The Splendid and the Vile: Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Bombing of London
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- Author：Erik Larson
- ISBN：0008274983
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Summary
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 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。
In The Splendid and the Vile， Erik Larson shows 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。
Reviews
Lynne D。
，
Fascinating look into the first year of WWII， Churchill， his work habits， his family and friends。 I also gained new perspective into the lives of Londoners as well as Coventry， Liverpool and other cities targeted by the Luftwaffe。 Would have given it 5 stars but for the last chapters…。
Andrew Burke
，
Larson does a wonderful job making history seem like fiction。 This is book is a fascinating view of both Churchill and London during WW2 pre-America’s entry into the war。 Larson does such a good job of describing the good， the bad， the ugly of the situation that you can really imagine yourself there。
Josh
，
I generally think of myself as a big history fan， but my knowledge of WW2， especially from the European perspective is fairly limited。 This book went a long way towards rectifying that。 Larson's research is extensive and his ability to hone it into a very readable （if at times too long） book is impressive。 This book is a commitment and shouldn't be taken on lightly， but it gave some beautiful insights into a nation literally fighting for its existence。 I generally think of myself as a big history fan， but my knowledge of WW2， especially from the European perspective is fairly limited。 This book went a long way towards rectifying that。 Larson's research is extensive and his ability to hone it into a very readable （if at times too long） book is impressive。 This book is a commitment and shouldn't be taken on lightly， but it gave some beautiful insights into a nation literally fighting for its existence。 。。。more
John Bunge
，
A riveting account of what was happening behind the scene in 1940/41， when Hitler was attempting batter Britain into submission。
Dan McMichael
，
I have read The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson。 I have read an awful lot about WWII and the battle of Britain， and I didn’t think I have that much to learn but I learned some things and disabused myself of mistaken notions I had picked up somewhere along the way。 First， it is amazing how much class has to do with English society back at that time。 Churchill surrounded himself with an extensive posse of upper-class associates that he enlisted to help him run the war。 Virtually every night h I have read The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson。 I have read an awful lot about WWII and the battle of Britain， and I didn’t think I have that much to learn but I learned some things and disabused myself of mistaken notions I had picked up somewhere along the way。 First， it is amazing how much class has to do with English society back at that time。 Churchill surrounded himself with an extensive posse of upper-class associates that he enlisted to help him run the war。 Virtually every night he would entertain them all in extensive dinners heavily lubricated with Alcohol of all kinds。 Sometimes at #10 Downing Street and on Weekends at legendary country “houses” reminiscent of Downton Abbey。 Mostly at Checkers and sometimes at a manor called Ditchley。 Each of them about an hour outside of London。 So， there is that。 Oddly Churchill had a strong bond with the middle and lower classes。 This came from a lifetime as a newspaper man and a writer always stoking jingoistic themes that resonated with the non-elites。 The elite class itself was suspicious of him precisely because Churchill curried favor so well with the lower classes。 But somebody saw that they needed him during the war BECAUSE they needed the full population to rally against the Germans。 Another story that Larson emphasizes is what a disaster and disappointment Randolph Churchill was to his father。 Randolph was a terrible libertine regularly unfaithful to his noticeably young wife Pamela。 Aside with and in addition to his infidelities he was a terrible drunk and a gambler。 This was a guy who was making the equivalent of about $200，000 in today’s dollars and was constantly in debt because of his gambling and his champaign tastes。 It has you thinking about the hazards of being born to wealth and privilege。 His elite position and his wealth [as well as his tall， good looks] made women readily available to him and he could not resist the temptation。 The gambling is a mystery to me。 Maybe it is just some kind of death wish， or some kind of lust for self-destruction。 Winston himself was very dissolute。 He was several hundred thousand dollars in debt after he became prime minister and was unable to pay his debts。 One of his rich friends bailed him out。 Of course， Winston himself was famously addicted to alcohol and he loved pink silk underwear and took extensive luxurious baths every day。 