By Kelly Keene

Title: The Splendid and the Vile

Author: Erik Larson

Star Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Larson follows Churchill and his family from the fall of France to Pearl Harbor, and all the air raids in between. Throughout this accumulation of speeches, personal accounts and diary entries we learn about the family dynamics, politics, love affairs and fear of Great Britain’s Prime Family during this critical moment in history. The wit and whimsy in this book come straight from Churchill himself. His habits, dress, manner of speaking and favorite cat make this war time account colorful and just as splendid as it is vile. Churchill’s youngest daughter, Mary, comes of age in these trumoultuous years, and the country finds it’s courage in the face of relentless German bombings. 

Memorable Quote: “It would be foolish to disguise the gravity of the hour. It would be still more foolish to lose heart and courage.”- Winston Churchill

My Take: There are so many WWII books, both fiction and nonfiction, that one could pick up, and I’ve read my fair share too. But this thorough account of a specific time, place and cast left me wanting to actually go back to London during the Blitz. Crazy, I know, but not more crazy than the prime minister speaking to President Roosevelt butt naked all night on the eve of America joining the war. Or what about Churchill turning his whole crew around mid bombing to retrieve his favorite cat, Nelson? This book is a wild ride. For historians who want more than just the facts, dates, and statistics, for the people who want to know what the attitude and mood of time were really like, Larson is the best to paint that picture. I’ve read his Devil in the White City, Garden of Beasts, and Dead Wake. The Splendid and the Vile could sit comfortably on the shelf next to all of them. Malcom Gladwell wrote about the sociological phenomenon of Londoners during this time of terror in his book, David and Goliath, and concluded that the spirit of the survivors after each bombing fueled a renewed optimism moving forward, fearlessly, with each new day, and moonlit night. Larson, attributes their resilience to Churchill, and his ability to guide his country at this time of uncertainty to victory. At the very least, this close look back at history will make you want to take more baths, wear pink silky undergarments, and be far more eloquent in one’s diary.