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Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship Audiobook
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(4.00) - 1,488 listener ratings
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The most complete portrait ever drawn of the complex emotional connection between two of history’s towering leaders Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were the greatest leaders of “the Greatest Generation.” In Franklin and Winston, Jon Meacham explores the fascinating relationship between the two men who piloted the free world to victory in World War II. It was a crucial friendship, and a unique one—a president and a prime minister spending enormous amounts of time together (113 days during the war) and exchanging nearly two thousand messages. Amid cocktails, cigarettes, and cigars, they met, often secretly, in places as far-flung as Washington, Hyde Park, Casablanca, and Teheran, talking to each other of war, politics, the burden of command, their health, their wives, and their children. Born in the nineteenth century and molders of the twentieth and twenty-first, Roosevelt and Churchill had much in common. Sons of the elite, students of history, politicians of the first rank, they savored power. In their own time both men were underestimated, dismissed as arrogant, and faced skeptics and haters in their own nations—yet both magnificently rose to the central challenges of the twentieth century. Theirs was a kind of love story, with an emotional Churchill courting an elusive Roosevelt. The British prime minister, who rallied his nation in its darkest hour, standing alone against Adolf Hitler, was always somewhat insecure about his place in FDR’s affections—which was the way Roosevelt wanted it. A man of secrets, FDR liked to keep people off balance, including his wife, Eleanor, his White House aides—and Winston Churchill. Confronting tyranny and terror, Roosevelt and Churchill built a victorious alliance amid cataclysmic events and occasionally conflicting interests. Franklin and Winston is also the story of their marriages and their families, two clans caught up in the most sweeping global conflict in history. Meacham’s new sources—including unpublished letters of FDR’ s great secret love, Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, the papers of Pamela Churchill Harriman, and interviews with the few surviving people who were in FDR and Churchill’s joint company—shed fresh light on the characters of both men as he engagingly chronicles the hours in which they decided the course of the struggle. Hitler brought them together; later in the war, they drifted apart, but even in the autumn of their alliance, the pull of affection was always there. Charting the personal drama behind the discussions of strategy and statecraft, Meacham has written the definitive account of the most remarkable friendship of the modern age.
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"I actually listened to this as an audiobook. It gives you a great look at a couple of real life characters -Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill - and their fascinating interactions with each other and other famous people. Once you finish this, you realize that without these two men, most of the now free world world would not be free. They understood the threat that Hitler and the Nazis posed and took the steps needed to stop them. They were by now means saints, but giants among men."
— Julie (5 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Winner of the 2005 Colby Award
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A New York Times bestseller
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A Wall Street Journal bestseller
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A San Francisco Chronicle bestseller
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
Franklin and Winston Listener Reviews
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" Maybe I've read too many books on the World War II leaders, but this account of Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt's relationship just didn't offer enough that hasn't been written before. "
— Riley, 2/11/2014 -
" 2 or 3 stars. There were parts that I really enjoyed, but there were parts that went on and on unnecessarily. I think it could have been half the length and more enjoyed. "
— Michel, 2/11/2014 -
" A bit long (repeated himself a bit). Three stars because of the historical content. "
— Richard, 2/8/2014 -
" The focus is on the development of this important historical friendship while America and Europe are the backdrop. "
— Kitty, 2/8/2014 -
" Interesting to come so close to the private lives of great people. A humbling experience. "
— Susanne, 1/29/2014 -
" I enjoyed this book. Viewing history through the personalities of the people who experienced it helps bring it alive for me. Also, understanding that our "heroes" had their flaws, but managed to shape our history helps give me perspective on the public figures I read about today. "
