An intriguing history of the Battle for Britain. Dugard’s book contains ample research and first person accounts of Churchill’s rise and the decisions of his War Council. The stories of the courageous pilots make this history worth reading as Britain staved off the air forces of Germany as the Germans had more power and were intent on destroying England. The brave and sometimes heartbreaking accounts of men who sacrificed their lives to save their country is inspiring and humbling.
A must read for history fans, especially WW II and the role of the RAF in saving England.

Well, Martin Dugard made me want to be a pilot for a few hundred pages so I would call his new book, Taking London, quite successful. Generally, I like my feet on the ground so this is no small feat.

Taking London is about the Battle of Britain told mostly through the actions of Winston Churchill, Air Vice-Marshall Hugh Dowding, and four fighter pilots. Dugard is going for action and excitement rather than analysis in the narrative. He uses short, evocative sentences to put the reader in the pilot's shoes. If you are well-read on the Battle of Britain, then you may not learn anything new, but you will enjoy the fighter sequences at the very least. Dugard is shooting for the casual reader who craves excitement as opposed to extensive diatribes on air tactics. Neither is better than the other. They are just different approaches and depends on what you are looking for.

The most effective sequences by far are with the fighter pilots. Their stories jump off the page and I would have read a book purely based on their stories. Dugard also adds context by giving short sequences to Churchill and Dowding which are vital to understanding what the pilots are facing why. Not all choices are effective, though. Sections devoted to Joe Kennedy and Edward Morrow could be eliminated without damaging the narrative at all. That said, the chapters are short and these sections are not all that distracting.

If you like Dugard's previous works then you will enjoy this one for sure.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Dutton Books.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It doesn't just focus on Churchill but other pilots and those involved with Britain's war against Hitler. It's very interesting even for those that generally don't read books that are so defined. There is plenty of details on air strategies but written in a way to keep you engaged. Always a bonus for me is that it contains pictures! Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Tense, as the topic should be, intriguing, mesmerizing, engaging, and well thought out, are just a few of the descriptors that I would apply to Taking London, the account of Great Britain’s entrance into World War II and the story of the RAF and it’s courageous pilots. I learned much and gained a great respect for Winston Churchill, the citizens of England, and for the young men, often very young, that flew into battle for their country. I would recommend this nonfiction book to anyone who values history. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy, I am sure to tell others about this great book.

For readers who are fond of intense looks at WWII in Europe particularly the actions of Sir William Churchill and the role that air power would play. in the war saving England from invasion. The writing style is perfect for those who prefer brief sentences and fact based storytelling. I would have enjoyed deeper development of the handful of RAF pilots used to illustrate key parts of the air power and more anecdotes about the Churchills. A quick read with a lot of technical information about the planes. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy. I would rate this 3 1/2 stars

I found this book to be a fascinating account of Winston Churchill and The Battle of Britain at the beginning of WWII. Although I’ve read many books about the war, I wasn’t familiar with the details of the Air Force and the Battle of Britain. Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I still don't care for the Dugard writing as O'Reilly writing approach. I find it irritating. For today's one line social media readers, I would believe this writing style works best. If this style educates in history, I'm for it.

This is, as the other Dugard/O'Reilly books, a spanning overview of the time of Churchill and flyers during the time of World War II. There are hundreds of books that cover all of the aspects to dive in and learn more.

The writing, as it is, tells of Churchill and the mechinations of going into the war and what results with his actions. This is well done.
There are interspersed chapters of RAF flyers and their actions during the war. These are also well done, but I think the combination could have worked better if there was more of a crossing of Churchill and the flyers. Swiveling from one scene to the other had me feeling in need of a scarf around my neck. As Dugard writes of the flyer having to wear a scarf to prevent chafing turning the head from side to side while flying.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.
I'm providing an honest review of this book via NetGalley.com.
I highly recommend book lovers, like me, preview and review books to help get new readers.

The intended audience for this book must be the person who has heard of the Battle of Britain and Winston Churchill but knows absolutely nothing about them. This is history lite at its most superficial, barely scratching the surface of the momentous events of 1940 and offering no new insights or information. Churchill is a caricature clutching a cigar and is mostly portrayed through quotes from his most famous speeches. Despite the subtitle, the main focus of the book is on four fighter pilots, three of whom wrote their own war memoirs making the background research very easy for the author. The narrative jumps from the cockpit of a Spitfire to the House of Commons to an Edward Murrow broadcast and back again with an occasional brief stop at Hugh Dowding's fighter command, offering the reader no context or background to help understand some of the most pivotal events of the 20th century.

The writing style with brief, choppy sentences and short paragraphs contributes to the lack of depth. There are hundreds of better books on Churchill and the Battle of Britain and the reader would be better served by choosing any of them.

Martin Dugard offers up a book ostensibly about "Winston Churchill and the Fight to Save Civilization" but in fact, it's just as much about various fighter pilots that were part of the RAF during World War II, with surprisingly little about Churchill the man and his challenges during the early part of the War. Dugard also offers up nothing that's new or enlightening about the era and its major events. His writeup of the various flying tactics and overall air defense strategies was very interesting: He's at his best when offering up imagined first-person experiences in the cockpit of Spitfires and Hurricanes, the two planes that helped Britain hold off a numerically superior Luftwaffe, armed with its feared Messerschmidt Me 109s.

The real weak point of "Taking London", however, is Dugard's writing style.
It's annoying.
And disruptive.
After a while alert readers will realize that it's a formula he's overusing, with a paragraph or two of generally short sentences. Some very short. Followed by a paragraph of just a few words, typically a counterpoint to the previous paragraph.
It's tedious.
What I found most ironic is that when he moved into the detailed Epilogue, he abandoned this breathless style and wrote far more compelling and interesting content; can we have a version of the book written in that manner instead, please?

