Reviews
Praise for Napoleon "An epically scaled new biography . . . Roberts brilliantly conveys the sheer energy and presence of Napoleon the organizational and military whirlwind who, through crisp and incessant questioning, sized up people and problems and got things done." --The New York Times Book Review "Roberts is a masterly storyteller. . . . I would recommend his book to anyone seeking an accessible chronicle, rich in anecdote, of Napoleon's fantastic story." --Max Hastings, The Wall Street Journal "With his customary flair and keen historical eye, Andrew Roberts has delivered the goods again. This is the best one volume biography of Napoleon in English for the last four decades. A tour de force that belongs on every history lover's bookshelf!" --Jay Winik, bestselling author of The Great Upheaval and April 1865 "Is another long life of Napoleon really necessary? On three counts, the answer given by Andrew Roberts's impressive book is an emphatic yes . . . his book is beautifully written and a pleasure to read." --The Economist "A huge, rich, deep, witty, humane and unapologetically admiring biography that is a pleasure to read . . . To dive into Roberts's new book is to understand--indeed, to feel--why this peculiarly brilliant Corsican managed for so long to dazzle the world." --Dan Jones, The Telegraph "Roberts in his Napoleon achieves the near impossible by writing on this extravagantly well-covered subject with a freshness and excitement that makes readers think they have stumbled on something entirely new." --Philip Ziegler, The Spectator, Books of the Year "Truly a Napoleonic triumph of a book, elegantly written, epic in scale, novelistic in detail, irresistibly galloping with the momentum of a cavalry charge, as comfortable on the battlefield as in the bedroom. Here, at last, is the full biography." --Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard , Books of the Year "Andrew Roberts's Napoleon is a brilliant example of 'great man' history, brimming with personality and the high-octane Bonapartist spirit." --John Bew, New Statesman , Books of the Year "Entertaining, even addictive . . . Roberts writes with great vigor, style, and fluency." -- Sunday Times (London) "Magnificent . . . Roberts's fine book encompasses all the evidence to give a brilliant portrait of the man." --Mail on Sunday "Roberts not only brings the Napoleon story up to date but, with new evidence from the archives and an original spin on the present, makes a compelling case for why we should all read anew about the little Corsican in the 21st century." -- The Observer (London) "Magisterial and beautifully written . . . A richly detailed and sure-footed reappraisal of the man, his achievements--and failures--and the extraordinary times in which he lived." --Standpoint, Praise for Churchill "Brilliant, breathtaking, unputdownable . . . the definitive picture of our greatest political leader. All Roberts's past life has been but a preparation for this hour and this work, and this brilliant book is a fitting crown to his own career." --London Evening Standard "Terrific . . . By drawing on many previously untapped sources, Mr. Roberts has produced a more complete picture of his subject than any previous biography." --The Economist "Even if you've read every other book about the former prime minister and seen all the movies, expect revelations. For example: The royal family permitted the author to read King George VI's diary notes about his wartime meetings with Churchill. That's a first." --The Washington Post (The 10 Books to Read in November) "The best biography of Winston ever written . . . bursts with character, humour and incident on almost every page." --The Sunday Times "A stupendous achievement: lucid, erudite, intelligent, but also inspiring. Roberts catches the imperishable grandeur of Churchill's life as no other historian has done. Roberts does full justice to Churchill's superhuman range of activity." --Standpoint Magazine "The best single-volume life imaginable of a man whose life it would seem technically impossible to get into a single volume." --Daily Telegraph "Roberts brilliantly conjures up one of the most fascinating characters of all time. He enriches the saga with wonderful examples of Churchill's aristocratic eccentricities, glittering oratory and wit." --Literary Review "It's the sort of biography that, one feels, Churchill himself would have wanted: colossal, energetic, deeply knowledgeable, properly critical, but also sympathetic and, in places, deliciously funny." --Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph "A heroic biography, appropriately matched to the ambition, egotism, and undoubted achievement of the life it describes. It will surely remain the outstanding Churchill biography for many years to come." --International Churchill Society "Riveting . . . A masterful biography, rich in detail and insight." -- Booklist (starred review) "This biography is exhaustively researched, beautifully written and paced, deeply admiring but not hagiographic, and empathic and balanced in its judgments--a magnificent achievement." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A clear, well-limned view of a complex figure who, in no danger of being forgotten, continues to inspire. The most comprehensive single-volume biography of Churchill that we have in print and a boon for any student of the statesman and his times." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review), A USA Today Book You Won't Want to Miss A Washington Post Book to Read in November "Brilliant, breathtaking, unputdownable . . . the definitive picture of our greatest political leader. All Roberts's past life has been but a preparation for this hour and this work, and this brilliant book is a fitting crown to his own career." --London Evening Standard "Terrific . . . By drawing on many previously untapped sources, Mr. Roberts has produced a more complete picture of his subject than any previous biography." --The Economist "Even if you've read every other book about the former prime minister and seen all the movies, expect revelations. For example: The royal family permitted the author to read King George VI's diary notes about his wartime meetings with Churchill. That's a first." --The Washington Post "The best biography of Winston ever written . . . bursts with character, humour and incident on almost every page." --The Sunday Times "A stupendous achievement: lucid, erudite, intelligent, but also inspiring. Roberts catches the imperishable grandeur of Churchill's life as no other historian has done. Roberts does full justice to Churchill's superhuman range of activity." --Standpoint Magazine "The best single-volume life imaginable of a man whose life it would seem technically impossible to get into a single volume." --Daily Telegraph "Roberts brilliantly conjures up one of the most fascinating characters of all time. He enriches the saga with wonderful examples of Churchill's aristocratic eccentricities, glittering oratory and wit." --Literary Review "It's the sort of biography that, one feels, Churchill himself would have wanted: colossal, energetic, deeply knowledgeable, properly critical, but also sympathetic and, in places, deliciously funny." --Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph "Roberts's brilliant new book is not only learned and sagacious but also thrilling and fun. An award-winning historian and biographer, an expert on statecraft, leadership, and the Second World War, Roberts writes with authority and confidence. Enriched by such previously unseen material as King George VI's wartime diaries, [Churchill] should stand as the definitive one-volume Churchill biography." --The City Journal "Andrew Roberts has written the best single-volume biography of Winston Churchill to date." --New York Journal of Books "A heroic biography, appropriately matched to the ambition, egotism, and undoubted achievement of the life it describes. It will surely remain the outstanding Churchill biography for many years to come." --International Churchill Society "Riveting . . . A masterful biography, rich in detail and insight." -- Booklist (starred review) "This biography is exhaustively researched, beautifully written and paced, deeply admiring but not hagiographic, and empathic and balanced in its judgments--a magnificent achievement." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A clear, well-limned view of a complex figure who, in no danger of being forgotten, continues to inspire. The most comprehensive single-volume biography of Churchill that we have in print and a boon for any student of the statesman and his times." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review), Praise for Churchill "Brilliant, breathtaking, unputdownable . . . the definitive picture of our greatest political leader. All Roberts's past life has been but a preparation for this hour and this work, and this brilliant book is a fitting crown to his own career." --London Evening Standard "The best biography of Winston ever written . . . bursts with character, humour and incident on almost every page." --The Sunday Times "A stupendous achievement: lucid, erudite, intelligent, but also inspiring. Roberts catches the imperishable grandeur of Churchill's life as no other historian has done. Roberts does full justice to Churchill's superhuman range of activity." --Standpoint Magazine "The best single-volume life imaginable of a man whose life it would seem technically impossible to get into a single volume." --Daily Telegraph "Roberts brilliantly conjures up one of the most fascinating characters of all time. He enriches the saga with wonderful examples of Churchill's aristocratic eccentricities, glittering oratory and wit." --Literary Review "This biography is exhaustively researched, beautifully written and paced, deeply admiring but not hagiographic, and empathic and balanced in its judgments--a magnificent achievement." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A clear, well-limned view of a complex figure who, in no danger of being forgotten, continues to inspire. The most comprehensive single-volume biography of Churchill that we have in print and a boon for any student of the statesman and his times." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review), A USA Today Book You Won''t Want to Miss A Washington Post Book to Read in November A Christian Science Monitor Best Book of November "The best single-volume biography of Churchill yet written." -- The New York Times Book Review "Terrific . . . By drawing on many previously untapped sources, Mr. Roberts has produced a more complete picture of his subject than any previous biography." --The Economist "Even if you''ve read every other book about the former prime minister and seen all the movies, expect revelations. For example: The royal family permitted the author to read King George VI''s diary notes about his wartime meetings with Churchill. That''s a first." --The Washington Post "Brilliant, breathtaking, unputdownable . . . the definitive picture of our greatest political leader. All Roberts''s past life has been but a preparation for this hour and this work, and this brilliant book is a fitting crown to his own career." --London Evening Standard "The best biography of Winston ever written . . . bursts with character, humour and incident on almost every page." --The Sunday Times "A stupendous achievement: lucid, erudite, intelligent, but