When you live a celebrity lifestyle amongst a family full of celebrities, it's hard to mark your place in history. Winston Churchill, father of four daughters and a son, was undoubtedly a man whose name will live on in the history books. His son, Randolph, would make his own mark in the Churchill family. Yet the daughters of this famous family would have significant impact on British lives yet be lost in the shadow of the men in their lives. Dr Rachel Trethewey brings to light the accomplishments of these four sisters who would pave the way in an era of change. I found this a fascinating book on their lives and the communities around them.

Fun insight into Winston Churchill's daughters. It was interesting to learn more about them, as I didn't know anything before.

This book was very well researched and full of interesting information. I did have a bit of a difficult time getting into it as at times it seemed to read like a chronological list of events. I am not a big non-fiction reader and that may be why I didn't enjoy this one as much.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review.

A few months ago I went through a Mitford phase. As is my wont, I read everything there was to read, fiction and non, about the Mitford sisters - scandalous British socialites with fascist tendencies who, it so happens, were related to the Churchills. Yes, those Churchills. As a casual Anglophile, I knew quite a bit about Winston (if you haven't read Erik Larson's excellent biography of Churchill's role on the home front, please stop what you're doing and grab it from your local library), Clementine, the tenacious and devoted wife, and even Randolph, the tortured and ne'er-do-well son. So when I saw Rachel Tretheway's biography of the four Churchill sisters, I snatched it up.

Weaving the story of the four Churchill daughters with outline of their larger-than-life father, Tretheway tells the story of Diana, Sarah, Marigold, and Mary Churchill who were instrumental to their father's success (even little Marigold, who tragically died as a toddler). They faced internal and external pressures to live up to the Churchill name, with varying degrees of success. The Churchill Sisters is thoroughly researched and written in a lyrical and engaging style.

My only quibble with this generally delightful book is that the treatment of the sisters is a little uneven. I suspect this is largely because the historical record is silent on certain points, but we lose sight of some of the sisters when another is in the spotlight. That said, it is an engaging look at the British aristocratic set in the early twentieth century and, ultimately, of the women behind the man.

I was really excited to read about this but it is more of a research project rather than book. The Churchill Sisters is the first book I've read devoted solely to the daughters of Winston Churchill, where they are the focus instead of mentioned on the sides, as in Lynne Olson's fabulous books Citizens of London and Erik Larson's The Splendid and the Vile. Diana, Sarah, and Mary Churchill each lived in a world where women were, at least initially, considered second to men- and as a man of his era Winston thought this way too. It was exposure to strong women like his wife Clementine and his daughters that made Winston change his mind. But also in the Churchill house, Winston came first always. Everyone believed his career and his work came first. This, combined with being the children of a great man and being children in a time when their class rarely were raised by their parents, and the childhood the younger generation of Churchills had was quite different from one we would recognize today. Their mother, Clementine, was like many others of her generation and class and was distant from her children, especially when they were young, which all of them came to regret later in life. Somewhat interesting, but the writing really wasn't up to par. It read like a good high school term paper, but a term paper nonetheless. I enjoyed learning more about Winston and Clementine Churchill's daughters. The book is a good introduction to their lives and times. The chapters about their work and travel during the Second World War are especially interesting. For a joint biography, however, the book was quite short and I would have been interested to read more about their later lives, especially Mary Churchill's later accomplishments.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley.

The Churchill Sisters is a well researched and well written book. I enjoyed learning about the Churchill family.

This was an interesting look into Churchill and his life. It is told through the point of view of his daughters and how his role as prime minister shaped them. I think it was very interesting and could have been a little more enjoyable. It read a little dry for me but I kept going because I liked the content of WWII from one of the top leaders of the war. He really helped The UK during the war.

An in depth peek into the lives of Winston Churchill's daughters that seamlessly tied together research and personal letters. I knew very little of this family other than the slim information I have read about Winston Churchill himself and am walking away with many anecdotes and details. Each daughter had their own unique story which Rachel Trethewey gave attention to each in their own right. I enjoyed the writing style of this book and the ease with the way the information was presented. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy.of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I do love a good mystery, but I also like to learn something new. A biography such as “The Churchill Sisters: The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine’s Daughters,” by Dr. Rachel Trethewey (St. Martin’s Press) offers such an opportunity.
Most readers will know of Winston Churchill, prime minister of England during World War II. His daughters, Diana, Sarah, Marigold (who died at a young age) and Mary, were all attractive and obviously well-connected. Their father had an overwhelming personality, and he was not the only family member who fit that description. Their mother, Clementine, was a very independent woman in her own right.
That’s a lot for the three young women to live up to. All very different personalities, one thing they were united in was the love of their father. In spite of being born into lives of privilege, all the girls worked hard and had their own struggles during the mid-1900s when women were trying to fit in after World War II.
The book offers a fascinating look at a particular time of Britain’s history and how life changed for these young women in particular. Trethewey used previously unpublished family letters to fill in the gaps in public knowledge about the Churchill sisters.
Great read for history lovers.

