![The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by [Larson, Erik]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BID6sEpPL._SY346_.jpg)
Erik Larson’s newest book of “nonfiction that reads like fiction” is “The Splendid and the Vile”. (I was lucky to be given an advance reader’s copy). It’s the story of Winston Churchill’s first days in office, beginning in May, 1940, when he formed a coalition government with Labour, to lead Britain. There have been plenty of books about Winston Churchill but Erik Larson puts his own spin on this oh-so-important period of history.
But if Winston Churchill is the main character in the book, Larson has a wide ranging cast of supporters, including his wife, Clementine, his children (including his fascinating daughter-in-law, Pamela Digby), other government officials, and, of course, the British people, who faced down months of the German Blitz in 1940 and 1941. Larson does his regular meticulous job of research and the book is a reader’s delight. I was going to write “a history reader’s delight”, but then I realized that Larson’s writing transcends classification and appeals to so many more readers than a typical history does.
Review
“An enthralling page-turner.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“I have an early copy of this book on my desk and idly began reading the first pages—and suddenly time disappeared.”—The Seattle Times
“The popular historian Erik Larson has done it again. As I read this book, I kept wondering what the swelling of powerful emotion was that I felt, sometimes in an almost physical sense. (I’m a naturally undemonstrative Englishman, rarely moved by words on a printed page.) Then I realized that, as a Londoner, it was a feeling of overwhelming pride in my poor, brave, battered old city, which stood up to the very worst that Hitler could throw at it for months on end, while still somehow keeping its dignity, cheerfulness, and iron resolve not to surrender.”—Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny, in Air Mail
“There are countless books about World War II, but there’s only one Erik Larson. . . . There are many things to admire about The Splendid and the Vile, but chief among them is Larson’s electric writing. The book reads like a novel, and even though everyone (hopefully) knows how the war ultimately ended, he keeps the reader turning the pages with his gripping prose.”—NPR
“Fascinating . . . The entire book comes at the reader with breakneck speed. So much happened so quickly in those 12 months, yet Larson deftly weaves all the strands of his tale into a coherent and compelling whole.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune
“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)
“Through the remarkably skillful use of intimate diaries as well as public documents, some newly released, Larson has transformed the well-known record of 12 turbulent months, stretching from May of 1940 through May of 1941, into a book that is fresh, fast and deeply moving. . . . Larson’s deft portraits show the essential connection that words created between the powerful and the powerless, capturing the moments that defined life for millions struggling to survive the decisions of a few.”—Candice Millard, The New York Times Book Review
“This book is peppered with eye-popping details. . . . A deeply compelling work of history . . . Without resorting to heroism, it makes one long powerfully for real leadership.”—Lit Hub
“Nonfiction king Erik Larson is back.”—PopSugar
“I have an early copy of this book on my desk and idly began reading the first pages—and suddenly time disappeared.”—The Seattle Times
“The popular historian Erik Larson has done it again. As I read this book, I kept wondering what the swelling of powerful emotion was that I felt, sometimes in an almost physical sense. (I’m a naturally undemonstrative Englishman, rarely moved by words on a printed page.) Then I realized that, as a Londoner, it was a feeling of overwhelming pride in my poor, brave, battered old city, which stood up to the very worst that Hitler could throw at it for months on end, while still somehow keeping its dignity, cheerfulness, and iron resolve not to surrender.”—Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny, in Air Mail
“There are countless books about World War II, but there’s only one Erik Larson. . . . There are many things to admire about The Splendid and the Vile, but chief among them is Larson’s electric writing. The book reads like a novel, and even though everyone (hopefully) knows how the war ultimately ended, he keeps the reader turning the pages with his gripping prose.”—NPR
“Fascinating . . . The entire book comes at the reader with breakneck speed. So much happened so quickly in those 12 months, yet Larson deftly weaves all the strands of his tale into a coherent and compelling whole.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune
“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)
“Through the remarkably skillful use of intimate diaries as well as public documents, some newly released, Larson has transformed the well-known record of 12 turbulent months, stretching from May of 1940 through May of 1941, into a book that is fresh, fast and deeply moving. . . . Larson’s deft portraits show the essential connection that words created between the powerful and the powerless, capturing the moments that defined life for millions struggling to survive the decisions of a few.”—Candice Millard, The New York Times Book Review
“This book is peppered with eye-popping details. . . . A deeply compelling work of history . . . Without resorting to heroism, it makes one long powerfully for real leadership.”—Lit Hub
“Nonfiction king Erik Larson is back.”—PopSugar
About the Author
Erik Larson is the author of five national bestsellers: Dead Wake, In the Garden of Beasts, Thunderstruck, The Devil in the White City, and Isaac’s Storm, which have collectively sold more than nine million copies. His books have been published in nearly twenty countries.