He did manage to stay faithful to his beautiful wife Clementine。 Maybe his libido quieted down a little early in his life in deference to his ambitions and responsibilities。 Another thing I somehow got wrong was the battle of Britain itself。 I correctly remembered that at first the RAF gave as good as it took。 This was because the Germans started off bombing always in the daytime。 On the theory that it was somehow dishonorable to bomb at night。 And， because the RAF had the benefit of Radar that the Germans did not have so that at least in Day light the RAF Fighters could be vectored to the incoming bombers。 But once the Germans started bombing the cities at night England was helpless。 Early in the war the English did not have radar equipped aircraft so there was almost nothing the English could do。 Their anti-aircraft guns were noisy but ineffective。 There were Barrage Balloons that prevented low altitude strafing but mostly all they could do was hunker down in their air raid shelters and take it。 This went on from September of 1940 to May of 1941。 It was horrible。 Later in the war radar equipped night fighters became available but by that time the Luftwaffe had no bombers left。 They were been shot down in the east。 What saved the English from years and years more of night bombing was Hitler’s megalomania expressed in his lust to conquer Russia。 But as Napoleon discovered it is too big and too cold to conquer。 That is what did him in。 Another thing I note is that Hitler didn’t really want to conquer England so much as he wanted them to surrender and become some kind of an Ally to the Nazis。 You can see what made Hitler think like that。 First， a large part of the English population was from German Stock including Royalty。 For another thing they had a long history of colonizing and exploiting other nonwhite people in the world。 Churchill himself was very much of an Imperialist。 Furthermore， some of the upper classes in England were sympathetic to Germany and were anti-Semitic [not to the point of igniting a holocaust] but anti-Semitic none the less。 Some people think Hitler permitted the evacuation of Dunkirk in part because of his sympathy with England。 You can imagine Hitler thought he could cut a deal with England whereby they support him he left them with their empire。 Of course， the English are proud and stubborn and while there was some sentiment of support for Germany [especially in the upper classes。] In the end their pride and their fear of radical Totalitarianism prevailed。 It especially prevailed when the German started to bomb the helpless cites of England relentlessly and mercilessly。 Larson makes all of this come very much alive by mining the diaries of the Churchill family and his personal secretaries。 These are full of rich Romantic detail。 Pamela eventually fell in love with Averell Harriman。 Mary was 18 during the battle of Britain but with the bombs falling all around she was loving her coming out into the world of Parties with the RAF and romance。 。。。more
Shannon Cole
，
Learned plenty and well written … it is not overly war driven - it is more personality driven
Jeff
，
As is ever the case with Erik Larson's writing， The Splendid and the Vile manages to deliver well-trod history in the form of a page-turner， every bit as compelling as a good novel。 The story of Winston Churchill and The Blitz has been told in many forms， but by concentrating on individual personalities in Churchill's inner circle， Larson allows the small details of their lives to reflect the larger pressures that Britons were dealing with at the time。 By developing this cast of characters and f As is ever the case with Erik Larson's writing， The Splendid and the Vile manages to deliver well-trod history in the form of a page-turner， every bit as compelling as a good novel。 The story of Winston Churchill and The Blitz has been told in many forms， but by concentrating on individual personalities in Churchill's inner circle， Larson allows the small details of their lives to reflect the larger pressures that Britons were dealing with at the time。 By developing this cast of characters and following their personal stories alongside the larger historic happenings， Larson fully humanizes his history， which makes for a wonderful read。 。。。more
Amy Mcclellan
，
This book is a page turner even though you know the outcome。 As usual， Larson writes in such a way， you end up feeling like you know these people， i。e Hitler， Goering， Churchill， and all the others as though you saw them every Sunday at church。
Rick Magda
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Excellent vision of what it must of be like during the bombing of England during World War II Opened my eyes to the vision and strength of Winston Churchill。A must read in my mind
Matt Singer
，
Very interesting deep dive into Churchill and Britain’s perspective of World War II that I knew very little about。 How Londoners adapted daily life and persisted with daily life through the Blitz stands out to me the most。 Definitely think it could have been shorter and less academic in flipping frequently between quotes of different primary sources。 Nonetheless， a good read for sure。
