Compelling listening marred by Sir Max’s favourite hobbyhorse plus a hint of ‘faint praise’

I’ve read and enjoyed several MH books always finding them compelling and hard to put down. This one on Churchill, excellently narrated, was up to a point, no exception.
In fact, up to two points.
First. The author seems obsessed on the subject of the incompetence of the WW2 British Army. On the one hand It is hard to disagree given the dismal performances at Tobruk and Singapore, among others. On the other hand I got the message on this in some of his other WW2 books. For listeners/readers new to MH, the point was driven home early in this book, reinforced by the over use of irrelevant quotes from the likes of ‘Mrs So and So of London’ (and others, elsewhere) ‘writing in her/his diary’
MH is obviously very passionate on this subject but I’m finding the criticism somewhat tedious. Instead of using books like this one as a platform to again bash the WW2 British Army, why does he not write a book exclusively on the topic where he can fully vent his sentiments, hopefully to completion?

My second point.
Throughout the book, even when speaking positively of Churchill, I detected a touch of ‘going through the motions’ to demonstrate even handedness. The expression ‘Dammed by faint praise’ came to me several times throughout the book. What’s more I felt that MH did not recognise, or failed to give more fulsome credit for some of the exceptionally brave initiatives of Churchill.
For example, on Greece, Churchill demonstrated courage and commitment in travelling there on a Christmas Eve, eventually, by sheer force of his personality wringing an agreement out of the Greeks.
What’s more, his sincere and compassionate attempt to improve the desperate situation of the Polish people by travelling to the Moscow vipers nest, otherwise known as the Kremlin, at that late stage of the war, was covered with some appreciation by MH but did not fully reflect Churchill extraordinary bravery and commitment.
Nor did he adequately contrast Churchill’s actions to the naive and even politically ignorant actions (or inactions) of the Americans
Finally, MH’s glowing peroration of Churchill did not for me quite reflect the conditional tone of his writing in earlier chapters
Despite my comments, I could not, as it were, put this one down until completed.
Compelling reading, indeed.

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22 people found this helpful

Superbly written and delivered

If you could sum up Finest Years in three words, what would they be?

Thorough, compelling, entertaining

Who was your favorite character and why?

Churchill, with his big heart and indefatigable energy, dominates this book. A flawed leader, maybe, but a giant among his peers. He never went to University and took three attempts to pass the Sandhurst entrance examination and yet he put his well educated colleagues in the shade when it came to vision and strategy. What if Churchill had died during his reckless Boer War escapades or his experimental flights in pre WW1 planes? This book reminds us of the debt we owe to WSC.

Have you listened to any of Barnaby Edwards’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This is my first Barnaby Edwards performance and the narration is absolutely superb. His impersonations of the various characters are perfect and, for a moment, you think you are listening to Churchill himself.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

In a world gone mad with hatred, oppression and disregard for human life, Churchill stood out as a man of compassion. His heart for his enemies was remarkable.

Any additional comments?

This book is superbly written and expertly narrated. Production of the narration is as good as I've heard and Barnaby Edwards' theatrical ability makes the book a compelling read. Profoundly disappointed to have finished it - must look now for another Hastings / Edwards combination.

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12 people found this helpful

A Fine Biography Of The Finest Years

What made the experience of listening to Finest Years the most enjoyable?

Winston Churchill is certainly a man of whom several biographies have been written but I feel that Finest Years is one of the best I have ever read. The audio version narrated superbly by Baranaby Edwards made it much more enjoyable by allowing the listener to have a much stronger grasp of Max Hastings's points.

This specifically applied to areas where Hastings discussed certain battles or strategic decisions for an extended period of time as it became much easier to follow without being in danger of forgetting what was being discussed.

Regardless if it was elements of The Battle Of Britain, American involvement or Churchill's failure to understand he was being either ignored or played by Stalin I as a listener could follow the book even when it went into extensive depth unlike other books on the topic where I had to listen to certain sections multiple times.

Which character – as performed by Barnaby Edwards – was your favourite?

Edwards is possibly one of the most 'true to life' Churchills I have ever heard. It felt sometimes like they had used the actual recordings themselves as he truly convinced you that Churchill himself was persuading you to invest troops in a particular plan - or during more personal moments - was asking those around him if he was liked as a man.

Churchill was personally a very flawed and old-fashioned figure with his own bias and beliefs that the majority of his public - even those in his own party - knew would not and could not work. Despite this Edwards manages to make you not only sympathize with his position but understand why he believed it. I congratulate Edwards on an excellent narration.

Any additional comments?

This book was one of the best biographies - be it of Churchill or otherwise - I have ever read. Hastings does a maverllous job of explaining each decision in just the right level of depth and enabling the listener to understand the consequences without talking down to them. Because of this book I just recently purchased Hastings's book on World War II spies and espionage and look forward to it greatly. Both the book itself and the perfect narration get a 10 out of 10 from me. You will not regret getting this book.

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5 people found this helpful

poor Churchill narrative

you won't get much from this book that isn't coveredbetter elsewhere. the history is lacking far too much detail.

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4 people found this helpful

Completely compelling.

A true tour de force by Hastings. Many hours of engaging narrative about probably the greatest Briton of all time simply flew by. Outstanding narration too.

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2 people found this helpful

Churchill impersonation irritating

I'd rather the book was read straight, i.e. no attempt at Churchill voice impressions. It got increasingly irritating as the book read on. Did the man really speak like the characterisation? MH actually didn't have that much positive to say about Churchill. I appreciate that's his view so I've no quibble in this are as regards to the quality of presentation. When I get round to it I'll need to have a chat with MH himself!

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2 people found this helpful

utter garbage

churchill was a nasty piece of garbage, he was racist, sexist, misogynistic, mass murder millions of bengals , jews, travelers, asians , didn’t follow rationing and contributed to the creation of the cold war. nothing in this book is true nor reflects that churchill is no different to hitler, mao or stalin

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1 person found this helpful

Truely a masterpiece

I am a fan of Churchill, I feel a little cheeky calling one of the worlds greatest leaders Churchill; however I believe he would have a moist eye and an even moister cigar, should he consider somebody in 2019 writing these humble words.

The introduction to the book is truly a baited hook.

What follow is so absorbing even to the best informed historians and followers of history. Detail in places is beyond belief.

If you want so a greater depth of knowledge of this subject look no further.

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1 person found this helpful

Fine account of Churchill

I've listened to a number of Max Hastings books, but this ranks among my favourite and Barnaby Edwards is the better of the narrators in my opinion.

The book leaves nothing left unturned, giving a very equal view of Churchill and leaves you in no doubt of his character and efforts (good and bad) during WW2.

The final 20 or so minutes are both sad and uplifting. A fantastic listen, and should be a must for those who love Hastings work.

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1 person found this helpful

A fawning account of a complex figure

The Author’s excuses for Churchill leave any reader with no alternative but to question the objectivity of the Author’s analysis. While I am not a fan of putting modern standards on historical figures, Hastings’ explaining away of Churchill’s racism would (you’d hope) make the Author think twice in hindsight. Almost every move Churchill made was genius, every folly someone else’s error.

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