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'A compelling tragedy, but one which casts valuable new light on
the outsized human dimensions of both men ... Agonising but
excellent' The Telegraph 'In this fascinating account of the
turbulent Churchill father-and-son relationship, Josh Ireland shows
how central Winston and Randolph were to each other's lives' Andrew
Roberts Few fathers and sons can ever have been so close as Winston
Churchill and his only son Randolph. Both showed flamboyant
impatience, reckless bravery, and generosity of spirit. The
glorious and handsome Randolph was a giver and devourer of
pleasure, a man who exploded into rooms, trailing whisky tumblers
and reciting verbatim whole passages of classic literature. But
while Randolph inherited many of his fathers' talents, he also
inherited all of his flaws. Randolph was his father only more so:
fiercer, louder, more out of control. Hence father and son would be
so very close, and so liable to explode at each other. Winston's
closest ally during the wilderness years of the 1930s, Randolph
would himself become a war hero, serving with the SAS in the desert
and Marshal Tito's guerrillas in Yugoslavia, a friend of press
barons and American presidents alike, and a journalist with a
'genius for uncovering secrets', able to secure audiences with
everyone from Kaiser Wilhelm to General Franco and Guy Burgess. But
Randolph's political career never amounted to anything. As much as
he idolised Winston and never lost faith in his father during the
long, solitary years of Winston's decline, he was never able to
escape from the shadow cast by Britain's great hero. In his own
eyes, and most woundingly of all his father's, his life was a
failure. Winston, ever consumed by his own sense of destiny,
allowed his own ambitions to take priority over Randolph's. The
world, big as it was, only had space for one Churchill. Instead of
the glory he believed was his birthright, Randolph died young, his
body rotted by resentment and drink, before he could complete his
father's biography. A revealing new perspective on the Churchill
myth, this intimate story reveals the lesser-seen Winston
Churchill: reading Peter Rabbit books to his children, admonishing
Eton schoolmasters and using decanters and wine glasses to re-fight
the Battle of Jutland at the table. Amid a cast of personalities
who defined an era - PG Wodehouse, Nancy Astor, The Mitfords, the
Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Lord Beaverbrook, William Randolph
Hearst, Oswald Mosley, Graham Greene, Duff and Diana Cooper, the
Kennedys, Charlie Chaplin, and Lloyd George - Churchill & Son
is the lost story of a timeless father-son relationship.
'In this fascinating account of the turbulent Churchill
father-and-son relationship, Josh Ireland shows how central Winston
and Randolph were to each other's lives' Andrew Roberts Few fathers
and sons can ever have been so close as Winston Churchill and his
only son Randolph. Both showed flamboyant impatience, reckless
bravery, and generosity of spirit. The glorious and handsome
Randolph was a giver and devourer of pleasure, a man who exploded
into rooms, trailing whisky tumblers and reciting verbatim whole
passages of classic literature. But while Randolph inherited many
of his fathers' talents, he also inherited all of his flaws.
Randolph was his father only more so: fiercer, louder, more out of
control. Hence father and son would be so very close, and so liable
to explode at each other. Winston's closest ally during the
wilderness years of the 1930s, Randolph would himself become a war
hero, serving with the SAS in the desert and Marshal Tito's
guerrillas in Yugoslavia, a friend of press barons and American
presidents alike, and a journalist with a 'genius for uncovering
secrets', able to secure audiences with everyone from Kaiser
Wilhelm to General Franco and Guy Burgess. But Randolph's political
career never amounted to anything. As much as he idolised Winston
and never lost faith in his father during the long, solitary years
of Winston's decline, he was never able to escape from the shadow
cast by Britain's great hero. In his own eyes, and most woundingly
of all his father's, his life was a failure. Winston, ever consumed
by his own sense of destiny, allowed his own ambitions to take
priority over Randolph's. The world, big as it was, only had space
for one Churchill. Instead of the glory he believed was his
birthright, Randolph died young, his body rotted by resentment and
drink, before he could complete his father's biography. A revealing
new perspective on the Churchill myth, this intimate story reveals
the lesser-seen Winston Churchill: reading Peter Rabbit books to
his children, admonishing Eton schoolmasters and using decanters
and wine glasses to re-fight the Battle of Jutland at the table.