Jsboynton
，
A fascinating read， especially during the current times。 A good representation of both the English and the American viewpoint at the beginning of WWII。 Clear and concise discussion of the military campaigns which I enjoyed much more than I thought I would。
John Morelli
，
Absolutely on of the very best accounts of Great Britan's solo effort in 1940 through 1941 against Germany。 Churchill is portrayed in depth as well as his struggles to keep Britan in the fight and not to negotiate a peace。 Erik Larson's books are all gems。 He writes in a clear style that manages to be both well researched and compelling。 As a historian， I would strongly recommend this to anyone with even a mild interest in history。 It also serves as a starting point for someone with relatively l Absolutely on of the very best accounts of Great Britan's solo effort in 1940 through 1941 against Germany。 Churchill is portrayed in depth as well as his struggles to keep Britan in the fight and not to negotiate a peace。 Erik Larson's books are all gems。 He writes in a clear style that manages to be both well researched and compelling。 As a historian， I would strongly recommend this to anyone with even a mild interest in history。 It also serves as a starting point for someone with relatively little background in World War II， but who wishes to grasp the basics， at both the macro and micro level。 。。。more
R。M。 Kinder
，
I'm a fan of Larson's work and have found each book fascinating in subject， quick and intense to read。 This one is the best。 It has the umbrella of facts and accuracy about WWII， the machinery of it， the main players， the unsung heroes--a massive subject。 It has， too， as all Larson's work does， the close and personal view of real people， so that individuals become dear to the reader， at least to this reader， and their participation in the whole scene reminds us of the vast number of untold trage I'm a fan of Larson's work and have found each book fascinating in subject， quick and intense to read。 This one is the best。 It has the umbrella of facts and accuracy about WWII， the machinery of it， the main players， the unsung heroes--a massive subject。 It has， too， as all Larson's work does， the close and personal view of real people， so that individuals become dear to the reader， at least to this reader， and their participation in the whole scene reminds us of the vast number of untold tragedies。 The more intimate stories are sometimes humorous， sometimes touching， memorable for sure--Colville's unrequited love; Snakehips' fate; Lord Beaverbrook's desire to quit and yet his constant rising to the demands of the situation。 With little details like the contents of a German pilot's diary， Larson draws compassion for the men lost on both sides。 Compassion is part of his view always。 And honesty。 I couldn't recommend The Splendid and the Vile more highly。 。。。more
Lmitrano
，
Intriguing account of Winston Churchill's first year as Prime Minister in Great Britain at the beginning of WWII。Through diaries， public speeches， directives and records， Erik Larson pulls together an account of Churchill， his family， advisors and political peers and Great Britain from May 1940 to May 1941。 Larson has a gift of spinning all of the facts into a fascinating story！ Intriguing account of Winston Churchill's first year as Prime Minister in Great Britain at the beginning of WWII。Through diaries， public speeches， directives and records， Erik Larson pulls together an account of Churchill， his family， advisors and political peers and Great Britain from May 1940 to May 1941。 Larson has a gift of spinning all of the facts into a fascinating story！ 。。。more
Anne
，
Larson is a brilliant historian， and I enjoyed the audiobook， though not as much as his otherbooks。 Not quite as captivating -- so much coverage of this time period out there already that it wasn't that revelatory。 Also his various sources were very detailed but somewhat disconnected， so it didn't have the quite the same narrative quality he usually has。 That said it made me sad that people don't keep journals and write letters anymore。 Future history will only have TV and text messages to put t Larson is a brilliant historian， and I enjoyed the audiobook， though not as much as his otherbooks。 Not quite as captivating -- so much coverage of this time period out there already that it wasn't that revelatory。 Also his various sources were very detailed but somewhat disconnected， so it didn't have the quite the same narrative quality he usually has。 That said it made me sad that people don't keep journals and write letters anymore。 Future history will only have TV and text messages to put the stories together。。。 So much day to day reality will be in accessible。 The narrator was high quality， but his British lilt sometimes made even the darkest information sound jaunty in a way I don't think it would have jus treadin git。 。。。more
Jnell
，
