Rating: 
Summary: The sad part is that Manchester never finished
Review: this series. Ending Churchill's bio at 1940 is like eating a great apetizer and getting called away before you can enjoy the main course. Still, he brings to light the great truth of Churchill's phenomenal, stout-hearted genius. He was truly a man for his time, the man of the century, who assembled his team and studied his role for years before anyone but he understood it would be required. Any discussion of the word "vision" that leaves out Churchill in the thirties is struly neglectful -- he saw the future, and his necessary role in it, better than any historical figure I know about.Manchester is such a modern and engaging writer, his ability to contextualize the man and his mileu is indispensible. We get to know the women who cultured and nurtured that lightning brain, the men who tried to debase his ideas because they led to course of action they were afraid of. This is the story of a lonely struggle to make the truth known, and to lead men, against the tide of opinion, to its inevitable consequense. It is one thing to bring about a change in ideas -- yet another to get people to act in ways that every bone in their bodies screams out against. Manchester elucidates the story with great attention to factual detail, and still makes the story compelling. Bravo!
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