Oblivion or Glory, David Stafford
Oblivion or Glory, David Stafford
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Oblivion or Glory
1921 and the Making of Winston Churchill

Author: David Stafford

Narrator: Gerard Doyle

Unabridged: 10 hr 41 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/28/2019

Synopsis

An engaging and original account of 1921, a pivotal year for Winston Churchill that had a lasting impact on his political and personal legacyAfter the tragic consequences of his involvement in the catastrophic Dardanelles Campaign of World War I, Churchill’s political career seemed over. He was widely regarded as little more than a bombastic and unpredictable buccaneer until, in 1921, an unexpected inheritance heralded a series of events that laid the foundations for his future success.Renowned Churchill scholar David Stafford delves into the statesman’s life in 1921, the year in which his political career revived. From his political negotiations in the Anglo-Irish treaty that created the Irish Free State, to his tumultuous relationship with his “wild cousin” Clare Sheridan, sculptor of Lenin and subject of an MI5 investigation, this broad account explores the nuances of both Churchill’s private and public lives. This is an engaging portrait of this overlooked yet pivotal year in the great man’s life.

About David Stafford

David Stafford is the former project director at the Centre for the Study of the Two World Wars at the University of Edinburgh and is now adjunct professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. He is a renowned expert on Churchill, and his previous publications include Churchill and Secret Service, Roosevelt and Churchill, Endgame 1945, and an official history, Mission Accomplished: SOE and Italy 1943–1945.

About Gerard Doyle

Gerard Doyle, a seasoned audio narrator, he has been awarded dozens of AudioFile Earphones Awards, was named a Best Voice in Young Adult Fiction in 2008, and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He was born of Irish parents and raised and educated in England. In Great Britain he has enjoyed an extensive career in both television and repertory theater and toured nationally and internationally with the English Shakespeare Company. He has appeared in London’s West End in the gritty musical The Hired Man. In America he has appeared on Broadway in The Weir and on television in New York Undercover and Law & Order. He has taught drama at Ross School for the several years.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jill on December 15, 2019

As a history-jock, I read a lot of books, and the history books I like the best are those that delve into a certain phase of a subject's life. It can be a 10 year period - The Roaring 20's, say, or a one year period examined in David A T Stafford's superb history, "Oblivion and Glory: 1921 and the M......more

Goodreads review by Tom on April 14, 2021

I love Churchill. I am utterly convinced he was robbed when Time Magazine passed him over for Albert Einstein as Man of the Century in 2000. As a subject, he fascinates me. As a leader, he moves me. Stafford's work adds to both of these, and does so, if not quite handsomely, adequately. Adequately,......more

Goodreads review by Mike on August 17, 2022

Well I think this book set a record for the number of names included in a history book. It was a whirlwind and all but impossible to keep straight as most of those people came and went in the book never to return. I enjoyed the tour of the world essentially as the year in focus had Churchill as Colo......more

Goodreads review by Christopher on February 27, 2022

A compelling look at a pivotal (non-war) year of Churchill's life. Churchill's life was extraordinary by any measure but primarily due to his time as England's Prime Minister during WWII. Stafford's 2019 "Oblivion or Glory" has a unique premise of looking at a single year in Winston Churchill's life:......more

Goodreads review by Dan on April 21, 2020

This book chronicle one year in the life of Winston Churchill in 1921 as he resurrects his career at the age of 46 from the political dust heap for his support for the disastrous Dardanelles Campaign (Gallipoli) in World War I. Churchill had many supporters and many more detractors who saw him as eg......more

Quotes

“A fascinatingly detailed account of one of the most important years of Winston Churchill’s life.” Anne de Courcy, author of The Viceroy’s Daughters

“One of the best works to come out on this well-worn topic in many years. Highly recommended.” Library Journal on Roosevelt and Churchill

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