Overall, if you're not knowledgeable about Britain's experience in World War II, its gruff but inspirational wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and how the island nation survived the Blitz and the Battle of Britain, this might be a good choice. Otherwise, there are better WWII histories of England, of Churchill, and of the RAF.

I have always been interested in reading about London during the Blitz and Martin Dugard has written one of the best books of this genre in my opinion. By following several characters through their pre-war experience and through the Blitz he has created a much more enhanced telling of the events through this timeline without bogging the reader down in too many characters and situations to be able to follow. Two extra efforts that I appreciated were the ways that these individuals impacted each others lives sometimes without having any knowledge of that impact and the use of the exact dates and quotes from Edward R Murrows reporting from London to enhance the situational awareness for the reader. Definitely recommend and appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy of Taking London by Martin Dugard. #TakingLondon #NetGalley

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for an early copy of Taking London by Martin Dugard

Reading Taking London gives the reader an utterly compelling and close-up account of the unfailing sacrifices of the Royal Air Force during the failed attempt by Nazi Germany to conquer the British Isles and its people.

The use of present tense verbs along with short and direct sentencing, author Martin Dugard has created a cast of characters, both recognizable and new to the reader caught up in the never-ending action of putting everything they have into defeating the enemy Third Reich. With Winston Churchill at the helm and pilots of unflinching courage, Dugard tackles the Battle of Britain with emphasis on the battle in the air.

The RAF pilots featured in this book come from differing backgrounds, countries (including the surprise of American Billy Fiske who found a way to fight with the British) and abilities, the tension never lets up just as it never let up in England in 1940. The dangers, the injuries and the tragedies are ever-present; yet so many of these incredible pilots are at their best when engaging the enemy in the air.

Included are many excerpts from Churchill's speeches, the radio journalism of Edward R. Morrow and the inevitable entry of the United States into the conflict.

This is a book not to be missed. One need not be any kind of history buff to become immersed in this writing.
The author's notes on the main characters following the war add a real sense of satisfaction for the reader along with a desire to read more on the subject.

This was a interesting history book, it had everything that I was hoping for. I enjoyed getting to read about Winston Churchill and this part in history. Martin Dugard does a great job writing this and left me wanting more.

With Europe plunging into WWII, and the rout at Dunkirk behind them, England is faced with the threat of an invasion by the Third Reich, and knows it stands alone.

Taking London skillfully weaves Winston Churchill's determination to defeat the Nazi war machine amongst the personal recollections of Dowding and pilots such as Townsend and Hillary; all taking place against the backdrop that is war time London.

Fast paced, when it needs to be to get the point across, and always grounded in a way the the reader feels the emotions that are written, Taking London is a book that any historian or lover of this period of WWII.will want to have on their bookshelf.

"Taking London: Winston Churchill and the Fight to Save Civilization," is the third book in a series written by Martin Dugard and published by the Penguin Group of Dutton. It follows "Taking Paris" and "Taking Berlin" and hews closely to the formula manifestly present in each of its predecessors. This review is predicated upon my examination of an ARC graciously supplied to me by the publisher. While the subtitle here is somewhat grandiose and perhaps a bit misleading, the author does do a superb job of contextualizing the Battle of Britain in much the same way as he did for the Battle for Paris and the Battle of Berlin. Like the earlier texts, "Taking London" is eclectic in terms of its narrative structure with the author focusing tightly on a chronologically centered series of events only loosely tied together. Each chapter focuses in an almost stream of consciousness fashion on one major figure or feature of the developing battle presented almost like a series of vignettes which can be read and enjoyed separately, but which, when examined in the context of the author's overall project, do a magnificent job of developing an overview of what was happening and why. The book's perspective is British, and there is little attempt to present a balanced narrative reflecting the experiences of all of the combatants, but what Dugard manages to accomplish is to humanise the scale of events and use that technique as an entry point to his overall project offering a surprisingly nuanced examination of the large and complex mechanisms of a world war from a variety of personal perspectives, thereby bringing events to life for many readers. This is not detailed or all encompassing military history, but it does offer useful and occasionally startling insights to scholars of this material as well as to the casual reader. Every public and school library should have a copy on hand. The text is both accessible and useful for those who would understand the events under discussion.

Thanks to the Publisher, Penguin Group, author Martin Dugard, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book. I certify the following review is my own original work.

Taking London is the story of the German air invasion of London (and Britain) during WWII, as told through the eyes of Winston Churchill, pilots for flew for the Royal Air Force, and other principals involved in this historical era, including Americans Edward R. Murrow and Billy Fiske.

Adolf Hitler tried his best to destroy London and most of England in preparation for a land invasion across the English Channel, but thanks to the grit, determination, and bravery of the RAF the Germans were never able to complete the mission. The story is one of heroism, resiliency, and the attitude of "never surrender."

I've read several different books about the bombing of London; this narrative is compelling and very focused. Dugard's writing style is at times choppy and direct, but it works and engages the reader. As a co-author for the Killing series Dugard is a master of this style of writing.

If you are interested in military history this will be a good addition to your library.

I've always enjoyed the "Killing" series by the author and Bill O'Reilly. It's easy to see the "bloodlines" in the "Taking" series from author, Martin Dugard. Dugard uses the same techniques of providing an educational examination of history as told through highly personal stories.

In this particular book, Dugard tells the story of the lead up to and the course of the Battle of Britain. We learn what went into the creation of the Spitfire, the fighter instrumental in defeating the vaunted Luftwaffe. We learn what it was like to be a pilot, facing wave after wave of enemy planes. But we also see what it was like to be someone on the ground. The role of journalist, Edward R. Murrow, is cleverly woven into this narrative. And we learn about the role of the politicians, including Churchill, Roosevelt and Kennedy.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this critical period in time.