Reviews for The Lisle Letters

The average rating for The Lisle Letters based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-01-17 00:00:00 Nathanial Atkinson What to think of John Wilkes? It's complicated. The man was obnoxious, licentious, vulgar, profligate, and widely considered a hero for his service to the cause of liberty. Thomas does a masterful job of showing Wilkes's complicated nature. Wilkes was a generous friend, with the problem that he would give away more money than he should. He was truly committed to reform, but also a vain publicity hog. The book is great in telling the story of Wilkes' very interesting struggles. He was declared an outlaw over a seditious pornographic poem he wrote. He fought tirelessly to take his seat in Parliament - a seat that his voters continued to elect him to fill, even though Parliament determined he was not qualified because of his outlawry. He helped establish the right of newspapers to print transcripts of parliamentary debates. The American colonists lionized him even though he proved a lukewarm supporter. And he charmed the ladies despite his crossed eyes and unattractive face. My main complaint with the book is the organization. At least a couple of times every chapter, the narrative skips backward. "This crisis was preceded by . . ." pops up every several pages, it seems. It was needlessly confusing and I couldn't discover any reason why the narrative was better served by the repeated back-and-forth. In the end, Thomas offers a masterful summary in which he concludes that Wilkes was "a genuine Radical as well as an undoubted rascal." Well put. Good read about a fascinating historical figure who ultimately advanced the cause of liberty even though you wouldn't invite him to meet your family.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-04-07 00:00:00 Uys Marietjie I was starting to read Churchill's history of WWII and surprised by the breadth of his knowledge of warships, modern weapon systems and war tactics. I thought this book would answer those questions. Mr. Best has authored several books on Churchill. This one covers Churchill from his first experiences in the British military to the Cold War and his death in 1965. I was not disappointed. Best uses dozens of sources, including Churchill's own writings, to present the man and how he came to be one of the best known military and political figures in the 20th century. Best also comments about Churchill's writings on WWI and WWII. He provides perspective to Churchill's works that is necessary to understand them. This is an excellent book for the student of Churchill. It is well documented and researched. The narrative is about 300 pages and reads easily. If I revisit Churchill I'm likely to start with another book written by Mr. Best.