Almost anything written about Churchill I will enjoy。 This book didn't disappoint。 Loved it。 There is so much detail Larson provides that sometimes one can go into information overload。 There are many， many diary entries that Larson lifts straight from the pages of people who were there， people who experienced Churchill at his strongest and at his weakest （he had quite a few eccentricities）， people who watched him struggle with the dire situation in which the nation found itself。 Much is said ab Almost anything written about Churchill I will enjoy。 This book didn't disappoint。 Loved it。 There is so much detail Larson provides that sometimes one can go into information overload。 There are many， many diary entries that Larson lifts straight from the pages of people who were there， people who experienced Churchill at his strongest and at his weakest （he had quite a few eccentricities）， people who watched him struggle with the dire situation in which the nation found itself。 Much is said about his attempts to get America/Roosevelt involved in the war and I was very interested to learn about it from his perspective。 Fascinating。 。。。more
Scott Pomfret
，
This narrowly focused history of the Battle of Britain focuses on Churchill's first year as prime minister， his family， and the men and women with whom he surrounded himself in power。 The family portraits are intimate to the point of cloying; the love lives of Pamela and Mary Churchill have only limited drama relative to what is going on around them。 The details of Churchill's foibles and eccentric behavior were known publicly at the time， and I did not read anything that stood out as new。 The a This narrowly focused history of the Battle of Britain focuses on Churchill's first year as prime minister， his family， and the men and women with whom he surrounded himself in power。 The family portraits are intimate to the point of cloying; the love lives of Pamela and Mary Churchill have only limited drama relative to what is going on around them。 The details of Churchill's foibles and eccentric behavior were known publicly at the time， and I did not read anything that stood out as new。 The anecdote of Roosevelt encountering him in the buff was presented here as fact， though it has been severely questioned by other historians。 The selection of awful tableau from the bombing seemed a bit haphazard。 There was altogether too much focus on salacious affairs， in my view。All that said， this was a reasonably paced book that seemed entirely without historical conjecture。 Larson says at the outset that every gesture， every expression， every description is drawn from other sources and not guessed at or inferred。 Perhaps a reader with less familiarity with Churchill and the Blitz would find this a solid introduction。 。。。more
Ltshaw
，
Well written well researched account of Churchill’s role during WWII and how he handled the London bombings。 I found the book interesting but I had read Cutizens of London years ago and several non-fiction books that took place during that time period so found a lot of it redundant for me。
Ted
，
Erik Larson does such a good job of turning history into a very readable experience。 This is my fourth Larson book and I thoroughly enjoyed it。 I previously read Churchill: Walking with Destiny and had a good Churchill background; but， Larson's book， concentrating on Churchill's first year as Prime Minister， brought fresh life and new facts to that period。 Highly recommended。 Erik Larson does such a good job of turning history into a very readable experience。 This is my fourth Larson book and I thoroughly enjoyed it。 I previously read Churchill: Walking with Destiny and had a good Churchill background; but， Larson's book， concentrating on Churchill's first year as Prime Minister， brought fresh life and new facts to that period。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Francie
，
Excellent documentary of Churchill's first year as Prime Minister of England in WWII。 Larson tells a true story better than pretty much any one else。 Great read。 Excellent documentary of Churchill's first year as Prime Minister of England in WWII。 Larson tells a true story better than pretty much any one else。 Great read。 。。。more
Gail Benjamin
，
Very engrossing。 The book gives you good insights into Churchill， his life， his family。
Judy Silverman
，
loved it。 Riveting and so fascinating to read！！！Love the churchill's quotes loved it。 Riveting and so fascinating to read！！！Love the churchill's quotes 。。。more
Kathleen
，
Larson’s books are always good。 This not only gave a new picture， for me， of Churchill but also of so many others involved in the events of the time。Churchill’s troubles and need to get the U。S。 on board with aid if not a more active role sounds so much like the plight of Zelensky now。What a story！
Ginger Gritzo
，
Mr。 Larson never disappoints。
Margarita Garova
，
