Reviews for Clementine Churchill: The Biography of a Marriage

The average rating for Clementine Churchill: The Biography of a Marriage based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-02-04 00:00:00 Steven Wilson A comprehensive biography of a woman whose marriage thrust her into the spotlight throughout her life and into the history books forever. Clementine Hozier was born in 1885, the second daughter born into a very stormy marriage. It's unlikely that her mother's husband was actually her father and Clementine was largely raised by her mother amid ongoing custody disputes with the man she believed to be her father. Tragically, her elder sister Kitty died as a teenager, just leaving Clementine and her younger twin siblings, Bill and Nellie who were born in 1888. In 1904, she met Winston Churchill at a party. He was already well known for his war stories and publications but did not make a good impression on Clementine, who he found to be beautiful and distinctive. It wasn't until four years later that they met again and finally hit it off and were married in 1908. The couple had five children together and for the whole of their life, Clementine devoted herself to Winston, often to the point of exhaustion and illness. During her husband's time as Prime Minister during World War II, she served as a tireless source of support, wisdom, advice, and a true champion of multiple social causes of her own. She passed away in 1977 at the age of 92. This is quite a detailed account of Clementine's life and the author spent considerable amounts of time pouring over numerous documents to write it. In particular, the thousands of letters exchanged between Clementine and her husband Winston served as an invaluable resource in piecing together Clementine's thoughts on a number of events. In reading Clementine's story, the reader naturally gets much of Winston's as well, as their lives were so deeply intertwined for most of their lives. This biography is written by Clementine's youngest daughter, Mary. This provides a unique advantage in that the author is able to have easy access to family members, friends, and her own memories when writing her mother's biography and can provide her own description of her mother. Additionally, her mother approved of the writing of this book and even reviewed and edited the early chapters at the end of her life. On the other hand, having been written by a daughter does make me question the objectivity somewhat. Little true detail is shared about the author's siblings' lives, with difficulties and issues only referred to. Similarly, controversial topics, such as Clementine's destruction of a portrait of Winston, are presented more as a defense of her mother rather than an outlining of events. Similarly, the family's collective outrage at Winston's physician publishing a book about his health history is felt in the author's passionate attempt to set the record straight: "I think it should be on record that my father was never ungrateful for, nor unmindful of, Charles Moran's devoted service to him" (557). However, overall I felt Soames' biography to be as objective and thorough as possible and admired her ability to provide such a full portrait of her mother's life, both the good and the bad. Clementine was passionate, hard working, and could be antisocial and prickly at times. She was known for flying into a rage and abruptly leaving the diner table/party/house if provoked. But she was also a devoted and loving partner to her Winston and toiled endlessly for the benefit of her country and to do what she felt to be right. Winston "had no secrets from her. She never in fifty-seven years betrayed that trust by deed, or sign, or word" (107). A moving and personal account of a woman who played a pivotal role in the history of Britain and indeed the world.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-04-23 00:00:00 Chris Guevara This book is the story of Clementine Churchill, wife of the legendary Winston Churchill written by their daughter. If follows Clementine until she marries Churchill and then follows both of them as a dual biography and works in the the story of their children. It is an insightful look into the lives the Churchill's. Their legacy and impact on the 20th century was huge and understanding them and their times is worthwhile. A couple random things that stood out to me, the suffragettes were surprisingly annoying with some of their outrageous behavior. Clementine had a rich suitor for four years that she accepted his friendship, a flower a day, his gifts, traveled with him. But never loved him. How sad for him. :( Clementine, while close to her husband, and at times close to her children as they became adults, had few close relationships with anyone outside of Winston. How sad! "Winston and his life filled Clementine's whole existence, and when she was well and in good form she neither desired nor needed other companions or distraction. But when she was low and fretted, and her "batteries needed recharging", it was often difficult to find a good solution. As her daughters grew up, she turned to each one and found company and companionship. But daughters soon have their own lives, careers, husbands, and children. Clementine's diffidence in personal relationships made her hesitate to propose herself to other people, because she was to shy and could not bring herself to to be a little more natural and carefree in her approach. Thus in a life full of people, she knew much loneliness." This book is a biography of not merely the facts about these people, but it records their emotional relationship as found in their letters and through the eyes of their daughter. This subject was not really something that I caught/or saw growing up. My last serious relationship showed me how much I needed to learn in this area and seeing how Winston and Clementine found in each other such rest and assurance was educational. While the author portrays her parents in a overall positive light she also notes their flaws as people and relationships. This is not hagiography.