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The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

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  • Create Date：2022-02-26 17:21:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Erik Larson
  • ISBN：0385348738
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Summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz--an inspiring portrait of courage and leadership in a time of unprecedented crisis

"One of [Erik Larson's] best books yet 。 。 。 perfectly timed for the moment。"--Time - "A bravura performance by one of America's greatest storytellers。"--NPR

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review - Time - Vogue - NPR - The Washington Post - Chicago Tribune - The Globe & Mail - Fortune - Bloomberg - New York Post - The New York Public Library - Kirkus Reviews - LibraryReads - PopMatters

On Winston Churchill's first day as prime minister， Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium。 Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen， and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away。 For the next twelve months， Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign， killing 45，000 Britons。 It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally--and willing to fight to the end。

In The Splendid and the Vile， Erik Larson shows， in cinematic detail， how Churchill taught the British people "the art of being fearless。" It is a story of political brinkmanship， but it's also an intimate domestic drama， set against the backdrop of Churchill's prime-ministerial country home， Chequers; his wartime retreat， Ditchley， where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London。 Drawing on diaries， original archival documents， and once-secret intelligence reports--some released only recently--Larson provides a new lens on London's darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife， Clementine; their youngest daughter， Mary， who chafes against her parents' wartime protectiveness; their son， Randolph， and his beautiful， unhappy wife， Pamela; Pamela's illicit lover， a dashing American emissary; and the advisers in Churchill's "Secret Circle，" to whom he turns in the hardest moments。

The Splendid and the Vile takes readers out of today's political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership， when， in the face of unrelenting horror， Churchill's eloquence， courage， and perseverance bound a country， and a family， together。

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Reviews

Lee ，

Excellent writing and storytelling by Erik Larsen。 Chilling to be reading this in the wake of Russia's attack on their neighbors in Ukraine。 Excellent writing and storytelling by Erik Larsen。 Chilling to be reading this in the wake of Russia's attack on their neighbors in Ukraine。 。。。more

Jay Mawicke ，

Although this book is a story of the Blitz， it as expected focuses on one man。 Churchill by and large gave the British Empire the strength and encouragement it needed to stand up to the Nazis， after a prior year of failure。 However， Larson perfects a mix of narratives bringing in the lives of the PM’s inner circle， ordinary Britons， and even those in the Nazi high command。 It creates a masterpiece of narrative that makes you feel time and time again how blessed today’s world is that Britain had Although this book is a story of the Blitz， it as expected focuses on one man。 Churchill by and large gave the British Empire the strength and encouragement it needed to stand up to the Nazis， after a prior year of failure。 However， Larson perfects a mix of narratives bringing in the lives of the PM’s inner circle， ordinary Britons， and even those in the Nazi high command。 It creates a masterpiece of narrative that makes you feel time and time again how blessed today’s world is that Britain had the immense strength to stand alone against Nazism。 A highly recommended book for even the biggest of history buffs who may feel they know the story well enough already。 。。。more

Jamie ，

3。5 stars

Jodi Tooke ，

Riveting account of Churchill’s first year in office as PM with attendant anxiety and hopefulness regarding the defeat of Hitler。 The personal anecdotes and details about what the raids were like offer a visceral insight into the horrors and arbitrary nature of war。

Stephanie ，

The only thing this book conveyed is that Churchill was batshit crazy and everybody cheated on everybody。

Laney ，

Maybe 2。5 stars。 Just didn’t keep me interested。 I enjoyed the movie “Darkest Hour” more and possibly learned as much about Churchill。 :） I have also visited the Churchill War Rooms in London， so maybe it just wasn’t a fresh enough topic for me。

Darla Baker ，

I love Eric Larson。 He reminds me of Laura Hilllenbrand ， Daniel James Brown， and David McCullough。 They are gifted story tellers with the ability to weave immersive and in depth research with people we’ve never met so fleshed out you can almost smell and feel them。 Genius。

Oshuman ，

intriguing， page turner--the。 man can write and make Churchill and GB in 1940 1941 come alive。 Highly recommended

Suzanne Johnson ，

I will read anything Erik Larson writes。 If he had written my history textbooks my love of the past would have begun decades ago。 It's WW2， but seen through Mr。 Larson's perspective it's a page turner that's a thrill to read。 I will read anything Erik Larson writes。 If he had written my history textbooks my love of the past would have begun decades ago。 It's WW2， but seen through Mr。 Larson's perspective it's a page turner that's a thrill to read。 。。。more