„но в свят， където Англия е мъртва，не искам да живея。“Документалната книга за блица срещу Англия и военновременните усилия на кабинета на Чърчил през 1940-41 г。， която， не заради заглавието， бях решила， че е художествена проза， е най-хубавата книга， която съм чела от много време насам。 Разбира се， това е моя субективна пристрастност към темата。 Винаги съм черпила огромно лично вдъхновение от този момент във Втората световна война， както и от личността на самия Уинстън Чърчил – малко неща са по-в „но в свят， където Англия е мъртва，не искам да живея。“Документалната книга за блица срещу Англия и военновременните усилия на кабинета на Чърчил през 1940-41 г。， която， не заради заглавието， бях решила， че е художествена проза， е най-хубавата книга， която съм чела от много време насам。 Разбира се， това е моя субективна пристрастност към темата。 Винаги съм черпила огромно лично вдъхновение от този момент във Втората световна война， както и от личността на самия Уинстън Чърчил – малко неща са по-впечатляващи от страна， решена да се бори докрай с хитлеристка Германия， оставена сама в момент， когато включването на САЩ е силно съмнително; с лидер， какъвто само войната може да създаде。 „Величие и низост“ обхваща двете години на нацистка офанзива срещу Британските острови， в момента， когато единственият британски съюзник – Франция， безславно капитулира， а Белгия， Нидерландия， Дания и Норвегия са вече окупирани държави。 За новоназначения министър-председател отказ от съпротива е немислим и макар че евентуална британска офанзива изглежда към онзи момент абсурдно невъзможна， за Чърчил е въпрос на чест Великобритания да продължи отстоява каузата на свободния свят。 В тази връзка， изумително е с какво умение и постоянство британците ухажват Рузвелт， докато последният най-сетне кандиса да се включи във войната。Ерик Ларсън ни въвежда в тесния политически и семеен кръг на Чърчил – неизменното присъствие на Клементин и вече порасналите деца， най-близките сътрудници и приятели， голяма част от тях ексцентрични и приятно откачени， но много способни хора， всеки един с достойна за разказване история （Слава Богу， че тогавашните хора са имали навика да си водят дневник！）。 В книгата присъстват и цитати от знаменателните речи на Чърчил в Камарата или по радио Би Би Си。 Подробно са описани бомбардировките над славната столица и трагедиите в Плимут и Kовънтри。 Kнигата проследява по дни и часове ежедневието на министър-председателя и неговите близки – на „Даунинг Стрийт“ 10， в служебното имение Чекърс， в провинциалния дом на премиера в Чартуел， като всяко действие и реч на премиера намира бърз насрещен отклик у пропагандния министър на Германия Йозеф Гьобелс， който накрая и с голяма неохота， ще признае величието на своя несломим съперник。 Още тогава проличава колко е важно лидерът да мобилизира на своя страна общественото мнение – нещо， в което британците са царе。 Да， някои нации просто имат късмета да бъдат водени от решителен и упорит лидер по време на тежка криза。 Допълнителен бонус е， ако този лидер е страхотен образ， с причудливи навици， хаплив език и добре подбран антураж。 И все пак， характерът е на първо място， той е всичко。 В нашата историография по определени причини Чърчил е демонизиран като човека， който ни е „предал“ в съветската орбита и който има някакъв неизплатен дълг към България – сякаш， като лидер на противникова страна във военен конфликт， той ни е дължал специално отношение。 Мисля， че е време да се отървем от този провинциален маниер и да спрем да му търсим сметка， като признаем заслугите му за спасяването на западната демокрация。 „Защото един факт остава непроменен: „За да спечели войната， Хитлер трябва да унищожи Великобритания。““Големият талант на Чърчил – който той и по-рано е демонстрирал， и по-късно отново ще демонстрира – е， че умее да съобщава трагични новини и въпреки това слушателите му се чувстват окуражени и ободрени。“ 。。。more
Michaela
，
This book was recommended to me by a friend to fit the reading prompt 'read a book I would never normally read'。 I didn't realize it， but I do have a blind spot for historical nonfiction about wars。 The writing is very well done， the flow works， the details are impressive。 It's just not a book for me。 I read four chapters and confirmed that I personally indeed have no interest in this book。 That being said， I have no doubt it is a fabulous recommendation for readers interested in this topic。 This book was recommended to me by a friend to fit the reading prompt 'read a book I would never normally read'。 I didn't realize it， but I do have a blind spot for historical nonfiction about wars。 The writing is very well done， the flow works， the details are impressive。 It's just not a book for me。 I read four chapters and confirmed that I personally indeed have no interest in this book。 That being said， I have no doubt it is a fabulous recommendation for readers interested in this topic。 。。。more
Karen
，
I never thought I would enjoy a book in such detail on WW II。 Learning about Churchill in the one year time span， how America did not come into the war in the beginning， and how the prime minister seemed to know just what to say and do to keep the spirits up of his people， kept me reading。
Trent Diamanti
，
Pretty Good Dad History。
Patricia
，
Days before US was drawn onto WWII Follow Winston Churchill and a few of his circle leading up to the entrance of US。 Very interesting。
Charlene
，