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Published Oct 2015
448 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
A long-overdue tribute to the extraordinary woman behind Winston Churchill.
By Winston Churchill's own admission, victory in the Second World War would have been "impossible without her." Until now, however, the only existing biography of Churchill's wife, Clementine, was written by her daughter. Sonia Purnell finally gives Clementine her due with a deeply researched account that tells her life story, revealing how she was instrumental in softening FDR's initial dislike of her husband and paving the way for Britain's close relationship with America. It also provides a surprising account of her relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt and their differing approaches to the war effort.
Born into impecunious aristocracy, the young Clementine was the target of cruel snobbery. Many wondered why Winston married her, but their marriage proved to be an exceptional partnership. Beautiful and intelligent, but driven by her own insecurities, she made his career her mission. Any real consideration of Winston Churchill is incomplete without an understanding of their relationship, and Clementine is both the first real biography of this remarkable woman and a fascinating look inside their private world.
"Starred Review. Purnell is sympathetic to the strains of Clementine's life but unapologetic about her maternal shortcomings. A riveting, illuminating life of a remarkable woman." - Kirkus
"Starred Review. This exemplary biography illustrates how Clementine's intelligence, hard work, and perseverance in often difficult circumstances made her every bit a match for her remarkable, intimidating husband, and a fascinating figure in her own right." - Publishers Weekly
"A welcome addition to the canon of Churchill biographies. Clementine's life is fascinating in its own right." - Library Journal
"It seems extraordinary that no one has given this remarkable woman proper biographical treatment before... She sacrificed her children and her health in the greater service of her husband, but she also kept him buoyant. This book is a salutary reminder that the Churchills were always a team." – The Times (UK)
"Compellingly readable... Sonia Purnell's biography of Winston's wife Clementine brings her out from behind the shadow cast by the Great Man." - The Independent (UK)
"Eye-opening... A bold biography of a bold woman; at last Purnell has put Clementine Churchill at the center of her own extraordinary story, rather than in the shadow of her husband's." - Mail on Sunday (UK)
"In our own era of sturdy individualism, it is remarkable to read of Clementine's resolve to subordinate her own desires and her children's happiness to her husband's cause... An intriguing study of a character both deeply flawed and, in her way, magnificent." – The Evening Standard (UK)
"An excellent book…Both scrupulous and fair-minded, Sonia Purnell has done her subject proud in this eye-opening and engrossing account of the strong-willed and ambitious woman without whom Winston Churchill's political career would have been a washout." - The Daily Telegraph (UK)
"Boldly written and illuminating, this is a generative restoration of a fascinating woman who transcended family grief and marital agonies to lead her husband and the nation with grace, commitment and persistence." - Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of Eleanor Roosevelt
"An acute and sympathetic biography which brings Clementine Churchill out of the shade into which her illustrious and domineering husband has cast her and shows how key she was to his success. Sonia Purnell makes us ask how Clementine endured life with Winston, and provides the answers." - Margaret MacMillan, author of Paris 1919 and The War that Ended Peace
"Purnell succeeds brilliantly at an almost impossible task: providing fresh and thought-provoking insights into Winston Churchill in the course of examining his complicated marriage. I was enthralled all the way through." - Lynn Olson, bestselling author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days
"Clementine is a fascinating portrait of a highly complex woman who only ever showed a brave and elegant face to the world. At last, thanks to Sonia Purnell's excellent book, we see her true nature." - Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire
This information about Clementine was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: © Getty Images
Sonia Purnell is a biographer and journalist who has worked at The Economist, The Telegraph, and The Sunday Times. Her book Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill (published as First Lady in the UK) was chosen as a book of the year by The Telegraph and The Independent, and was a finalist for the Plutarch Award. Her first book, Just Boris, was longlisted for the Orwell prize.
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