Library Journal
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In the best-selling The River of Doubt, Millard chronicled Theodore Roosevelt's dangerous exploration of an uncharted river in the Amazon. Here the author documents the equally risky adventures of Winston Churchill (1874-1965) during the Second Boer War, in which Churchill and his fellow soldiers were captured upon arriving in South Africa. Churchill managed an escape, eventually returning to South Africa to free the men with whom he was imprisoned. The details of these exploits describe endless walking, narrow getaways from captors, and Churchill toting nothing but a squashed bit of foreign currency and some chocolate. Even more incredible is Churchill crossing paths with future historical greats such as Mahatma Gandhi and Rudyard Kipling. Millard shows how the hard lessons learned during this period influenced Churchill's character, decision-making, and personality. Riveting, bizarre, heroic, and sometimes humorous, this thrilling history will cause readers to shake their heads in disbelief throughout. VERDICT Enjoyable for all readers, especially fans of Churchill, military and world history, narrative nonfiction, and survival stories. [See Prepub Alert, 3/28/16.]-Benjamin Brudner, Curry Coll. Lib., Milton, MA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly
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Millard (Destiny of the Republic) takes a relatively minor episode in the life of Winston Churchill-his escape from prison during the Boer War-and makes hay with it, painting young Churchill as a brilliant soldier, talented raconteur, and politician in waiting. Churchill's escape from a jail cell in Pretoria and subsequent trek through enemy territory are presented as the first signs of the grit and determination he would later show as prime minister. Apart from some enjoyable biographical detail (Millard has a weakness for hair "shining like a dark jewel" and interiors of "rich yellow silk"), the book contains little of interest for readers who are not already die-hard Churchill buffs. Churchill's racism is consistently underplayed, the politics of the Boer War are ignored, and figures such as Leo Amery are reduced to drawing-room caricatures. By dwelling on Churchill's privileged upbringing, Millard effectively extinguishes any sympathy the reader might feel for a pompous young man who once wrote, in typically overblown fashion, that if his plans for political office fell through, "It will break my heart for I have nothing else but ambition to cling to." Not even some late attention to the wider world beyond Churchill can save the book from its hagiographic bent. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

*Starred Review* Biographer Millard gets at her subject by a somewhat out-of-left-field path that leaves the reader satisfied and feeling that her approach is right and perfect. In The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey (2006), she lets TR's post-presidency activities speak for the great president's natural rough-rider attitude toward life. In Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President (2011), she defines James Garfield's extraordinary qualities by reconstructing his slow, gruesome death by an assassin's bullet. Now she writes about one of the most famous statesmen of the twentieth century, British prime minister Winston Churchill. Rather than facing the man in full bloom during WWII, she casts dramatic light on the incidents that brought to the attention of a rapt British public a young Churchill. In 1899, he was already aware of his future importance in the political world and certain that he would need to show glory on the battlefield during the colonial Boer War in South Africa. The perfect opportunity arose when he was taken prisoner and managed not only to escape but, after great hardship, also return to the fight. Millard's rendering of the exciting details of Churchill's heroic exploits result in a magnificently told story.--Hooper, Brad Copyright 2016 Booklist