Jennie: The Life of Lady Randolph Churchill
Jennie: The Life of Lady Randolph Churchill book cover

Jennie: The Life of Lady Randolph Churchill

Paperback – October 1, 2007

Price
$22.49
Format
Paperback
Pages
768
Publisher
Sourcebooks
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1402209727
Dimensions
6 x 1.92 x 9 inches
Weight
2.23 pounds

Description

Having spent 30 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, Ralph Martin's Jennie: The Life of Lady Randolf Churchill is the story of a girl from Brooklyn who became the toast of British society. Jennie, the most fascinating and desirable woman of her age, was once the wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, and raised a son-Winston Churchill-who saved England from the Nazi onslaught with the only weapons he possessed-his magnificent oratory and his courage. Her paramours included King Edward VII of England and King Milan of Serbia. She later married two men, each 20 years her junior. A beautiful rebel, she lived and loved with an honesty that made her the toast-and scandal-of two continents. ?Physically beautiful, volatile, brainy, outgoing, with enormous vitality . . . Jennie well into her middle age hypnotized men younger than her sons. Down the ages men and women of wealth and secure social station have always flouted society and Jennie was one of their number.?-New York Times ?Not only Jennie, but the world in which she lived, dance before the reader in magnificent display. . . . Written with such candor that one is spellbound . . . The best and most readable account possible of this fascinating woman?-Book World ?The most vivid, the most detailed of biographies . . . a rich background of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras that saw Britain at the high noon of empire . . . a heroine of charm, brilliance and beauty.?-New York Post ?Always absorbing . . . bright snatches of political gossip, social history and boudoir skullduggery.?-Newsweek Ralph G. Martin has authored over twenty books. He also served as consultant for the ABC Television series on Winston Churchill. A contributor for many national magazines, Mr. Martin was formerly an Associate Editor of Newsweek and The New Republic. He lives in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Features & Highlights

  • "A master work…Jennie was released to a public that became entranced by her story, and will again be now that she is back in print in this magnificent single volume."
  • ―from the foreword by Sir Martin Gilbert, the official biographer of Winston Churchill
  • Sourcebooks is bringing the internationally acclaimed New York Times bestseller back for a new generation of readers.
  • Jennie Churchill was not merely Winston's mother. She was the most captivating and desired woman of her age. Originally from Brooklyn, Jennie became the reigning queen of British society. Beautiful and defiant, she lived with an honesty that made her the talk of two continents.
  • Sir Martin Gilbert, official biographer of Winston Churchill, writes that Jennie is, "a master work" that "pulses with energy as the author leads us from her cradle to relatively early grave, at the age of sixty-seven, of a woman who finally emerges―under his guiding hand―from the shadow of being a great man's mother, to being a woman in her own right."

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(139)
★★★★
25%
(58)
★★★
15%
(35)
★★
7%
(16)
-7%
(-16)

Most Helpful Reviews

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More than I expected.

I knew I'd learn about the mother of Winston Churchill, but I didn't realize I'd receive a complete picture of British history, customs, and society during Jennie's long life. It was a fascinating history course.
16 people found this helpful
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Buyer Beware!

This is not the first time I have purchased one of these far-from-cheap reprints from Amazon that have NONE OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS that were in the originally published book. Trying to keep track of the all the players in a panoramic historical biography with no images is a poor reading experience. You have to be a detective and find somewhere in the scattered product descriptions evidence of illustrations or photos. Disappointing.
10 people found this helpful
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Reads like a novel

I thought this was an extremely interesting account of the life of Winston Churchill's mother. It wasn't dry at all in my opinion, and I've read it twice.
7 people found this helpful
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Nothing to see here

Not sure if it would help if I had an abiding prior interest in Jennie Churchill but am reading the book based on a friend's recommendation and while I am still reading, I am not enthralled. It is constantly filled with lengthy detailed descriptions of people, clothing, houses etc but there are NO PHOTOS or drawings/paintings at all which in my experience is very bizarre for a historical biography of this sort. And that is a constant irritant with this book.
6 people found this helpful
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brilliant American beauty

A fascinating story of a fearless, talented, brilliant American beauty, who made her effective way through the highest levels of 19th century British society and politics. Although he consumed much of her time and energy and demanded her influence on his behalf, that she was also Winston Churchill's mother is almost beside the point, for she and her milieu would have been worth a book no matter whose career she promoted.
4 people found this helpful
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Very well written

A fascinating book spanning many years as the 20th Century approached. An incredible portrait of an even greater lady. Very interesting times and exceptional personalities to accompany the journey.
2 people found this helpful
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Crummy quality.

It was an old edition and literally fell apart. i wound up throwing it away and I never throw books away. There was writing on some of the pages.
2 people found this helpful
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Martins first two books on Lady Churchill?

Martin wrote two volume bio of Jennie Churchill in the 1970's, is this book those volumes combined or is there newer information added to this book since his originals? They were excellent but obviously don't want to buy the same books in one volume.
2 people found this helpful
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Jennie sets a high water mark in the world of historical biography.

Written with great detail and insight, this historical biography on Jennie Churchill set a high water mark in the world of historical biography. Set against the backdrop of Victorian England, American industrial money and the political climate of London, Ralph G. Martin's JENNIE etches a remarkable portrait in force of will, ambition and sexual prowess.
1 people found this helpful
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Splendid historical non- fiction!

Well-written, historically interesting and important book! Our Book Club gave this book a definite thumbs up. Winston owed his career to Jennie !
1 people found this helpful