It was at this point that the rhetoric of probably the world's greatest master of the English language held sway. He does reveal that Churchill wavered at one point in favor of peace talks but his love of country and its people would not allow him to give way. The author provides the reader with an inside look at the meetings of the Cabinet and the War Council, fraught with in-fighting and bad blood. Should Britain sue for peace and hope that Hitler would be generous in his demands or should they stand alone and go down fighting rather than capitulate. The majority of the book deals with the government's reaction to the retreat of the BEF to the beaches of Dunkirk and the possible loss of the entire army. But the policy of appeasement of the Nazis as put forth by his predecessor, Chamberlain, was starting to wear thin and the country turned to Churchill for guidance. He was an egotist, dramatic,blustering, had a drinking problem and had changed parties twice which is usually a death knell for a politician. The author gives us a short biography of Churchill, his glory and his horrible mistakes in WWI (think Gallipoli), errors which led many in the government to doubt his abilities. A short (336 pages) beautifully written day-by-day description of the months of May-June 1940 as Winston Churchill stepped into the position of PM and was immediately faced with probably the hardest decision ever required by any country's leader. The author gives us a short biography of Churchill, his glory and his horrible mistakes in WWI (think Gallipoli), errors which led many This is one of those book that you don't want to be over.I closed it and was almost tempted to start over again.
This is one of those book that you don't want to be over.I closed it and was almost tempted to start over again. Bishop, Executive Director of the International Churchill Society Thoroughly researched and compulsively readable.” -Michael F. “McCarten's pulse-pounding narrative transports the reader to those springtime weeks in 1940 when the fate of the world rested on the shoulders of Winston Churchill. A true story thrillingly told. It’s a scarier-and more human-story than has ever been told.
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Using new archive material, McCarten reveals the crucial behind-the-scenes moments that changed the course of history. He reveals how he practiced and re-wrote his key speeches, from ‘Blood, toil, tears and sweat’ to ‘We shall fight on the beaches’ his consideration of a peace treaty with Nazi Germany, and his underappreciated role in the Dunkirk evacuation and, above all, how 25 days helped make one man an icon. In this gripping day-by-day, often hour-by-hour account of how an often uncertain Churchill turned Britain around, the celebrated Bafta-winning writer Anthony McCarten exposes sides of the great man never seen before. Pen in hand and typist-secretary at the ready, how could he change the mood and shore up the will of a nervous people? Just days after becoming Prime Minister, Winston Churchill must deal with this horror-as well as a skeptical King, a party plotting against him, and an unprepared public. The horrors of blitzkrieg have seen one western European democracy after another fall in rapid succession to Nazi boot and shell. “He was speaking to the nation, the world, and indeed to history.” The horrors of blitzkrieg ha Now an Oscar-nominated, major motion picture starring Gary Oldman.įrom the acclaimed novelist and screenwriter of The Theory of Everything comes a revelatory look at the period immediately following Winston Churchill’s ascendancy to Prime Minister. “He was speaking to the nation, the world, and indeed to history.” May, 1940. From the acclaimed novelist and screenwriter of The Theory of Everything comes a revelatory look at the period immediately following Winston Churchill’s ascendancy to Prime Minister. Now an Oscar-nominated, major motion picture starring Gary Oldman.