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Growing Up Churchill: A Daughter's Memoir Of Peace And War (2012)

by Mary Soames(Favorite Author)

3.68 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0812993330 (ISBN13: 9780812993332)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Random House Digital, Inc.

review 1: Quite enjoyable peek into personal life of the Churchill family from the perspective of the youngest Churchill daughter, Mary. Covers the period of time from her birth until her marriage (two years after the end of WW2).My only quibble is how she refers to her parents: she jumps around from "Mummie and Papa" to "Winston" and "Clementine" pretty much randomly. She also removes herself from some situations with her siblings (older brother Randolph, older sisters Diana and Sarah) by saying things like "his father was upset" when it would make more sense, in my opinion, to say "Our father was upset". Still, for History buffs and Churchill fans, this is a great book.
review 2: In an age when so many memoirs by children of famous--or even not famous--parents are actu... moreally just tell-all indictments about dysfunctional parenting and miserable childhoods and are riddled with tales of stories ofabuse and rife with accusation, this memoir is none of the above, which is thoroughly refreshing. Mary Soames, nee Churchill, makes it clear from the very start of the book that she loved and respected her parents, regardless of their faults. Whatever dysfunction and/or disappointment there was is alluded to briefly if mentioned at all, and never dwelled on. If anything, the book is perhaps a bit too saccharine, glossing over disappointments and challenges others might have dwelled on. The real pay-off, however, are the chapters describing the pre-WWII and war years of the 30s and 40s when Soames had a front row view of history. She met and knew some of the greatest 'actors' participating in perhaps the most dramatic period of the 20th century; on occasion she accompanied her father to secret meetings with the likes of Stalin and FDR; she worked in what was then rare,a male/female anti bomb squad where she rose to the rank of captain; and simply because of her social standing she was friends with nobles and dignitaris, and even on more than one occasion dined with the King and Queen.This isn't a great book, and is, in all honesty, a bit lightweight...but it offers a view into a life at the active sidelines of an extraordinary couple during an extraordinary time. less

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