Ralph G. Martin (1920–2013)

This book was most interesting in its description of the places and times Lady Randolph Churchill lived in. The woman herself is very interesting, but the author "assumes" how she feels and thinks a lot, so other than her actual words in the quoted letters, I'm not sure how well this represents who she was. There was quite a bit of repetition, but I may only have noticed that because I went immediately from volume one into volume two. It was a good read and inspired me to learn more about the Edwardian age.… (more)

This is a lively and readable biography of a time (1854-1895). place (England) and culture (English peerage) I was unfamiliar with. The author seems to make many speculations about her love life, perhaps romanticizing it more than it was. He seems to have no love or admiration for her husband, Lord Randolph Churchill. The author, Martin, was an American, for what it is worth. One of his goals seems to be finding out what made Winston S. Churchill the man he was. His conclusion is that much of it was due to Churchill's mother. A two volume set, the first was engaging and led me to read the next volume.… (more)

Somewhat mixed biography of the socialite-turned-newspaper editor and publisher. One of the reasons I found it mixed was that the subject isn't particularly sympathetic -- in many respects, a spoiled, neurotic individual who made life miserable for many in her life. She was a success in her new field of newspaper publishing, owing to certain talents, but this part of the book takes up only about the last quarter. A lot of the rest is about Patterson's unhappy love life and assorted habits. Not particularly recommended.… (more)