Alex ，

I should preface this by saying that I absolutely love history。 With that in mind， The Splendid and the Vile delivered to the fullest， offering new insight into the Blitz in World War II through personal accounts leveraged from many primary historical documents。 Some may find that the detail slows the narrative， but I revel in these firsthand accounts of the famous， infamous， and ordinary folk。 Winston Churchill’s eccentricities and spirit of courage are endearing。 Accounts of his ongoing dialog I should preface this by saying that I absolutely love history。 With that in mind， The Splendid and the Vile delivered to the fullest， offering new insight into the Blitz in World War II through personal accounts leveraged from many primary historical documents。 Some may find that the detail slows the narrative， but I revel in these firsthand accounts of the famous， infamous， and ordinary folk。 Winston Churchill’s eccentricities and spirit of courage are endearing。 Accounts of his ongoing dialogue with Roosevelt， desperately urging US assistance， demonstrate how dire the situation had become and how easy it could have been to lose hope。 。。。more

O Babs ，

I expected a readable history with strong narrative， and this expectation was met。 The marketing for this book led me to expect emphasis on how Churchill influenced public opinion to endure and support the war， despite hazard and deprivation。 Not really the emphasis of the book。 Rather it is another rendering of the idiosyncrasies of Churchill's behavior in work and family life， using as structure Churchill's first year as Prime Minister， May 10， 1940， to May 10， 1941。 Nothing new here。 Because I expected a readable history with strong narrative， and this expectation was met。 The marketing for this book led me to expect emphasis on how Churchill influenced public opinion to endure and support the war， despite hazard and deprivation。 Not really the emphasis of the book。 Rather it is another rendering of the idiosyncrasies of Churchill's behavior in work and family life， using as structure Churchill's first year as Prime Minister， May 10， 1940， to May 10， 1941。 Nothing new here。 Because Churchill is a charming subject， I give this 3 stars rather than 2。 。。。more

Laura ，

My new favorite book

Vicki ，

I do enjoy Erik Larson's books。 They're a wonderful way to learn history through the eyes of those that lived and wrote about it as it was happening。 Not just a historical account but a story。I've read all of his books now。 This one was very good but not my favorite。 If you like history and world war II stories and wish to be more acquainted with Churchill， I'd recommend this one。 I do enjoy Erik Larson's books。 They're a wonderful way to learn history through the eyes of those that lived and wrote about it as it was happening。 Not just a historical account but a story。I've read all of his books now。 This one was very good but not my favorite。 If you like history and world war II stories and wish to be more acquainted with Churchill， I'd recommend this one。 。。。more

Katy ，

3。5 stars。 First of all， I listened to this （long） audiobook and the narrator is fantastic-- his voices and accents were spot on and it was engaging to listen to。 Second， Larson is the best at writing history books that make the people and events come to life。 I enjoyed getting such a wide-ranging account of Churchill during the early days of WW2。。。 and yet that's why I knocked a couple stars。 By the end you are left with a richly depicted tapestry of details， but many of the details made you wo 3。5 stars。 First of all， I listened to this （long） audiobook and the narrator is fantastic-- his voices and accents were spot on and it was engaging to listen to。 Second， Larson is the best at writing history books that make the people and events come to life。 I enjoyed getting such a wide-ranging account of Churchill during the early days of WW2。。。 and yet that's why I knocked a couple stars。 By the end you are left with a richly depicted tapestry of details， but many of the details made you wonder why they were included， since they were so peripheral to the main narrative。 。。。more

May ，

Erik Larson is fast becoming one of my favorite non-fiction authors。 Who else could take 2 years from World War II and turn it into compelling reading about Winston Churchill and the war between Britain and Germany？Quoting from diaries and letters by the main protagonists and their families （and others）， the author paints a picture of Winston Churchill and his family， Churchill's friends， allies， colleagues， and enemies， and the efforts of the British government to meet the German threat and caj Erik Larson is fast becoming one of my favorite non-fiction authors。 Who else could take 2 years from World War II and turn it into compelling reading about Winston Churchill and the war between Britain and Germany？Quoting from diaries and letters by the main protagonists and their families （and others）， the author paints a picture of Winston Churchill and his family， Churchill's friends， allies， colleagues， and enemies， and the efforts of the British government to meet the German threat and cajole FDR and the Americans into joining the war。 It's all fascinating reading--from the London Blitz to the fancy parties given by the upper crust in defiance of the war， to Hitler's mischaracterization of Britain to attempts by various Germans to defeat Britain/negotiate peace with Britain。 It is an amazing series of events to have been crammed into twenty-four months。The one weakness of this book is that because the author chose to focus on a two year period， he needed to include a lengthy epilogue to wind up the various story lines of the various characters。 It is necessary and well-written and interesting， but it does somewhat detract from the narrative arc of the book。 （If I may be so bold， it's somewhat like the five endings Peter Jackson put into "The Return of the King。"） It makes for an anti-climactic ending。That being said， if you are interested in history and World War II European theatre history， this is a must read。 。。。more

