Lovell is well known for her works of Historically impeccable non-fiction perhaps best exemplified by The Mitford Girls which ripped apart the lives of the socially elite yet quite probably morally bankrupt upperclass English of the towering pedigrees,impeccable peerage and marvellous country houses, palaces and chipper city residences, she does nothing less with the Churchills and wraps it all up with a love story that truly shaped modern history; that of Winston and Clementine Churchill.
A huge door stopper of a book, the words literally fly of the page and it is linked chapter to chapter in such an agreeable way that even those (There were a few) that might be considered cantankerous don`t for a moment spoil the narrative. Lovell doesn`t pretend to be fusty and rigorous to a fault and she isn`t. All the facts are here but its in the telling that the facts come to life in such a beguiling way that its hard to loathe anyone and yet for all their foibles and fail ability Lovell is able to convey great understanding,compassion and wisdom, while giving a dollop of history in such a way that it comes alive and you go through the heartache, the failure, the dysfunction and disharmony that rides through this family with a renewed interest in the contribution that they have made to our history, sitting in the underground bunkers with Winston gives you a renewed sense of gratefulness that cometh the hour, cometh the man takes on a whole new meaning. Especially as we are just a couple of days out from ANZAC Day.
A very reasonable priced book that would make a marvellous Mothers Day gift or Birthday present, it really is history at its most honest and at its best.
You would probably also really enjoy The Mitford Girls as well.
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