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Dinner with Churchill: Policy-Making at the Dinner Table Audiobook
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A friend once said of Churchill: "He is a man of simple tastes; he is quite easily satisfied with the best of everything." But dinners for Churchill were about more than good food, excellent champagnes, and Havana cigars. "Everything" included the opportunity to use the dinner table both as a stage on which to display his brilliant conversational talents, and an intimate setting in which to glean gossip and diplomatic insights and to argue for the many policies he espoused over a long life.
In this riveting, informative, and entertaining book, Stelzer draws on previously untapped material, diaries of guests, and a wide variety of other sources to tell of some of the key dinners at which Churchill presided before, during, and after World War II.
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“Entertaining…The former prime minister considered meals to be an opportunity for diplomacy and political gamesmanship. He used those moments to charm and, at times, disarm friends and foes, and viewed each moment as a way of accomplishing goals that might not be realized through traditional means. Narrated by Davina Porter, the book is charming and provides insight into Churchill through a new lens…Porter clearly enjoys the material, conveying it with the same alacrity that Churchill likely felt when eating.”
— AudioFile
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“A delicious tribute to Churchill’s heroic appetite for wining, dining, and politicking.”
— Ben Macintyre, New York Times bestselling author -
“To Churchill, meals weren’t just a matter of getting something to eat. They were social occasions which he used to cement alliances and sway opponents.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“These meals, and even white-linen picnics for generals in France after D-Day, are chronicled in Dinner with Churchill.”
— New York Times -
“An enjoyable and original look at the often overlooked ‘table top diplomacy’ of Sir Winston Churchill…Stelzer leads the reader on a grand tour of some of the finest hotels, restaurants, estates, and political conferences with some of the most notable figures of World War II. Narrator Davina Porter does a superb job with the accents and in conveying emotion. Strongly recommended for those interested in Churchill, food, or history.”
— Library Journal (audio review) -
“An amusing, informative look at Winston Churchill’s ample dinner diplomacy…An enjoyable work that nicely rounds out our already-full portrait of the great leader.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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About Cita Stelzer
Cita Stelzer, a freelance journalist and a research associate at the Hudson Institution, previously worked for John Lindsay, mayor of New York, and Governor Hugh Carey. She is currently a reader at Churchill College, Cambridge, and a member of the board of the Churchill Centre and trustee of Wigmore Hall.
About Davina Porter
Davina Porter has been enthralling listeners for over twenty-five years with her ability to mine the psychological depths of the characters she reads and bring them convincingly to life. In 2006, she won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Female Narration and in 2004 for Best Inspirational Literature Narration. She has been honored as an AudioFile Golden Voice and has won nineteen AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actress, she has appeared on stage at the Vineyard Playhouse and the Square One Theater, among others.