Chasing Churchill: Travels with Winston Churchill

So much of what is written about WSC...even what was written by him...is rather academic and at times difficult to get through. On the other hand this book is a joy to read. Well researched and many first hand accounts that give us a glimpse of WSC's persona against the backdrop of his fame and notoriety. Dozens of instances where you can almost see the resolve in his jaw, hear his sober voice and many times the twinkle in his eye. When I finished the book I felt a sense of warmth lacking in so many other WSC works.

Celia Sandys does a terrific job detailing and following in the wandering footsteps of her incredible grandad! Starting with a trip through the Mediterranean with Onassis, and the ever-complaining opera-singer Maria Callas, when the author was about 14, and witnessing luxury on an incredible scale, even for such a famous family (i.e the Churchills). Then she goes back to 1895 New York City, and Cuba. She tell of a cigar smoking contest in 1946 Cuba between her granddad and Hemingway, sponsored by the original "Old Man And the Sea", Mr. Fueuntes, who died in 2002 at the age of 104. As both a Churchill and Hemingway buff, this was a new story for me! And the travels continue through South Africe, World World 1 France, Egypt, and in all the other famous spots visited by her legendary granddad. Some new (to me anyway), black and white photes, plus some color photos of Winston's painting are included as a special bonus. All in all, a great ride, and thanks to Mrs. Sandys for this excellent effort!

Ah, for the travelling life of the famous! When you read this book by Churchill's granddaughter, you get an intimate portrait of what an entourage WSC had when he went anywhere. There were private planes or yachts, villas or really up-scale hotels provided to him gratis, and a tremendous retinue of extra people to care for him. This seemed to happen even before he became world famous, and continued until his death. I don't ever want to take away the tremendous contributions he made to the peace and security of the world, but he certainly travelled like an Oriental despot! The book details his travels all over the world, and his many trips to America, both before, during and after WWII. If only the rest of us mere mortals could live in this extravagant lifestyle! This is a side of the great man's life that one rarely comes across in the many biographies of him, but it does tend to round out the picture of his life. While there are no new and startling revelations in the book, it is written in a breezy, easy reading style, and was quite enjoyable. As a granddaughter, the author tends to overlook a lot of WSC's faults, but who can blame her? We would all do that for our own family members, given the chance.

Winston Churchill is like a fine gem. Hold him and his immense life up to the light and turn them around some, and you'll always find interesting new facets to explore. (I have a feeling WSC himself would have appreciated that metaphor.) This explains the constant stream of articles and books on the Man of the (Twentieth) Century -- many re-examining old themes and issues, but a surprising number coming up with new aspects or approaches to understanding who Churchill was and what he did.This title is of the latter sort. Celia Sandys, WSC's granddaughter and author of two earlier books on the man, here presents us with a Churchill biography that focuses on his wide-ranging travels outside the UK. In many cases, Sandys has herself followed in her grandfather's footsteps, revisiting the locales -- and in many cases the actual buildings -- of WSC's visits. Hence the title.Despite Sandys' encyclopedic chronicle, I suspect it is this latter, personal element that many readers may find especially interesting. What Churchillian hasn't thought how much fun it would be to retrace his footsteps along the armored train track in South Africa? Few of us, however, have Sandys' access to places and people (including Fidel Castro), nor I suspect her ability to tell a story.Even more memorable, and touching, are the author's memories of her own participation in some of Churchill's later travels, especially aboard Aristotle Onassis' yacht "Christina."In all, there may be some value to the student in having the dates and places of Churchill's major journeys, including his wartime travels, easily accessible within one set of covers. But for most of us, the true value comes in finding yet another facet through which to view the man and his personality, and to read a few more interesting and entertaining memories. I admit I found myself skimming over the travel details from time to time, but the stories made the book more than worth the time.