Sonia Purnell

Having recently read 'The Splendid and the Vile,' the story of Churchill's first year as Prime Minister, I found this book, and thought it might be interesting to learn a little more about his wife, Clementine. I thought the book was very well written. The story of Clementine Churchill is not necessarily a happy one, but it is interesting. Born into a dysfunctional family (even her paternity is in question), she turned down 2 marriage proposals before accepting one from Winston. Theirs was a show more very traditional marriage in one respect - she sublimated her needs for his. On the other hand, he often included her in his political life, and at times she served as his representative, and not just as a hostess. They seemed to exist better apart, and they generally lived separate lives punctuated by brief periods of togetherness. An exception to this rule seems to be during his first time as Prime Minister, during WWII, when they were together far more. Clementine seems to have understood, to some degree, what she was getting herself into with a man like Churchill, but that doesn't mean that their marriage was an easy one. It was fraught with conflict and heated disagreements. Churchill seems to define the word 'chauvinist,' and it must have taken quite a bit of effort not to leave him. Clementine responds by taking frequent holidays by herself to refresh and restore. Unfortunately, she is portrayed as a pretty terrible mother. All of her children, save the youngest, Mary, had difficulties with their own spouses and drank heavily. After Churchill's death, Clementine went on to live another 12 years, and it seems from the epilogue, that these were the most peaceful of her life. Given all of that, I will say that we all owe her a debt of gratitude for her contribution when the world was teetering on the precipice of hell. show less

Beautifully crafted and read story of Virginia Hall, the OSS spy who led more successful raids in support of the Resistance in France during WWII. She epitomizes the stubborn tenacity it takes to survive in a hostile world, whether through capture by Nazis or rejection by CIA colleagues opposed to the suggestion that any woman is more competent than every man. It's impossible not to read / listen to this in awe. Remind me never to complain about anything in my pampered life again.

Well-written & researched, speedy & gossipy biography.

Boris is certainly a chip off the old block. His father, Stanley, worked for a think-tank on population control, until his personal population explosion made him a laughing-stock, and he resigned with a very lucrative leaving gift. His absence & constant affairs contributed to his wife suffering depression & being admitted to hospital. So young Boris & his sister were waived off from home in Belgium, and had to find their own way to show more boarding school in East Sussex. As this didn’t kill them, it no doubt aided their ‘can-do, go-for it’ confidence, self-reliance, opportunism & bouncy optimism.

Never one to turn down an opportunity to make money & self-promote, a typical year saw Boris juggling 4 children, a wife & 2+ simultaneous affairs, editing the Spectator, writing copiously including a book, fronting a tv history series, being an MP... catch breath. Taking on so much he would exasperate colleagues by being unprepared/ late / somewhere else, & generally flying by the seat of his pants, then making copious apologies, before continuing on as usual.

Purcell suggests he stood for Mayor simply to up his profile, and then was rather daunted when it looked as though he may win the vote. How could he cope with the drop in income. It paying a measly £100k per year, which was the same amount as the kids’ school fees? So he wangled sideline work to get to a more respectable £350k+. After all he needs that extra money to take his wife on extravagant hols each time the public humiliation of his womanising/ impregnating gets too much for her.

The book was written in 2012, with Boris wondering if he can combine a 2nd term as Mayor & being an MP.

As I read this, Boris has just become Prime Minister (how will he cope with the income-drop, this position pays much less than London Mayor?). But he has landed the job he always felt entitled to, that was his destiny. Whether he is still PM by the time you read this of course is another matter altogether... show less

Id never heard of Virginia Hall before reading this book. I'm glad that I now know the story of this remarkable woman.

Virginia Hall accomplished so much working for the Resistance in France during WW2. Her struggles as a field agent were made more challenging because she was a woman, and a person with a disability. She was often overlooked in favour of inept male counterparts, even after she’d proven herself so many times. She couldn’t change her status with respect to that of men except show more for some very short-term gains. Yet she persevered and did what she had to do to help liberate France.

The book itself read like a thriller / spy story. Well written and remained engaging even with lots of detail. Sometimes lost track of the minor agents, but that never interfered with being able to follow Virginia’s story. The post-war story dragged a bit. Virginia struggled for recognition of her experience and expertise in civilian life at the CIA but the telling of that part of her story wasn't as engaging.

My one concern is the extent to which the author is objective. She seems very fond of her subject so I sometimes wondered if she was biased to see only the good in Virginia. show less