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The revised and updated biography of Clementine Churchill, wife of Winston, written by their daughter. When Clementine, Lady Spencer-Churchill died in 1977, aged 92, she had become a much-loved and iconic figure to the British public. In spite of being instantly recognisable as the seemingly serene, cool and detached wife of Winston Churchill, she had nonetheless shunned publicity throughout her life. In this fully updated, award-winning biography, her daughter Mary Soames throws new light on her mother, writing with affection and candour of Clementine's fifty-seven-year marriage to Winston, her strongly held political views and a life that spanned many of the major events of the twentieth century. Clementine Churchill was the perfect wife for Winston. For the years of their marriage she supported him through the triumphs, disasters and tensions that ruled his public and private life. As a shy, passionate and highly-strung woman, Clementine's self-control was constantly tested to the utmost by the turmoil of public life and in the no less harrowing family crises and the ever-present financial anxieties. When they married in 1908, Winston was already a Member of Parliament, and thereafter their life was played out mostly in front of the nation and the world. Winston always trusted Clementine completely and she became his valuable counsellor and companion. He invariably wanted her opinion - but did not always take her advice. She believed in him unreservedly, and in his destiny. When first published in 1979, CLEMENTINE CHURCHILL won the Yorkshire Post Prize for Best First Work and a Wolfson Prize for History. This major revision makes full use of a wealth of new, intrinsically personal material that has come to light since then and elaborates further on many of the issues raised in the original edition.… (more)
User reviews
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
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.
This book centers on the intense correspondence between husband and wife. My first thought was.... where on Earth did they keep all these letters for over 50 years of marriage.