Churchill & Son

January 18, 2021
Journalist Ireland (The Traitors) delivers an immersive account of British prime minister Winston Churchill’s tempestuous relationship with his only son, Randolph. In Ireland’s view, Churchill’s one-sided dynamic with his distant father caused him to overcompensate in indulging Randolph, who was “too often angry, too often drunk, too often gratuitously offensive, and too unwilling to engage in the sort of patient grind upon which careers were built in the twentieth century.” Winston’s devotion to his son produced great expectations (Randolph thought he would become prime minister at age 24, like Pitt the Younger), but also enabled Randolph’s weaknesses, including profligate spending and drunken rages. In July 1945, father and son lost reelection bids (Winston for prime minister, Randolph for parliament), but only Winston was able to reclaim his seat. A final rapprochement between father and son came in the 1960s, when Winston allowed Randolph to become his biographer and the younger Churchill, suffering from severe pneumonia and a series of heart attacks (he died in 1968, only three years after Winston), found that “in the process of telling the story of his father’s life, he belatedly gave meaning to his own.” Consistently entertaining and insightful, this deep dive will reward even the most knowledgeable Churchill buff.

February 1, 2021
Churchill as family man. In addition to being the subject of countless biographies, Churchill published hundreds of articles and more than 40 books of his own. In this detailed, engaging narrative, Ireland demonstrates that there is more to be learned about one of the most written-about political figures in history. Exploring the statesman's relationship with his son, Randolph, the author begins with Churchill's own famously unhappy childhood, chronicling his parents' "almost comically detached method of care." Churchill overcompensated for his father's neglect by spoiling his son, a poorly behaved boy who became a profligate student and undisciplined adult. For all his gifts and achievements, Randolph led a chaotic life. In one two-week period in 1939, anxious for an heir lest he be killed in the war, he proposed to eight different women, all of whom turned him down. The ninth, Pamela Digby, accepted, and a year later, she became mother to his son, also named Winston. Shortly after, she was forced to rent out their home and take a job to pay down his gambling debts. On the positive side, Randolph was a gifted extempore speaker, effective journalist, and influential counselor to his father--and, later, his biographer. While recounting their relationship, Ireland draws unforgettable sketches of life in the Churchill circle, much like Erik Larson did in The Splendid and the Vile. For example, the family home at Chartwell required nearly 20 servants, as celebrities, politicians, and other "extraordinary people" came and went on a daily basis. Throughout, Ireland is generous with the bijou details: Churchill hated whistling and banned it. When dining alone, he would sometimes have a place set for his cat. His valet would select his clothes, "even pulling on his socks." After retiring to Pratt's club after Parliament ended its evening session, he would sometimes "take over the grill and cook the food himself." Tragedy as well as triumph in this meticulous, fascinating tale of three generations of Churchills.

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March 1, 2021

In his latest work, Ireland (The Traitors) examines the complicated relationship between Winston Churchill and his only son, Randolph. Ireland points out that the Churchills were close: they dined and drank together; they traveled for business and on holiday; and they confided in each other. Winston, neglected by his own father, loved his son, and desired great success for him. Randolph, in turn, idolized his father, and according to the author, Winston was the only person he truly ever loved. Ireland explores how the events of the Second World War deeply challenged their relationship as Winston rose to become one of Britain's greatest statesmen. He also considers the positive traits they shared, including bravery and intelligence, as well as their faults, like arrogance and a bad temper. Winston felt keenly that he was destined for a higher purpose, and his political career became his priority. Randolph resented having less access to his father, and although he became a war hero, he also became increasingly erratic and prone to drunken outbursts. The rift between father and son never completely healed. Ireland depicts their story in an eloquent, lively manner overall, with sympathy for both of them. VERDICT A comprehensive account for those who like biographies about important historical figures.--Dave Pugl, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2021
Life as the offspring of a famous person is never easy, but when your father is a giant of the twentieth century as Winston Churchill assuredly was, making your way in the world becomes even more challenging. As Ireland (The Traitors, 2017) tells, Randolph Churchill's earliest memories were of his father as Lord of the Admiralty during WWI. Winston alternately criticized and indulged Randolph, who became a subject of scandal before he turned 21 for his many affairs and profligate gambling and spending. Turning for a spell to journalism, he eventually followed his father's footsteps into politics and then into wartime military service, aping his father in his political sympathies. Trading on his father's celebrity, he became Winston's official biographer. Ireland delves into the psychology of Randolph's complex personality and his volatile relations with both his adoring father and his chilly mother. No hagiographic treatment, this joint biography offers a decidedly unpleasant version of each subject. Students of father-son relationships will find this treatise compelling and full of eyebrow-raising anecdotes.

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