En fin. What a slog. Up until the aftermath of WWII, it’s a 3. Afterwards and for the rest of the book, giving it two stars would be a kindness. What an interesting, contradictory character de Gaulle was. What was not as interesting was the recreation of every comment and conversation he must have had from 1949 until his death in 1970. Nonetheless, a definitive assemblage for those who are up to it. ( )

Normally I'm not a fan of short biographies, as for too many of them concision of the subject's life comes at the cost of in-depth insight. There are some books, however, which are the exception to this, and Julian Jackson's biography of Charles de Gaulle is one of them. A big reason for this is his prioritization of what matters; the majority of the book focuses on de Gaulle's political career, in particular his eleven years as president of France. Yet Jackson doesn't ignore de Gaulle's early life, as he summarizes it in a way that highlights his development as a leader, such as his inter-war writings and his relationship with Philippe Pétain. While this necessarily means that subjects such as his personal life get short shrift, the result is a book that is a superb introduction for anyone seeking an introduction to the French leader and his legacy. ( )