— Lynn, 1/21/2014 -
" Very engaging look at the personal relationship between FDR and Winston Churchill formed during WWII. The author (a Newsweek editor) tells the story of how their friendship--at least as much of a friendship as Roosevelt was capable of having with another human being--saved the world. "
— Kyle, 1/20/2014 -
" Excellent insight into one of the most powerful and world-changing friendships ever formed. "
— Joey, 1/13/2014 -
" I should have re-read this before we visited Yalta. "
— Peregrina651, 1/10/2014 -
" Jon does a fantastic job of recreating the dynamic relationship between these two titans as well as the tumultuous times in which they lived. It proved most useful in my own historical work on Western civilization. Highly recommended. "
— Rich, 12/18/2013 -
" Really enjoyed this book. I love history and especially enjoy an author who can bring it alive. Enjoyed the glimpse into the real men that Franklin and Winston were, flawed as we all are. A testimony that polititians are real people. "
— Myrna, 12/16/2013 -
" I am an Anglophile and Churchill's life has always mesmerized me. Roosevelt was much more self-serving and deceptive. Meacham's book confirmed what I already believed about both men. "
— Mark, 11/23/2013 -
" Great, engrossing study of a friendship that changed the world. Poor Churchill, ever flirting with the capricious Roosevelt. "
— Shawne, 2/21/2013 -
" Some interesting insights into the two men, but the book's primary point that FDR and Churchill were BFF was not well supported by the author. "
— CR, 2/8/2013 -
" My two favorite historical figures (especially Churchill. Long but many great sidebar stories interwoven into the drama of WWII. "
— Lweiman, 1/5/2013 -
" Well written with great primary sources and interviews. As someone who adores Churchill, this book was fascinating. Not only does it provide a glimpse into personal lives, but it helps the reader understand the difference in politics from then to now. "
— Ann, 7/25/2012 -
" I enjoyed this very much. It has a nice, easy-going narrative and some interesting insight into these two very different men, of extraordinary power and influence. "
— Kathleen, 6/11/2012 -
" It's always interesting how personalities have an affect on history. Here you have the story of two of the greatest personalities of modern times revealing how their relationship helped win a war and protect individual freedom. "
— Karl, 4/3/2012 -
" Wonderful book for those who like history and admire these great men. "
— Angeles, 1/17/2012 -
" An intimate look at one of the greatest friendships of all time. What more can I say? "
— Gregor, 1/17/2012 -
" Maybe I've read too many books on the World War II leaders, but this account of Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt's relationship just didn't offer enough that hasn't been written before. <br/> <br/> "
— Riley, 3/30/2011 -
" An intimate look at one of the greatest friendships of all time. What more can I say? "
— Gregor, 1/28/2011 -
" Very good read. Love the story of the friendship between Roosevelt and Churchill. Rich in historical content. Jon Meacham is a master at story-telling, especially historical non-fiction. Kudos to him!! "
— Greg, 1/19/2011 -
" I really enjoyed this book. It gave you a new insight to these people, this time and what it was to be living and working then. "
— Lori, 1/13/2011 -
" The author contends that the genuine friendship between Churchill and Roosevelt enabled them to work through many difficulties as they strove to win the war and the peace that followed. Interesting but not as compelling as other books on this era. 3 and 1/2 stars. "
— Terry, 1/1/2011 -
" A very enjoyable read. Well thought out and written, and it provides a more personal perspective on WWII than any other book I have read. "
— Adam, 12/17/2010 -
" Very interesting look at this relationship "
— Bfeyen, 12/16/2010 -
" A wonderful story of an incredible yet unexpected friendship. "
— Paula, 11/27/2010 -
" This was a great book, and a must read for anyone intrested in the history of our country. "
— Jim, 10/14/2010 -
" This book was so well written I thought I was a third wheel with FDR and Winstton Churchill. Great book about statesmanship during WW 2. "
— Jim, 7/23/2010 -
" One of my all time favorite books. There have been other books written about these two...but never quite reaching the level that this book hits. If you are a non-fiction or history buff, it's a must! "
— Kim, 6/14/2010
About Jon Meacham
Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer and the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including three that have made their #1 bestsellers list. He is a contributing writer for the New York Times Book Review and a contributing editor of Time magazine, and he holds the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University
About Grover Gardner
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.