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My Early Life cover art

My Early Life

By: Winston Churchill
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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Summary

One of the classic volumes of autobiography, My Early Life is a lively and colourful account of a young man's quest for action, adventure and danger. Churchill's schooldays are undistinguished, but he is admitted to Sandhurst and embarks on a career as a soldier and a war correspondent, seeing action in Cuba, in India, in the Sudan - where he took part in the battle of Omdurman, of which he gives us a stirring account - and finally in South Africa.

Taken prisoner by the Boers, Churchill makes a daring escape. Back home he embarks on the political career that is to make him one of Britain's most distinguished parliamentarians.

First published in 1930, when Churchill's most testing time still lay ahead of him, My Early Life is memorable both as an adventure-story and as an account of the events and influences that helped to shape the career of a great Englishman.

©1930 Charles Scribner’s Sons (P)2014 Audible Studios

What listeners say about My Early Life

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A very good listen

What made the experience of listening to My Early Life the most enjoyable?

A combination of a real biography and a tail of true adventure. I thought I new a little of WC but I knew nothing of what shaped him through his first quarter century. Very enlightening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Early Life?

An engaging journey from his first memories of childhood through to his early political career.

What about Frederick Davidson’s performance did you like?

Being read by a very plausible voice alike of the man himself gave extra gravity to this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listen to this book every day using my one hour commute until it was finished.

Any additional comments?

A most excellent book that I would have no hesitation in recommending, in fact only my second audio book and it helped me become hooked into the concept.

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14 people found this helpful

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I could only imagine such a life!

This is truly boys own stuff. Living in the comparatively safe, sterile, politically correct 21st century you cannot imagine such an experience and the way it formed Churchill’s later life and opinions. I have travelled the world for business but rarely been out of my comfort zone and virtually never been in anything approaching a life threatening situation, with probably my most stressful experience being getting lost in a foreign city when you are really not lost at all. To be in battles, get captured, escape and the somehow have the strength of character to wander around what was a primitive South Africa in a period of war and somehow manage to reach safe territory seems like the plot of some far fetched novel, but instead it was the reality of life in the Victorian era and start of the 20th century. I hate to use the phrase, but a truly awesome story and well read.

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8 people found this helpful

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Outstanding

This book was part of our English O Level Course 40 years ago and, I regret, I don't think we finished it. As a result of this excellent reading I was enthralled by the life experience of Mr Churchill and, by comparison, wonder how modern politicians can be even considered by the same title. Mr Churchill was entertaining, modest, witty and self effacing at every word and an example to us all. I understand now why this book was deemed so important 40 years ago and am disappointed it has taken me this long to benefit from it.

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5 people found this helpful

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Churchill's best work

Like Churchill's two other great works, The World Crisis and The Second World War, this book is an autobiographical history of great events in which Churchill was a participant. But in contrast to the others, multi-voluminous and packed with extraordinary detail, My Early Life adopts a more whimsical style. It is Churchill at his most entertaining. I'm a great fan of the other two books as histories, but this I think is by far Churchill's best and most readable.

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Inspiration from a truly great man

Churchill’s brilliant use of the English language conveys his observations and ideas through which he displays his unique logic and sense of history.
This book should inspire generations of readers to ‘never give in’ even when struggling against seemingly insurmountable odds.

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4 people found this helpful

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Top end of our expectations

Given that the outline of the story is so well known, the detail and occasional touches of humour made this both informative and a pleasure.

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4 people found this helpful

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My Early Life - Review.

A remarkable adventure and start of a young man's journey to be, who history has judged , our country's greatest Briton.

A superbly written and spoken book for anyone, not just fans of Churchill.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Great story, poor narration.

A wonderful tale of the great mans early life which I enjoyed very much despite the awful narration. Why the performer choose such affectation is beyond me. Nevertheless it cannot diminish WSC’s whimsical tale of his early life.

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2 people found this helpful

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Mostly on war and politics

Manystories on war that felt repetitive and too much in detail - >70proc of the book.

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Top notch

Very entertaining and very informative, covers both sides of the Boar War. Winston really is the Greatest Briton. Someone who looked at both sides of the story and was not afraid to say so.. Fully recommend.

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1 person found this helpful