So much of what is written about WSC...even what was written by him...is rather academic and at times difficult to get through. On the other hand this book is a joy to read. Well researched and many first hand accounts that give us a glimpse of WSC's persona against the backdrop of his fame and notoriety. Dozens of instances where you can almost see the resolve in his jaw, hear his sober voice and many times the twinkle in his eye. When I finished the book I felt a sense of warmth lacking in so many other WSC works.

Churchill was a complex and enigmatic man, so it's not surprising that this book, written by his granddaughter, is itself enigmatic. It's hard to know what to make of many of the stories, because clearly the author had a prejudiced eye--she revered her grandfather. But there are stories and anecdotes and bon mots aplenty, many of them funny enough to make me burst out laughing. My particular favorite was an aging Churchill who, when upended by a large wave while bathing in the sea, made a V-for-victory sign with his legs. I think that anecdote brought home to me, maybe for the first time, just where the British sense of humor in something like Monty Python's Flying Circus came from. There's something deeply irreverent in the British psyche, and that irreverence positively glowed inside Churchill.



The book is relatively short, and makes no great demands on the reader; you aren't required to bring extensive knowledge of British and world history from Churchill's history with you. (Of course, the more you know about history from 1895 or so through 1960, the better.) I did find a few spots where the author's shifts from Churchill and his world to her later travels were so abrupt that I was left confused. It took a few puzzled re-readings of some paragraphs to grasp this. A bit of editing would have been helpful in those spots.



And a reader looking for historical insight is bound to be disappointed by this book. It doesn't offer any. It's more of an affectionate character portrait than a biography. So affectionate, in fact, that the harshest language the author can use to describe her grandfather (who, whatever his better qualities may have been, was far from sainthood) was to refer to him at one point as a "paternalistic Victorian."



But I enjoyed the book all the same, and I'm sure I'll read it again.

Churchill was a complex and enigmatic man, so it's not surprising that this book, written by his granddaughter, is itself enigmatic. It's hard to know what to make of many of the stories, because clearly the author had a prejudiced eye--she revered her grandfather. But there are stories and anecdotes and bon mots aplenty, many of them funny enough to make me burst out laughing. My particular favorite was an aging Churchill who, when upended by a large wave while bathing in the sea, made a V-for-victory sign with his legs. I think that anecdote brought home to me, maybe for the first time, just where the British sense of humor in something like Monty Python's Flying Circus came from. There's something deeply irreverent in the British psyche, and that irreverence positively glowed inside Churchill.

The book is relatively short, and makes no great demands on the reader; you aren't required to bring extensive knowledge of British and world history from Churchill's history with you. (Of course, the more you know about history from 1895 or so through 1960, the better.) I did find a few spots where the author's shifts from Churchill and his world to her later travels were so abrupt that I was left confused. It took a few puzzled re-readings of some paragraphs to grasp this. A bit of editing would have been helpful in those spots.

And a reader looking for historical insight is bound to be disappointed by this book. It doesn't offer any. It's more of an affectionate character portrait than a biography. So affectionate, in fact, that the harshest language the author can use to describe her grandfather (who, whatever his better qualities may have been, was far from sainthood) was to refer to him at one point as a "paternalistic Victorian."

But I enjoyed the book all the same, and I'm sure I'll read it again.

If there were, in fact, such a thing as Churchillian beach reading, Chasing Churchill would be it. The book begins deliciously with an anecdote describing the author's trip with her grandfather on the world-famous Christina - a voyage that marked the beginning of the epic love affair between Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis. Wow! From the clothes to the food to the conversation, every detail drips with elegance.

From there, though, the book loses steam, for the Christina story is by far the most interesting and well written. Perhaps because it's the only story related from the author's own memories. Other content comes in three forms: rehashing of accounts of Churchill's travels throughout his public life (most has been published elsewhere with more detail), descriptions of the author's retracing of many of those travels (not well or thoroughly described) and quotes from people Churchill met or influenced along the way (or, in many cases, their children or grandchildren relating their own family lore of encounters with the great man). Only the last of these is really worthwhile and there is so little of it that it could have made an excellent magazine article but as a book it feels sparse.

