But they both had equally remarkable, if idiosyncratic, virtues which came perfectly into play at the nation's moment of crisis. Purnell portrayed Clementine as a strong willed and ambitious woman who was a great support to Winston Churchill. The author, as well as many other historians, made it clear in the book that Winston Churchill was a difficult man to live with. They both were products of unstable marriages. Clementine’s mother was Lady Blanche Hosier and her husband was Colonel Henry Hosier but it is thought that Blanches, bother- in- law Lord Bertie Mitford was Clementine’s father. Blanche’s brother Lord Redesdale gave Clementine away at her wedding to Winston.

An intimate biography of a powerful woman, a woman behind a "throne" of one of the most powerful, influential men of our times. I have to confess that I do not like biographies. For me they are dull and too full of put-you-to-sleep details. I read this book for a book club and though I did like it I allowed myself to be distracted by my interesting fictional books. In addition to their public life’s successes and failures being well illustrated, their private lives are also explored. This includes their problems with their children. Their son disappointed them with his behavior and caused them many major embarrassments. When his marriage broke down, they remained extremely close to their daughter-in-law, Pamela. So close that they used her as an informal intelligence agent. It seems she slept through most of the American high command and diplomatic staff and gleaned valuable information on US attitudes and intentions from her exploits. To say their son wasn’t happy in an understatement. Two of their three daughters also had major problems throughout their live and also caused them some embarrassment. I really cannot say I have any complaints with the book. I thought first I should give it five stars because of this very fact. Instead I am going by my gut reaction; I REALLY like the book so I am giving it four stars. For me a five star book has to have something that makes it shine exceptionally, an element of superb imagination. The book is a very good analysis of the complex relationships found within the Churchill family and a clear review of the individuals’ lives. There are zillions of books on Winston Churchill and his role in the wars but this book fills a gap not covered before!This is a biography of Clementine Churchill who was arguably married to one of the most significant man of the 20th century, Winston Churchill. They were married for over 55 years; it was not an easy marriage. Winston was always on the move. Clementine had to keep up and adjust to his many different roles throughout the long years. Clementine Churchill lived an amazing life. She was incredibly under appreciated, both in her time, and now. I feel like I know a fair amount about Eleanor Roosevelt who was an incredible advocate. Clementine Churchill may well have done more for Britain (and the free world) than Eleanor, but has received almost no credit. Born into impoverished nobility, she was about a decade younger than Winston Churchill. This book draws heavily from the copious correspondence between Winston and Clementine. They were generally not model parents, and the book does not sugar coat their shortcomings in this area. Clementine was privy to most of what Winston dealt with (including state secrets). She advised and challenged Winston, and was often the only one who could challenge him. She tempered him in many ways, and often re-wrote speeches and memos. For a book where you know how it will end (there are no secrets about history), it was a gripping read. I even pushed it ahead of other books on my "to read" pile. Born into impecunious aristocracy, the young Clementine Hozier was the target of cruel snobbery. Many wondered why Winston married her, when the prime minister’s daughter was desperate for his attention. Yet their marriage proved to be an exceptional partnership. "You know,"Winston confided to FDR, "I tell Clemmie everything." Through the ups and downs of his tumultuous career, in the tense days when he stood against Chamberlain and the many months when he helped inspire his fellow countrymen and women to keep strong and carry on, Clementine made her husband’s career her mission, at the expense of her family, her health and, fatefully, of her children. Any real consideration of Winston Churchill is incomplete without an understanding of their relationship. Clementine is both the first real biography of this remarkable woman and a fascinating look inside their private world. By Winston Churchill’s own admission, victory in the Second World War would have been “impossible without her.” Until now, however, the only existing biography of Churchill’s wife, Clementine, was written by her daughter. Sonia Purnell finally gives Clementine her due with a deeply researched account that tells her life story, revealing how she was instrumental in softening FDR’s initial dislike of her husband and paving the way for Britain’s close relationship with America. It also provides a surprising account of her relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt and their differing approaches to the war effort.