Warlord: A Life of Winston Churchill at War, 1874-1945

There is no shortage of books on Churchill, and I seem to get them all. D'Este's book proves that the Churchill story is still being told. This is a good book. D'Este has chosen Churchill's fascinating involvement with war---as a soldier and as a leader. It is a long, and remarkable story. From the charge at Omdurman to the surrender of the Germans on VE Day, the story never loses its steam. D'Este's excellent writing takes you in, and you feel like you are looking over Churchill's elbow as events unfold. What I particularly liked was D'Este's ability to write about all sides of Churchill----the good, the great, and the occasionally misguided. He was a great man, a genius, whose many ideas never stopped flowing. Some were ridiculous, many were brilliant. Containing Churchill was the hard part. There were times when he went too far----but he was always there, and he held the world together when no-one else could have. For all his faults, his drive, genius, and fierce determination came through. Another aspect of the book I appreciated was the fair treatment of Montgomery. Like many Americans, I have been well aware of Montgomery's faults. I had not been as aware of his virutes as I should have been. D'Este has written an excellent portrait of Montgomery, and it made me understand the man better. This book is worth the time and money. I doubt there will be many disenchanted readers. Many thanks to D'Este for his fair, balanced, and fascinating account.

This book focuses on Winston Churchill's life both as a Soldier in India and the Sudan, and as a war-time leader during both World Wars (also includes details of his participation in the Boar War as a correspondent). This is a fascinating look at an incredibly complex man - detailing his greatest qualities to include courage during times of great despair and uncertainty as well as his many faults. It is easy to agree with the author that in spite of his many failings - the truth of the matter is that England, as well as the rest of the world would have had a much different history if he was not the leader of Great Britain during WWII - especially in the dark years of 1940 and 1941. Just like other books that I have read by this author, it is an easily read book, that despite its size (700 pages), it flowed like a novel - it is a book you won't want to put down. Highly recommend.

Carlo D'este has written what must be the definitive account of Winston Churchill from his earliest days of soldiering at Omdurman, the Boer War, WWI and through WWII. He finds Churchill's micro-management style both praiseworthy and damning particularly in the Dardanelles campaign in WWI and British intervention in Greece in WWII. Throughout his life Churchill was not one to easily backdown or be cowed by his betters. Indeed D'este concludes that there was no one else during WWII in British politics who could have rallied Britain at its time of greatest peril from Nazi aggression. Overall D'este has done an outstanding job of writing a balanced account about one of the giants of the 20th century.

Carlo D' Este states clearly that his purpose in writing this biography is to explore Churchill the warrior. The book, he says, "is less about events and more about Churchill the man -- his leadership, his triumphs, and his failures." D'Este succeeds in this goal. D'Este describes Churchill as in company with men "born for war," such Frederick the Great, Oliver Cromwell and his own famous ancestor, the Duke of Marlborough. Churchill, D'Este maintains, cannot be understood if one approaches him as a politician or statesman who was destined to conduct a war but rather must be understood as a warrior who realized that politics forms a part of the conduct of war. Men "born for war," including Patton, the subject of another excellent D'Este biography, never lose their romantic and self-centered approach to war--even after confronting its most horrible conditions. Most men who experience war hate it. Men like Patton and Churchill never lose their love for it. D'Este shows that Churchill was deeply conflicted about his feelings for war. Having experienced the horrors of war first hand, he empathized deeply with the soldiers and sailors (and their families) who bear the full brunt of the horrors of war. Yet because he personally loved the danger and fighting, he wondered if he could ever forgive himself for his love of war. D'Este goes into great detail about Churchill's relationships with his generals and admirals in WWII. Churchill tended to try to micromanage his military leaders. Sometimes that was helpful, but with a good commander it made relationships very rocky. This book is best read together with another biography of Churchill such as William Manchester's opus on Winston Churchill (two volumes, he was regrettably unable to complete the third volume before his death). Manchester's magnificent biography sets Churchill in his life and times. D'Este explores Churchill the warrior. D'Este explores in greater detail than most biographies Churchill's aptitude for war demonstrated in his childhood play with toy soldiers, his time at Sandhurst, his polo playing, and his fighting in India, Egypt and South Africa. WWI and WWII are similarly well covered. We also see Churchill with all his flaws: egotistical and self-centered. Yet we begin to see that what we consider as flaws are simply part and parcel of the indomitable personality that made Churchill great at both war and statesmanship. Churchill's first great romantic love was Pamela Plowden, later the Countess of Lytton. Though never marrying (her father refused to give her hand to Churchill), they remained lifelong friends and D'Este reveals that their correspondence was auctioned by Christie's in 2003 for nearly 300,000 pounds. She said of Churchill many years later, "The first time you meet Winston, you see all his faults, and the rest of your life you spend in discovering his virtues." I heartily recommend this biography for understanding a side of Winston Churchill tha

Martin Gilbert and William Manchester have written muti-volume biographies of the long and fascinating life of Winston Churchill. They cover his fighting life from India and South Africa to the World Wars, his political life from party-switching to Prime Minister, and his personal life from his successful marriage to his career as a painter and writer. Mr. D'este has a narrow focus of exploring his military life through a half century of war, first as a participant and then as a decision maker. This book is a long (over 800 pages) but a nice introduction to his life of Winston Churchill. It picks its stories well (for Churchill had lots of stories) and tells them well. However for the reader who is familiar with the outline of Churchill's career, this book will be a review.