With regards to the accounts of both the author's and her grandfather's travels, there doesn't seem to have been enough of a mandate for a full length book. As stated, most of the detail regarding Churchill's travels is rehashed from other sources (many of which were also written by Churchill descendents - what would they do without their famous relative? Seems they write lots of books about him). As for the Sandys' travels, she adds little new detail other than to impress upon the reader her ability to gain access to a series of dignitaries (Fidel Castro among them).

The books acknowledgements thank several of Sandys' relatives for allowing quotation from their books as well as a series of corporatations for their sponsorship. The effect reinforces the idea that writing the book was more of an ego or money exercise than an attempt at further illuminating one of the last century's greatest men. It's a shame that a book that started so well ends up on such a poor note. Clearly, Celia Sandys would do better to rely on her own memories of her grandfather than on attempting new "research".

Celia Sandys does a terrific job detailing and following in the wandering footsteps of her incredible grandad! Starting with a trip through the Mediterranean with Onassis, and the ever-complaining opera-singer Maria Callas, when the author was about 14, and witnessing luxury on an incredible scale, even for such a famous family (i.e the Churchills). Then she goes back to 1895 New York City, and Cuba. She tell of a cigar smoking contest in 1946 Cuba between her granddad and Hemingway, sponsored by the original "Old Man And the Sea", Mr. Fueuntes, who died in 2002 at the age of 104. As both a Churchill and Hemingway buff, this was a new story for me! And the travels continue through South Africe, World World 1 France, Egypt, and in all the other famous spots visited by her legendary granddad. Some new (to me anyway), black and white photes, plus some color photos of Winston's painting are included as a special bonus. All in all, a great ride, and thanks to Mrs. Sandys for this excellent effort!

Ah, for the travelling life of the famous! When you read this book by Churchill's granddaughter, you get an intimate portrait of what an entourage WSC had when he went anywhere. There were private planes or yachts, villas or really up-scale hotels provided to him gratis, and a tremendous retinue of extra people to care for him. This seemed to happen even before he became world famous, and continued until his death. I don't ever want to take away the tremendous contributions he made to the peace and security of the world, but he certainly travelled like an Oriental despot! The book details his travels all over the world, and his many trips to America, both before, during and after WWII. If only the rest of us mere mortals could live in this extravagant lifestyle! This is a side of the great man's life that one rarely comes across in the many biographies of him, but it does tend to round out the picture of his life. While there are no new and startling revelations in the book, it is written in a breezy, easy reading style, and was quite enjoyable. As a granddaughter, the author tends to overlook a lot of WSC's faults, but who can blame her? We would all do that for our own family members, given the chance.

Winston Churchill is like a fine gem. Hold him and his immense life up to the light and turn them around some, and you'll always find interesting new facets to explore. (I have a feeling WSC himself would have appreciated that metaphor.) This explains the constant stream of articles and books on the Man of the (Twentieth) Century -- many re-examining old themes and issues, but a surprising number coming up with new aspects or approaches to understanding who Churchill was and what he did.

This title is of the latter sort. Celia Sandys, WSC's granddaughter and author of two earlier books on the man, here presents us with a Churchill biography that focuses on his wide-ranging travels outside the UK. In many cases, Sandys has herself followed in her grandfather's footsteps, revisiting the locales -- and in many cases the actual buildings -- of WSC's visits. Hence the title.

Despite Sandys' encyclopedic chronicle, I suspect it is this latter, personal element that many readers may find especially interesting. What Churchillian hasn't thought how much fun it would be to retrace his footsteps along the armored train track in South Africa? Few of us, however, have Sandys' access to places and people (including Fidel Castro), nor I suspect her ability to tell a story.

Even more memorable, and touching, are the author's memories of her own participation in some of Churchill's later travels, especially aboard Aristotle Onassis' yacht "Christina."

In all, there may be some value to the student in having the dates and places of Churchill's major journeys, including his wartime travels, easily accessible within one set of covers. But for most of us, the true value comes in finding yet another facet through which to view the man and his personality, and to read a few more interesting and entertaining memories. I admit I found myself skimming over the travel details from time to time, but the stories made the book more than worth the time.