My darling Clementine: The story of Lady Churchill

by Jack Fishman

My Darling Clementine, the Story of Lady Churchill [Mass Market Paperback] [Jan 01, 1963] Fishman, Jack

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History

478 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Poiema · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this hefty biography at an antique store on a whim, and found it to be an absorbing account of  Churchill's gracious and capable counterpart. It was inevitable that I gleaned considerable insight into Winston Churchill's personality,  too; the quirks and nuances that made him the voluble, eccentric person that he was.


Written by a proper Englishman in 1963, societal norms were still such that a wife was expected to be a background support,  something of an ornament to a famous personage.  But Clementine thrived in her role as Winston's chief supporter, and a mere ornament she definitely was NOT. Cultured and capable, she could easily step in and speak to thousands when Winston was incapacitated. 


Clementine made a lifelong hobby of studying her husband, so as to understand how to complement him:


"The first time you meet Winston you see all his faults,  and the rest of your life you spend in discovering his virtues. " pg.34


Whether it was providing for his dietary and health needs, arranging for his comforts while traveling (Winston HAD to have a bathtub!), accompanying him on missions, or attending to small things like spraying cologne on his handkerchiefs---Clementine was unfailingly at his side. Even at the close of their many decades together, she appeared to hang on his every word, projecting a faithful and genuine love and devotion.


I loved reading about how she made a home of Chartwell Manor,  particularly the garden descriptions. She shone in her role as a homemaker and home  manager, and it did not at all detract from her dignity. 


While her support of Winston was largely behind-the-scenes, coaching from the sidelines,  editing speeches, encouraging his art--- Clementine was certainly not a wallflower.  She excelled in the art of conversation and created a climate of warmth and culture that enchanted guests and enabled Winston Churchill to focus on the grueling historical role that was his destiny.


I think this quote sums up Clementine's role nicely:


"The art of not being overshadowed, yet never stealing the limelight, became one of her special achievements. Her self-appointed task was to bring a sense of normalcy into the home life of her abnormal husband. " -pg. 56


An enriching and educational read, I am glad this book found me. 

[Jaccalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there was ever any woman i would base my own life upon among them would be Mrs Lindberg and Mrs Churchill.
This woman was amazing, when i tend to become selfish and self centered i need to remember this woman, never caring about her own career and self, but that of her husband. But in turn it made her own career flourish. She probably had the most difficult husband to live with, yet she was the perfect woman for Him.
I would highly encourage anyone to read this.
It also brought my attention to alot of the facts regarding both Mr and Mrs churchill

[Rhode PVD · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads more like PR puff piece, ingratiating the crap out of its subject, than anything hard hitting or real. That said, it is interesting. Includes a thin wedge of black and white photo illustrations bound in the middle, many of which are fairly well know, often reprinted ones.

[Jodi]

In my quest to understand what made Churchill such a legendary figure...

[Cws]

92C

[YAMAMURA Tsukiko]

history,biography,England

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the cover of the book I had but I enjoyed the insight into the Churchill family.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but I found that it didn't always move in a linear fashion. Both Winston and Clementine were alive when this book was written, and I found that interesting too.