Darkest Hour

How Churchill Brought England Back from the Brink

By: Anthony McCarten

Narrated by: John Lee

“McCarten's pulse-pounding narrative transports the reader to those springtime weeks in 1940 when the fate of the world rested on the shoulders of Winston Churchill. A true story thrillingly told. Thoroughly researched and compulsively readable.”—Michael F. Bishop, Executive Director of the International Churchill Society

From the acclaimed novelist and screenwriter of The Theory of Everything comes a revelatory look at the period immediately following Winston Churchill’s ascendancy to Prime Minister

“He was speaking to the nation, the world, and indeed to history....”

May, 1940. Britain is at war. The horrors of blitzkrieg have seen one western European democracy after another fall in rapid succession to Nazi boot and shell. Invasion seems mere hours away.

Just days after becoming Prime Minister, Winston Churchill must deal with this horror—as well as a skeptical King, a party plotting against him, and an unprepared public. Pen in hand and typist-secretary at the ready, how could he change the mood and shore up the will of a nervous people?

In this gripping day-by-day, often hour-by-hour account of how an often uncertain Churchill turned Britain around, the celebrated Bafta-winning writer Anthony McCarten exposes sides of the great man never seen before. He reveals how he practiced and re-wrote his key speeches, from ‘Blood, toil, tears and sweat’ to ‘We shall fight on the beaches’; his consideration of a peace treaty with Nazi Germany, and his underappreciated role in the Dunkirk evacuation; and, above all, how 25 days helped make one man an icon.

Using new archive material, McCarten reveals the crucial behind-the-scenes moments that changed the course of history. It’s a scarier—and more human—story than has ever been told.

Winston Spencer Churchill was amazing!

After seeing the film, I figured I'd give the book a try. So worth it!

not too long which was just right

not too long which was just right
not too long which was just right
not too long which was just right

Shining in the Darkest Hour

This is an exceptional look at a man who was not expected to be the Prime Minister of England. His ability to make the correct decisions regarding the war against Hitler. There were those still in Chamberlin's camp who believed negotiating with the Nazis was the best option. Churchill may have even considered this during the Darkest Hour. However, he knew England could easily fall, he worked with his allies and tried to cajole Roosevelt to commit to the war cause. It all could have gone badly for the allies, but in the end, Churchill excelled in the Darkest Hour.

This is an excellent book, John Lee is an excellent narrator and brought the book to life.

Highly recommended.

Smartly done...

Churchill is always a riveting subject matter. Lee is an exquisite voice actor. He definitely added layers to the storytelling.

World history most Americans do not know

This is a very good history of the beginning of WWII most Americans do not know. And how close world history came to about as we know it today versus something completely different.

The movie has Dunkirk being a day. This book has it being much longer.