Summary of John Preston's Fall

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of John Preston's Fall in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: In February 1991, Robert Maxwell triumphantly sailed into Manhattan harbor on his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, to buy the ailing New York Daily News. Taxi drivers stopped their cabs to shake his hand, children asked for his autograph, and patrons of the hottest restaurant in Manhattan gave him a standing ovation while he dined. Ten months later, Maxwell disappeared off that same yacht in the middle of the night and was later found dead in the water. As John Preston reveals in this entertaining and revealing biography, Maxwell’s death was as mysterious as his remarkable life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Nov 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638158899

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The author’s father, Robert Maxwell, was born in 1923 in a small town in Czechoslovakia called Solotvino. He changed his name four times by the age of 23 and grew up poor and uneducated.

#2

The author’s great-grandfather was one of nine children, and his grandfather was the first to be born in America. When he was eight days old, he was circumcised. He grew up in a family that doted on him, but was terrified of his father.

#3

While waiting in line to buy bread one day, Maxwell saw a group of Hungarian soldiers round up a group of Czech men and take them away. He followed them to see where they were going, and to his surprise, he found himself at a courthouse in Budapest. In January 1940, he was sentenced to death for espionage, but was saved when the French government intervened.

#4

While most of the story is true, there are a few parts that seem to have been exaggerated or fabricated. For example, it is claimed that Maxwell escaped from prison by knocking out a guard with his manacles, and hid out in a cave until his handcuffs were removed by a lady who happened to be passing by.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

In 1940, Robert Maxwell, a young Czech man who had escaped the Nazis, arrived in England. He listened to Winston Churchill give a speech on the radio and was inspired to join the war effort as a British citizen.

#2

Ivan du Maurier was a British soldier who served in World War II. At the age of seventeen, he joined the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps. He was sent to France in 1944, where he served as a sniper and reconnaissance officer.

#3

Robert Maxwell, a Jew from London, joined the British army in 1944 and fought in Europe. He changed his name to Maxwell and became a second lieutenant in the Queen’s Royal Regiment. He enjoyed changing his appearance and assumed a Scottish accent whenever he disguised himself as a German.