The Splendid and the Vile

A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

By: Erik Larson

Narrated by: John Lee, Erik Larson

The number one New York Times best-selling author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers a fresh and compelling portrait of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz.

NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2020 BY The Washington Post • HuffPost • The Seattle Times • Lit Hub • The Week • PopSugar

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 12 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 listeners 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.

This audiobook includes a recording of Winston Churchill's 1941 Christmas Eve speech.

©2020 Erik Larson (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"What Larson brilliantly provides are the finer details of the effects on England as he focuses on the family and home of its dynamic, idiosyncratic, and indefatigable leader.... Larson's skill at integrating vast research and talent for capturing compelling human dramas culminate in an inspirational portrait of one of history’s finest, most fearless leaders." (Booklist, starred review)

"A captivating history of Churchill’s heroic year, with more than the usual emphasis on his intimates." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

"The kind of page-turner you always want in a history book but rarely get...Larson gives the reader a ‘you are there’ sense of the intensity of Churchill’s work with his team on life-and-death challenges - and solving them at a pace I found to be mind-blowing." (Bill Gates, GatesNotes)

Inside the Drama

It’s incredible to think of the work that must have gone into finding all the details in all those diaries to make the reader feel as if he is there.. incredible insight and details that you can’t get watching some bland TV network try and explain. Churchill is a grand man indeed!!

Transported to WWII England

As opposed to several other reviews, I thought the narration was spot on. The nuanced representation of Churchill was perfect. I bought my next book, The Spy and the Traitor, because the same narrator (Lee) is the voice behind all the characters.

Captivating and personal

The details and descubre captivating; the personal accounts and journey through the personal back scenes of their lives gives hope to current day hard times.

Reading was enjoyable to listen to ( even at 1.5 speed!

A different take

Just when I thought nothing more can be said or learned about Churchill. along comes this fantastic work.

Good Storytelling

Erik Larson is most definitely one of the better narrative historians alive today. Telling the story of the Blitz predominately from the Churchill point of view, he does capture all the lead characters in a most interesting light. Nothing new is gained from the effort, considering the subject matter. And it does drag in certain places. However, what he excels in is giving secondary characters the spotlight too, and what the reader learns about them keeps the story moving along just when it appears to be covering the same ground over and over again. John Lee does a fine job narrating. He's a bit theatrical in this work, but he matches the subject matter nicely.

I’ve listened to 17+ hours twice

Does that tell you anything? If you are feeling weighted down by Covid and riots and random awfulness it’s time to read this brilliant history. I think it is Erik Larson’s best. So inspiring, funny, horrifying and educational. That’s quite a mixture. LOVE this book. The Audible edition is incredible…the reader’s accents are perfect.

terrific!

As good of a book that I have ever read or heard. The performance is superior, The writing is just perfect.

The splendid and the vilre

Enjoyed this book well written and good reader. Recommemd this to all Churchill fans. Eric larsoon does it again. Great writer. Carolyn Conroy T do not understand choice of Title.. It ma turn some fans off.

Really Amazing Detail

This is the perfect book to read during the crisis. Really puts our challenges in perspective and shows the parallels of humans reacting to group challenges. And of course, the press and it’s constant babbling .....

Fascinating & Inspiring

Erik Larson makes history come alive. Well worth the listen. Makes getting thru the Pandemic much easier knowing when one learns of the courage and tenacity of man.