also inspiring. Roberts catches the imperishable grandeur of Churchill''s life as no other historian has done. Roberts does full justice to Churchill''s superhuman range of activity." --Standpoint Magazine "The best single-volume life imaginable of a man whose life it would seem technically impossible to get into a single volume." --Daily Telegraph "Roberts brilliantly conjures up one of the most fascinating characters of all time. He enriches the saga with wonderful examples of Churchill''s aristocratic eccentricities, glittering oratory and wit." --Literary Review "It''s the sort of biography that, one feels, Churchill himself would have wanted: colossal, energetic, deeply knowledgeable, properly critical, but also sympathetic and, in places, deliciously funny." --Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph "Roberts is a master storyteller." --The Weekly Standard "Roberts''s brilliant new book is not only learned and sagacious but also thrilling and fun. An award-winning historian and biographer, an expert on statecraft, leadership, and the Second World War, Roberts writes with authority and confidence. Enriched by such previously unseen material as King George VI''s wartime diaries, [Churchill] should stand as the definitive one-volume Churchill biography." --The City Journal "Andrew Roberts has written the best single-volume biography of Winston Churchill to date." --New York Journal of Books "A heroic biography, appropriately matched to the ambition, egotism, and undoubted achievement of the life it describes. It will surely remain the outstanding Churchill biography for many years to come." --International Churchill Society "Riveting . . . A masterful biography, rich in detail and insight." -- Booklist (starred review) "This biography is exhaustively researched, beautifully written and paced, deeply admiring but not hagiographic, and empathic and balanced in its judgments--a magnificent achievement." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A clear, well-limned view of a complex figure who, in no danger of being forgotten, continues to inspire. The most comprehensive single-volume biography of Churchill that we have in print and a boon for any student of the statesman and his times." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review), Praise for Churchill "A clear, well-limned view of a complex figure who, in no danger of being forgotten, continues to inspire. The most comprehensive single-volume biography of Churchill that we have in print and a boon for any student of the statesman and his times." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review), Praise for Churchill "Brilliant, breathtaking, unputdownable . . . the definitive picture of our greatest political leader. All Roberts's past life has been but a preparation for this hour and this work, and this brilliant book is a fitting crown to his own career." --London Evening Standard "Terrific . . . By drawing on many previously untapped sources, Mr. Roberts has produced a more complete picture of his subject than any previous biography." --The Economist "The best biography of Winston ever written . . . bursts with character, humour and incident on almost every page." --The Sunday Times "A stupendous achievement: lucid, erudite, intelligent, but also inspiring. Roberts catches the imperishable grandeur of Churchill's life as no other historian has done. Roberts does full justice to Churchill's superhuman range of activity." --Standpoint Magazine "The best single-volume life imaginable of a man whose life it would seem technically impossible to get into a single volume." --Daily Telegraph "Roberts brilliantly conjures up one of the most fascinating characters of all time. He enriches the saga with wonderful examples of Churchill's aristocratic eccentricities, glittering oratory and wit." --Literary Review "It's the sort of biography that, one feels, Churchill himself would have wanted: colossal, energetic, deeply knowledgeable, properly critical, but also sympathetic and, in places, deliciously funny." --Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph "A heroic biography, appropriately matched to the ambition, egotism, and undoubted achievement of the life it describes. It will surely remain the outstanding Churchill biography for many years to come." --International Churchill Society "This biography is exhaustively researched, beautifully written and paced, deeply admiring but not hagiographic, and empathic and balanced in its judgments--a magnificent achievement." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A clear, well-limned view of a complex figure who, in no danger of being forgotten, continues to inspire. The most comprehensive single-volume biography of Churchill that we have in print and a boon for any student of the statesman and his times." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review), Praise for Churchill "Brilliant, breathtaking, unputdownable . . . the definitive picture of our greatest political leader. All Roberts's past life has been but a preparation for this hour and this work, and this brilliant book is a fitting crown to his own career." --London Evening Standard "This biography is exhaustively researched, beautifully written and paced, deeply admiring but not hagiographic, and empathic and balanced in its judgments--a magnificent achievement." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A clear, well-limned view of a complex figure who, in no danger of being forgotten, continues to inspire. The most comprehensive single-volume biography of Churchill that we have in print and a boon for any student of the statesman and his times." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)