The cover of this book shows the unveiling of the statue of Winston Churchill at Parliament Square, London in November 1973.
It is a fitting memorial. He has lived an astonishing life that spans the greatness and decline of his beloved British empire.
Born in 1874 and passing away in 1965 he fought in the Northwest Frontier against the Pashtuns, against the Boers in South Africa, and in Sudan against the Mahdists. He fought in World War one and two. He saw the independence of India, against his better judgment.
Indeed, Winston has served his country well. That is why the subtitle of this 2021 book is ” An Astonishing Life…”
Geoffrey Wheatcroft has sought to move away from total hagiography to give us a more rounded portrait of the great man. This is sure to excite and enrage the great man admirers.
But can a great man have no warts and prejudices? Readers should perceive Winston from the lens of his era and not from the 100 percent political correctness of the 2020s.
After all, as Jan Morris said in her Introduction to the audio version of book 1 of her great trilogy on the British Empire, she is a child of her time. So is Winston.
Geoffrey Wheatcroft has given us an appendix chapter on previous books on Churchill. It is an excellent review of Churchill’s books published to date.