Magisterial, eminently readable, and surprisingly fast-moving ... It resonates especially today, as tense negotiations and feuds over tariffs, defense, and trade, and fraught personal interactions with the leaders of nations both friendly and not so much, dominate American diplomacy.
In focusing on the multilateral bonds that were forged to defeat Hitler, this entertaining account offers fresh disclosures about the course of the conflict ... Can anything new be said about the second world war? Unexpectedly the answer is yes ... Tim Bouverie has reverted to a traditional form to present the past afresh ... This is a work of old-fashioned diplomatic history, which provides new perspectives on subjects that seemed familiar. One of its merits is to present the choices that faced the allied leaders as they appeared at the time, rather than with the benefit of hindsight ... Bouverie’s commentary is fair and his judgments judicious. Though he has obviously undertaken a vast amount of research, he never becomes overwhelmed by his material. On the contrary, his book is enjoyable to read. He writes lucidly and lightens his weighty subject matter with well-chosen vignettes ... Bouverie’s first book, Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War, published in 2019, was a dazzling debut. Allies at War fully confirms the promise shown by its predecessor.
A deeply researched and gracefully written account of the fractious yet effective alliance that vanquished the Axis powers ...Mr. Bouverie, a historian and the author of the superb Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War (2019), rightfully devotes the bulk of his attention to the Big Three: Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin, 'the triumvirate that won the war and shaped the peace.' But the author also illuminates other lesser-known aspects of wartime diplomacy, including relations with Nationalist China and Vichy France, the vexatious issue of neutral Ireland, and the contributions of diplomats and other officials who served the Big Three.
