Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A fascinating and wittily-told history. I particularly enjoyed the section on Winston Churchill and the reality behind the myth the man himself created.

I've been interested in reading this book since it was first announced being intrigued by the title. It covered some topics that I was interested in. I like to know the truth and often history is biased and every country/culture has its own side of the history so it's good to know a bit more of the story in order to find the truth. Anyone who is interested in history will enjoy reading this book,

I got partway through this book. enjoyable to begin with but found it increasingly hard to keep returning to it. In the end I didn't finish the book

I was intrigued immediately with this book just from the title. In today’s world where there is so much fake news, this seems like a new concept and yet this book shows you that fake news is nothing new. In fact it’s easier than ever to find the truth! This is a detailed look at certain pieces or people in history and showing what is generally believed is more myth and fiction than fact and truth.
Whilst I want to know what really happened and have those facts available to me I couldn’t help but feel there was just a bit too much negative opinion woven into the truth. Maybe that’s my loyalty coming through to the “Great British” public / country / nationality or maybe I do just think sometimes a story needs to be a fairytale in order to make it great. Churchill, The World Wars are things that unite a country like Britain and whilst it can be for the negative on the whole I think they make us a nation standing together, the author made me question how he views the country and certain parts and people in history rather than looking into the facts of history itself.