Amid a cast of personalities who defined an era - PG Wodehouse,
Nancy Astor, The Mitfords, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Lord
Beaverbrook, William Randolph Hearst, Oswald Mosley, Graham Greene,
Duff and Diana Cooper, the Kennedys, Charlie Chaplin, and Lloyd
George - Churchill & Son is the lost story of a timeless
father-son relationship.
'In this fascinating account of the turbulent Churchill
father-and-son relationship, Josh Ireland shows how central Winston
and Randolph were to each other's lives' Andrew Roberts Few fathers
and sons can ever have been so close as Winston Churchill and his
only son Randolph. Both showed flamboyant impatience, reckless
bravery, and generosity of spirit. The glorious and handsome
Randolph was a giver and devourer of pleasure, a man who exploded
into rooms, trailing whisky tumblers and reciting verbatim whole
passages of classic literature. But while Randolph inherited many
of his fathers' talents, he also inherited all of his flaws.
Randolph was his father only more so: fiercer, louder, more out of
control. Hence father and son would be so very close, and so liable
to explode at each other. Winston's closest ally during the
wilderness years of the 1930s, Randolph would himself become a war
hero, serving with the SAS in the desert and Marshal Tito's
guerrillas in Yugoslavia, a friend of press barons and American
presidents alike, and a journalist with a 'genius for uncovering
secrets', able to secure audiences with everyone from Kaiser
Wilhelm to General Franco and Guy Burgess. But Randolph's political
career never amounted to anything. As much as he idolised Winston
and never lost faith in his father during the long, solitary years
of Winston's decline, he was never able to escape from the shadow
cast by Britain's great hero. In his own eyes, and most woundingly
of all his father's, his life was a failure. Winston, ever consumed
by his own sense of destiny, allowed his own ambitions to take
priority over Randolph's. The world, big as it was, only had space
for one Churchill. Instead of the glory he believed was his
birthright, Randolph died young, his body rotted by resentment and
drink, before he could complete his father's biography. A revealing
new perspective on the Churchill myth, this intimate story reveals
the lesser-seen Winston Churchill: reading Peter Rabbit books to
his children, admonishing Eton schoolmasters and using decanters
and wine glasses to re-fight the Battle of Jutland at the table.
Amid a cast of personalities who defined an era - PG Wodehouse,
Nancy Astor, The Mitfords, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Lord
Beaverbrook, William Randolph Hearst, Oswald Mosley, Graham Greene,
Duff and Diana Cooper, the Kennedys, Charlie Chaplin, and Lloyd
George - Churchill & Son is the lost story of a timeless
father-son relationship.
'An epic tale of love, dishonour, bravery, cowardice, betrayal and
high-treason. Beautifully written. A stunning debut' Damien Lewis
Playboy. Fascist. Strongman. Thief. Traitors. John Amery is a drunk
and a fanatic, an exiled playboy whose frail body is riven by
contradictions. Harold Cole is a cynical, murderous conman who
desperately wants to be seen as an officer and a gentleman. Eric
Pleasants is an iron-willed former wrestler; he is also a pacifist,
and will not be forced into fighting other men's battles. William
Joyce can weave spells when he talks, but his true gifts are for
rage and hate. By the end of the Second World War, they will all
have betrayed their country. The Traitors is the story of how they
came to do so. Drawing on declassified MI5 files, it is a book
about chaotic lives in turbulent times; idealism twisted out of
shape; of torn consciences and abandoned loyalties; and the tragic
consequences that treachery brings in its wake.
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