An interesting look into Churchill's daughters. The 3 sisters, their relationship with each other and how each had an impact on Churchill. Worth the read. Thank you #netgalley.

This book was about Churchill’s daughters. This premise sounds really good, but the author took many random tangents that districted the reader from the story. The story was also very repetitive and dry. Still, I recommend this for fans of Sonia Purcell, Helen Rappaport, and Flora Fraser.

I found this book to be a little boring even though the very different lives of Churchill's children was very interesting. This is a word dense book that I think I'll enjoy more in audiobook form.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Winston Churchhill, if you haven't heard of him, then you might be under the age of 30. If you have heard of him, then you know him as a larger-than-life man who helped rally all of England and the world into defending and winning World War 2. Have you ever wondered about his family? Did you know he had kids? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the child of a political giant? The Churchill Sisters by Dr. Rachel Trethewey is that book. Winston Churchill's daughters (and wife if I was, to be honest) were born into privilege, however, they didn't live or act as if they were. They, just like their father worked hard, lived life large and each had their own trials dealing with being Winston's daughters, but also try to be more than a daughter in the mid-1900s when women more or less struggled to be their own person with their own strengths and own identities in a predominately male society. This book gives some sublime background into what it was like to live with one of the most famous leaders of the 20th century. Each daughter had their struggles of just being themselves then you throw in the stress and magnifying lens of being Churchhill's daughter and you step those struggles up to a whole other level.

I loved reading about how each daughter loved their father, how they supported him, how they rallied for him when it was needed and how strong they could be in the direst circumstances. and still, have a father that gave them the ability to be themselves, to stand on their own, make their own future decisions, and live in a world that wasn't controlled by Churchill himself, or their spouses but to be independent women he raised with his wife Clementine. who was fiercely independent on her own too.

in other biographies I have read sometimes authors insert their own political views into their non-fiction through the tone of the book and Dr. Rachel Trethewey doesn't do that in The Churchhill Sisters. I was impressed by the detail that Trethewey gathered and gave to her readers. I especially liked the political/emotional connections that the girls had with the world around them and how hones through their letters they were about their feelings and trials via their mother and father in a high rolling world.

If you love history, familial connections, and examples of the struggles and strengths of female historical figures this book is a great one to read.

I thought this was a really well-researched book. I did not like how in the initial part of the book the author told the reader what to think, versus allowing the history of the Churchill sisters and that time in history speak for itself. The author stopped this the remainder of the book, and it turned out to be an eye-opening and enjoyable read.

The Churchill Sisters: The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine's Daughters by Dr. Rachel Trethewey gives a look into the life of WInston Churchill's family, some insight about his son but especially his daughters. I never considered whether or not Winston Churchill even had children, he is such a large figure in history whose role as British Prime Minister as well as his role in World War II loom larger than anything else. Reading about his family made him seem more human. I enjoyed reading about his daughters and seeing which paths they took.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley.

A thoroughly well researched look at the family of Winston Churchill, this book provided such an intimate look at the entire Churchill family but the main focus was the three daughters. I found each of their stories to be so unique and often quite sad. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great historical books.

I feel like I know everything about Winston Churchill. I also feel like I know everything about his mother, one of the many American heiresses that went to London to save the grand families with her money. But I know nothing about the sisters/daughters. This book dives into the lives of the three Churchill sisters, who lived fascinating lives. Incredibly researched and well written, this book is for anyone who is a lover of English history,

I very much wanted to love this one but it was a jumble. The narrative thread jumps around — even certain sentences require two or three readings to understand. It was frustrating to read and disappointing since the author had clearly done amazing research.

The Churchill Sisters By Dr Rachel Tretheway

9781250272393

320 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: December 7, 2021

Nonfiction, History, Political Figures

This is the story of Winston Churchill’s family but specifically his daughters. He and his wife Clementine had four daughters and a son. One of the daughters, Marigold, died when she was a toddler. The other three daughters Diana, Sarah, and Mary.

Each daughter provided a different role within the family. Unfortunately, they lived in the public which made life difficult. Mental illness and addiction were issues that were not dealt with as we deal with them now. The doctors used electric shock treatment which we now known does more damage than good. The author was meticulous in her research and included many documents and private letters from family members. If you like historical nonfiction, you will enjoy reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me early access to this work. I apologize for the late review as it took me some time to get through it (though not for lack of interest!). I always like the opportunity to explore historical works and learn more about the individuals. I found this book incredibly interesting and would definitely recommend it to others who want to learn more about the Churchill Sisters.