Shai Sachs ，

I found this book pretty well-written and gripping， which I think says something about Larson's abilities more than the subject matter。 After all， we all know how the main plot ends。 It's pretty interesting to get a front row seat and a fairly intimate picture of the rather momentous events portrayed。 That said， some of these details do verge on the tedious - I'm not sure I care that much about the romantic foibles of Churchill's children for instance， but there's quite a lot of emphasis on that I found this book pretty well-written and gripping， which I think says something about Larson's abilities more than the subject matter。 After all， we all know how the main plot ends。 It's pretty interesting to get a front row seat and a fairly intimate picture of the rather momentous events portrayed。 That said， some of these details do verge on the tedious - I'm not sure I care that much about the romantic foibles of Churchill's children for instance， but there's quite a lot of emphasis on that story line。 The book does tend to lean towards hagiography， which is a little irresponsible。 Churchill， for all his accomplishments in World War Two， had no shortage of flaws either。 He was a virulent white supremacist and advocated atrocious behavior during the war of Irish independence， and may have exacerbated a terrible famine in India during World War Two。 This book has a tight focus on the first year of his tenure as prime minister， and so a lot of these faults are conveniently out of view - but there is no doubt that the narrative as a whole paints a rather one-sided view of the man。 On the other side， it's interesting that Larson understates Churchill's great speeches， which are arguably the things which have most staying power today; he mentions them here and there， but if anything deflates their importance quite a bit。 Perhaps that's a reasonable depiction of the impact that those speeches had at the time， it's a bit difficult to say。I'm not a huge fan of biographies of this sort， but I will certainly credit Larson for rather well-written prose - more than a few times I found it difficult to put the book down！ 。。。more

Lawana ，

An ‘up close and personal’ look at Churchill， primarily during his first year as Prime Minister， and his tireless efforts to defend democracy against Hitler and Nazi Germany。 He was a remarkable leader， and the British people， as a whole， were remarkable as well。

Bebe Coyle ，

Loved this book。 I learned so much about WWII and Winston Churchill and the people around him。

Betsy Anderson ，

Always enjoy Erik Larson。

Jo ，

I learned a lot of history that I never knew。 But， did I enjoy it？ Not especially。

Patricia Burgess ，

An insider’s perspective of Churchill， his family and his inner circle during the first year of his Prime Ministry。 Fascinating individual stories from diaries including the “Mass Observers，” citizen-observer who studied the effects of the bombings on the British people， Churchill’s private secretaries and close friends and military advisers， and others， describing the physical， mental， and emotional aspects of The Blitz， the full-moon bombings， the stench and danger of the underground shelters， An insider’s perspective of Churchill， his family and his inner circle during the first year of his Prime Ministry。 Fascinating individual stories from diaries including the “Mass Observers，” citizen-observer who studied the effects of the bombings on the British people， Churchill’s private secretaries and close friends and military advisers， and others， describing the physical， mental， and emotional aspects of The Blitz， the full-moon bombings， the stench and danger of the underground shelters， the intrigue。 Larson also tells us from key German （Hitler， Goebbels， Goring） points of view of what， why， and when they were doing what they did， the “evil” incarnate。 The war becomes real and alive when told first hand in the moment from the key participants surrounding Churchill， his leadership， his quirks， his absolute love for his country。 。。。more

