The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
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Web ID: 14352410Another Larson Success
Erik Larson is on that short list of authors where I don't need to know what the book is about or what the reviews are - as soon as his latest is available in trade paperback, it's time to make the purchase and then enjoy the story. This is yet another in his unbroken string of successes (Isaac's Storm maybe being the one, but still barely, exception, so I don't sound completely fanboy) that takes as the main theme Churchill's first year in office as PM. The Battle of Britain, the Blitz, Churchill's family, and the thoughts and behaviors of some of the German High Command help flesh out what is a comprehensive look at Churchill as leader of England at at time when it was effectively the only major nation opposing Hitler. There's always just the right amount of detail, with a pace that is more akin to a thriller than a history book. Boring? Never. Highly, highly recommended.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The Splendid and the Vile
I bought this book since I have read many of Mr Larson,s other books. I still have thoughts of the Devil in the White City that trouble me. I haven't finished The Splendid and Vile yet but will do so soon. This book shows how Churchill and his cabinet held England together during the first year of WW Two. A leader of weaker determination or ability to keep Hitler and the Germans from ruling the world would have been a disaster. Mr Larson's research into diaries and other papers impressed me. It was also interesting to learn about Churchill,s family and how they helped during the troubling bombings and daily life during the period of change. We had friends and relatives who witnessed the bombings in London and other parts of the UK. I can remember some of the stories the told once in awhile, they really didn't like to remember those horrible things but would open up when they were safely away. Also interesting was comments about the German's use of propaganda and denial for use on the German people and to filter back to England. I am sure both sides used and still use that kind of information today. I know my husband will want to read this book when I have finished and am sure our sons will want to also.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Be a fly on the wall to Churchill & Co.!
I bought the original hardcover ... read it, savored it, and have since passed it to my brother with my highest recommendation. This sounds cliche but so what -- this book of real history "reads like a novel." I know, technically, that it is a novel, but we're told that everything in it really happened. Larson makes it flow smoothly and novel-like. Holding this book in your hands is like having a pass into Churchill's inner circle, a fly-on-the-wall exposure to the man, his family and his entourage as they make some of the biggest decisions in the history of the UK and WWII. You can feel Churchill just trying to keep the whole thing together until Roosevelt and the USA decide to enter the fray against Germany. It came pretty close, too. Even though we all know the history, in Larson's hands the story is suspenseful and engaging. Get this book!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com