William Manchester (1922–2004)

It's been awhile since I read a biography -- typically I eschew them in favor of fiction. And though I confess to a certain level of interest in military history, I had some grave doubts about my ability to get through all 700 pages of this book.

So it surprises me to admit that I enjoyed it. Even more surprising is that it's a real page-turner. Part of this is due to what a fascinating figure Douglas MacArthur was, but mostly it's due to the way that William Manchester heightens the immediacy of everything that happened in MacArthur's life.

Not to say he's overly dramatized it, or even tried to make MacArthur out to be a better person than he was. But it's clear on every page that Manchester finds his subject fascinating, and before you know it, you do too.

It's a great shame that after suffering two strokes, he was unable to finish the third part of a planned three-part biography of Winston Churchill.… (plus d'informations)

Amazing - and long for us slow / distracted readers. It provides detailed insight to the younger Churchill. It's perfect to understand the formative years and wonderful if you like to read about famous children, but not nearly as interesting to me as the events in his life. (Similar to McCullough's disappointing 'Mornings on Horseback' about Teddy Roosevelt.)

Churchill's events were big. My recommendation: go directly to the years of the Boer War, WWI, or the independence movement in India if that interests you. If WWII is your thing, read the 40 page preamble and the remarkable last 18 pages.

At the very least, read the absolutely fabulous first two pages of the preamble. It is an inspiring example of Manchester's writing. Warning: after reading those first two pages you may feel compelled to read the remaining 881.… (plus d'informations)

A lot of great material but not well organized making for a book that was hard to read. The beginning was particularly poor. The middle was almost good but hard to follow. The last chapter was the best. Alas, everyone else in my book club gave up well before then.

The author provided some maps - helpful - but a timeline would've been useful, particularly for the middle chapter during which he was constantly bouncing around the middle ages (and even in to the renaissance) continually. Did he really think I had the entire history of the popes memorized?

I would recommend this only to the most interested in history.… (plus d'informations)