Kay ，

Interesting to read about the blitz from the real inside。

Gary Beene ，

THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE is another masterpiece by Mr。 Larson。 It is a massive and dense telling of the Battle of Britain in World War II。 Most Americans know the broad strokes about the Nazi aerial bombardment of Great Britain during 1940 and 1941。 This book offers a level of intimate detail perhaps never before compiled regard “the Blitz” （September 7， 1940–May 11， 1941）。The author pulls that intimacy from many hundreds of diaries， memoirs， and interviews。 The 503 page book is undergirded by THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE is another masterpiece by Mr。 Larson。 It is a massive and dense telling of the Battle of Britain in World War II。 Most Americans know the broad strokes about the Nazi aerial bombardment of Great Britain during 1940 and 1941。 This book offers a level of intimate detail perhaps never before compiled regard “the Blitz” （September 7， 1940–May 11， 1941）。The author pulls that intimacy from many hundreds of diaries， memoirs， and interviews。 The 503 page book is undergirded by 503 endnote citations。 The amount of reading and research that went into producing this intriguing account is almost unfathomable。 With that said， most readers will likely not say this nonfiction book “reads like a novel，” as was often said about some of Mr。 Larson’s earlier works （e。g。 THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY， IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS）。 I found this book to be much more like reading an anthology of diaries pieced together in chronological order。 It was therefore incredibly authentic and intimate。 I have read extensively about Winston Churchill， but after finishing THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE I feel as if I know the man and his eccentricities in ways that perhaps only his most intimate associates did。 The same can be said for several of his contemporaries who are major players in this story， particularly Mr。 Churchill’s youngest child， Mary。 What a character she was！ If you are an Eric Larson fan; if you are a history buff; if you want to understand the desperate situation on the British Isles in the years before the United States joined the fight against European Fascism; or if you just want to read a less romanticized biographical perspective about Winston Churchill， THIS BOOK IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ。The review was originally posted on: https://www。facebook。com/BooksReadand。。。 。。。more

Irene Anderson ，

Very interesting book。 Churchill was quite a character。 My heart broke for the people of London and the constant bombings they endured。

Stephanie Garcia ，

Counted down the page numbers until it was over。 Learned a few nuggets of information about Churchill。

Adam ，

Another riveting and well-researched Larson tome。 Though I could do with less of the personal aspects of the Churchill family， I believe that had more to do with my expectations of what the book would be rather than what it set out to achieve。 Fascinating details on the London Blitz， though！

John Ulrich ，

Really good retelling of life in England during the German Blitz in WWII。 It's an interesting way to tell it from the perspective of Churchill and his country and using historical fact to push the story forward。 I'll definitely be reading more from this author。 Really good retelling of life in England during the German Blitz in WWII。 It's an interesting way to tell it from the perspective of Churchill and his country and using historical fact to push the story forward。 I'll definitely be reading more from this author。 。。。more

Michael ，

"Erik Larson is a master storyteller， immersing us in London during the Blitz and giving us the famous bulldog version of Churchill: rescuing the troops at Dunkirk， surviving the German bombing campaign， defying a horde which had overrun the European continent in a matter of a month。 But he also finds a number of other characters who round out and humanize the book。" "Erik Larson is a master storyteller， immersing us in London during the Blitz and giving us the famous bulldog version of Churchill: rescuing the troops at Dunkirk， surviving the German bombing campaign， defying a horde which had overrun the European continent in a matter of a month。 But he also finds a number of other characters who round out and humanize the book。" 。。。more

Reci Schmellick ，

Erik Larson is one of my favorite storytellers of history。 He makes the events come to life almost like a novel although he's writing non-fiction。 My favoriate is still Devil in the White City but each book reveals some little know facts about big events。 Erik Larson is one of my favorite storytellers of history。 He makes the events come to life almost like a novel although he's writing non-fiction。 My favoriate is still Devil in the White City but each book reveals some little know facts about big events。 。。。more

Chris ，

This book didn't fall into a genre that I typically go for; books on war efforts have really never been for me， however the perspective Larson provides in The Splendid and the Vile had me hooked and wanting to see the story unfold。 Understanding Britain's war efforts against Germany through the lens of Churchill's inner-circle was captivating。 You become attached to the characters and when blending that in with historical context it becomes a delightful way to understand a moment in time。By chan This book didn't fall into a genre that I typically go for; books on war efforts have really never been for me， however the perspective Larson provides in The Splendid and the Vile had me hooked and wanting to see the story unfold。 Understanding Britain's war efforts against Germany through the lens of Churchill's inner-circle was captivating。 You become attached to the characters and when blending that in with historical context it becomes a delightful way to understand a moment in time。By chance this is now the second book I've read by Larson and while this particular storyline may not be my cup of tea （pun intended if you've read the book）， I can certainly call myself a fan of his work。 In his stories Larson has a remarkable way of bringing such a personal touch to an important historical event。 Instead of feeling like you're back in history class， you become interwoven into the personal lives of those in the thick of it thus creating an emotional connection no textbook could ever provide。Erik Larson 。。。more

Reference

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The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0