The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
#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.
“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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The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
585 pages
What’s it about?
Erik Larson takes us back to London in 1940-1941 as Churchill takes over as Prime Minister of England and the Blitz begins in earnest. Somehow Churchill manages to instill fearlessness into a whole population as they face night after night of intense bombing. 45,000 people will be killed in this bombing campaign over the next year. It is easy to forget that England stood virtually alone against Germany in 1940. Erik Larson shows us that Winston Churchill was the right person to lead at that particular time in history.
What did it make me think about?
The Blitz certainly puts "stay at home" orders in a new perspective...
Should I read it?
This was an interesting look at a slice of history that most of us don't know much about. World War 2 is often talked about and I knew about the Blitz but this book filled in so many blanks. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes history.
Quote-
"He might have been speaking before the House of Commons, rather than to a small group of men fogged by cigars and alcohol in a quiet country house. 'We seek no treasure,' Churchill said, 'we seek no territorial gains, we seek only the right of man to be free; we seek his right to worship his God, to lead his life in his own way, secure from persecution. As the humble laborer returns home from his work when the day is done, and sees the smoke curling upwards from his cottage home in the serene evening sky, we wish him to know that no "rat-a-tat-tat"- here Churchill knocked loudly on the table- 'of the secret police upon his door will disturb his leisure or interrupt his rest.' He said 'Britain sought only government by popular consent, freedom to say whatever one wished, and the equality of all people in the eyes of the law. But war aims other than these we have none.' "
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The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
585 pages
What’s it about?
Erik Larson takes us back to London in 1940-1941 as Churchill takes over as Prime Minister of England and the Blitz begins in earnest. Somehow Churchill manages to instill fearlessness into a whole population as they face night after night of intense bombing. 45,000 people will be killed in this bombing campaign over the next year. It is easy to forget that England stood virtually alone against Germany in 1940. Erik Larson shows us that Winston Churchill was the right person to lead at that particular time in history.
What did it make me think about?
The Blitz certainly puts "stay at home" orders in a new perspective...
Should I read it?
This was an interesting look at a slice of history that most of us don't know much about. World War 2 is often talked about and I knew about the Blitz but this book filled in so many blanks. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes history.
Quote-
"He might have been speaking before the House of Commons, rather than to a small group of men fogged by cigars and alcohol in a quiet country house. 'We seek no treasure,' Churchill said, 'we seek no territorial gains, we seek only the right of man to be free; we seek his right to worship his God, to lead his life in his own way, secure from persecution. As the humble laborer returns home from his work when the day is done, and sees the smoke curling upwards from his cottage home in the serene evening sky, we wish him to know that no "rat-a-tat-tat"- here Churchill knocked loudly on the table- 'of the secret police upon his door will disturb his leisure or interrupt his rest.' He said 'Britain sought only government by popular consent, freedom to say whatever one wished, and the equality of all people in the eyes of the law. But war aims other than these we have none.' "
If you liked this try-
Forty Autumns by Nina Willner
One Summer by Bill Bryson
Red Notice by Bill Browder
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Overall I found this an educational read but I was disappointed at how dry and factual the writing was in comparison to other works by Erik Larson. I really enjoyed getting to know Clementine and Mary Churchill. I also appreciated how well Larson drew me into the setting of the blitz.
This is one of those books where I realize about 2/3 the way through that I’m still waiting for it to really get interesting. Part of the issue is probably that there are so many WWII books out there, and I’m still not quite sure I grasp just what niche this one was trying to carve for itself. I guess it’s a really intimate look at the Churchill family’s experience during that first year of Winston’s term as PM. For me, that wasn’t really the most interesting concept. Obviously the man himself is intriguing, and this is really the first book I’ve read with so much detail about him, so that I enjoyed. But otherwise the focus is largely on his son and two of his daughters, none of whom is really that fascinating. Mostly, it seems that the author gained access to the private journals of several people surrounding the PM, and turned what he found into a sort of nonfiction novel. He did a solid job of it, but it’s just not much of a premise in the first place. Some of the most engaging parts of the book are when he focuses on the Nazi high command, and those seem to be provided mostly as a contextual B (or C) plot. Without the story of Rudolf Hess’ flight to Scotland, in particular, the book would have been much diminished.
Overall, I learned a bit, it was somewhat insightful, and it was compelling enough that I didn’t mind reading it. But I can imagine ways that it might have been more interesting, and I don’t think much from it will stick with me. I won’t go so far as to say that it doesn’t deserve all the hype; just that it wasn’t really all I was hoping for.
Overall, I learned a bit, it was somewhat insightful, and it was compelling enough that I didn’t mind reading it. But I can imagine ways that it might have been more interesting, and I don’t think much from it will stick with me. I won’t go so far as to say that it doesn’t deserve all the hype; just that it wasn’t really all I was hoping for.
Man I love Erik Larson's work. He typically does a great job at making non-fiction readable as a fiction story. This one was a chore to get through and fell short for me. I am glad I got through it, even if just barley, it was just that boring.
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