The Patriot's Churchill

Oct 8, 2024 8:31 AM

Author:Richard M. Langworth

Churchill's wise words about the love of country have rallied nations and made Churchill our greatest national hero. The Patriot's Churchill shows Sir Winston's view of the British way by emphasizing his precepts of collegiality and friendship toward political opponents, magnanimity in victories, and wry reflections after defeats. This is a selection of the best Churchill quotations about Britain gleaned from books, articles, speeches, private papers and conversations, compiled with the assistance or scholars, family members and those who knew him. His belief in the strength, courage and moral fibre of the British was always reflected in the poetic cadence of his rousing words.

'Never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty-never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.'

'We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender'

'Today we may say aloud before an awe-struck world, "We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls.'

'In a long and varied life I have constantly watched and tried to measure the moods and inspirations of the British people. There is no foe they will not face. There is no hardship they cannot endure.'

Reviews

Peter Schneider makes the city come alive. He knows his stuff and shares it beautifully, elegantly, generously and informatively. Berlin has found its bard

—— Breyten Breytenbach, author of 'Notes from the Middle World'

Enlightening. Berlin resident Schneider unearths the city's charms and hazards . . . [to] reveal an authentic city that does not bother being more lively than beautiful

—— Publishers Weekly

Wonderful

—— Ian McEwan (on 'The Wall Jumper')

Marvelous . . . creates, in very few words, the unreal reality of Berlin

—— Salman Rushdie (on 'The Wall Jumper')

Schneider's description of the Berlin Wall from both sides . . . is the ultimate depiction of this structure. Nothing more need be said

—— Werner Herzog (on 'The Wall Jumper')

Peter Schneider, a novelist and essayist who knows and loves Berlin like few other living German writers, gives an intimate picture of the city's transformation

—— Financial Times

The inside story of the city then and now

—— Stylist

Berlin Now is stuffed with glorious anecdotes about the rows over architecture, infrastructure, sexuality and morality in a city forced to weld itself together since 1989

—— New Statesman

As rich, vibrant and snappy as its subject

—— Wanderlust Magazine

In 30-odd short pieces on the city's architecture, its immigrant communities, its famous night life and its sexual mores, Mr. Schneider tries to answer this question: If Berlin is not beautiful, why is it so beloved? To his credit, he avoids the easy answers

—— Wall Street Journal

A gathering of illuminations, a button box of participant observations . . . Schneider is an old-school flaneur, a psychogeographer who can screw down very close upon a subject. He finds a wide scattering of exceptional nooks and crannies whose critical mass may well be the city's soul

—— Barnes and Noble

Illuminating. Page after page yields surprising nuggets of wisdom . . . Schneider entrances with his off-the-beaten-track forays. His final picture is a detailed and absorbing portrait of an unfinished city that has all the dynamism of a complete one

—— New Criterion

[An] engrossing book, which attempts what's practically impossible - describing the essence of what makes Berlin so Berlin

—— Christian Science Monitor

The author of The Wall Jumper presents his collected musings about the city that has inspired and perplexed him since he was first seduced by West Berlin as a young man in the early 1960s. Berlin is not traditionally beautiful, he notes; it is a hodgepodge of cultural fits and starts . . . It is a city scarred by its history but also proud of its weirdness, its resilience, and its condition of constant change. In the end, Schneider seems to suggest, liveliness is far more important than beauty

—— Booklist [STARRED REVIEW]

An intriguing journey through Berlin by a longtime interested observer

—— Kirkus

Schama writes with grace and wit, and his enthusiasms are contagious

—— Anita Brookner on 'The Embarrassment of Riches'

Dazzling, beyond praise

—— Sunday Times on 'Citizens'

Splendid...seething with ideas. Schama brings great intimacy and authority to proceedings

—— New York Times Book Review

As ever with Jerry White, the broader themes are peppered with wonderful, throwaway trivia, while the main thrust is both meticulously researched and highly readable

—— Londonist

White’s book is a true piece of art

—— Susannah Perkins , Nudge

A sparkling and fascinating account

—— David E. Hoffman

Well-paced narrative...of great relevance today, when such conflicts seem (but only seem) to have disappeared.

—— Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

Immensely compelling

—— Fred Hiatt , The Pat Banker

Meticulously researched

—— Duncan White , Irish Independent

The true strength of this meticulously researched book is the placing of the revelations into the context of a compelling human drama

—— Weekly Telegraph

Engrossing

—— Andrew Lynch , Sunday Business Post

[An] outstanding treasure of literature

—— Market Oracle

Impeccably researched, and moving, this book breaks new ground

—— 5 stars , Sunday Telegraph

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