the last lion: winston spencer churchill: visions of glory, 1874–1932

As Churchill vacillates between periods of high energy and low energy and rides out “the storm” of life, we see what gave him the power to push through difficult moments. One of the tropes of Churchill’s life is bipolar disorder.

Manchester’s tactful writing style and eloquent mannerism allow us to penetrate into the inner life of Churchill as he grows up and becomes the orator, novelist and historian we know him as. Through Manchester’s fluid yet also sedulously descriptive pen, The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory” recounts the first fifty years of the life of one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century. Victory at all costs-Victory in spite of all terror-Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.” These were the words that echoed in my mind as I read through the first of volume of The Last Lion, a superb biography of Winston Churchill written by William Manchester. “You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory.

The last lion: winston spencer churchill: visions of glory, 1874–1932