The Splendid and the Vile

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

By: Erik Larson

Narrated by: John Lee, Erik Larson

Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Fascinating and hard to turn off

While those how are well read in history will know the trajectory of the story, the more personal details and sense of day by day happenings at all levels make for a compelling listen. Delighted to have this as a good listen during the COVID-19 quarantine.

Book is wonderful - narrator is distracting

I am a huge Erik Larson fan and couldn't wait to listen to this book. Ah...the narration is really unbearable. So very distracting. I tried so hard to ignore the ..what I assume.. is a mid-atlantic? .. accent." America" becomes " Am-errrr(iCAH-" a long rolled r " and a clipped emphasized CAH. I became so distracted with this weird pronunciation that I lost track of the story entirely. An unfortunate choice. It ruined the book for me. After attempting to ignore or suffer through this , I finally gave up, as it took all the joy out of reading this good book and got the book from my library and read it myself. What a shame ! Perhaps it was thought that this accent lent authenticity to the period? A less pronounced accent might have been not such a distraction.

Brilliant book with excellent narration

This fine book paints a vivid picture of the first year of Churchill’s service as Prime Minister. Even those familiar with that history will find much new information and enlightening personal experience that bring the period to life. I disagree with those reviewers on Audible who took issue with the narration, which I found to be outstanding.

Wonderful Story

Marred only by the intonations of the reader which were very distracting. He has a sing songy and sometimes halting delivery. I should have read the book.

Excellent overall with the caveat

The structure and storyline of this book are superb. I thoroughly enjoyed it with one caveat. Although the narrator overall was very good, he has a maddening habit of swallowing words at the end of his sentences at times. This should not happen with a book and recording of this quality, and, while it is not a fatal flaw, I found it annoying.

A Great Book about THE Great Man

Wonderful book , marvelously narrated. This was my first experience with an Audible Book. No more am I a skeptic. I had always looked upon audio books as somehow inferior to the written page. I decided to try “just this one” as an 80th birthday present to myself. Now, having just finished this excellent book, I’m about to order another.

A thorough history, a thoroughly enjoyable story.

So well written. The history is clear and concise, but the story shines in humanizing the war by weaving quotes and firsthand accounts seamlessly into the narrative. The performance is excellent as well. The narrator gives each character a unique and believable voice and the accents are spot on. FANTASTIC listen.

Unique presentation

What a great idea for a book! Fantastic presentation of the material and the multiple voices used thoughout the story.

wonderful book I will read this again!

I am writing this for my sig.other Michael. I got him the book. he loves it! it is not my type of book but Micheal says I should read it and I mite. it is very unlike him to say he will listen to the book twice! he was very pleased and stayed up to 1am listening to the book. he wanted to finish it.

Superb.

Well written with incredible narration, the human insight into such a giant of history gives a glimpse into the struggle of England to survive the early days of World War Two.