The Splendid and the Vile

 By Erik Larson

Crown     2020

585 pages      Narrative Non Fiction

The NPR review of The Splendid and the Vile begins “There are countless books about World War II, but there’s only one Erik Larson.” I feel the same way. His writing is amazing; history comes alive in his books. This is the third Erik Larson book that I have read, and it is as transfixing as all the others.

It is not very often that you can say about a history book, “It was utterly riveting.” But that is the case with The Splendid and the Vile. This is the story of Winston Churchill’s first year in office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In addition to Churchill’s diaries, speeches, and minutes, we are invited to read the diary entries of his daughter Mary Churchill, and those of several of Churchill’s advisors. Through those additional eyes, we capture a deeper look at this legendary world leader and that monumental year in history.

We gain deep insight into Churchill’s character, beginning with the important speech where he tells the British people at the start of the Battle of Britain,  "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." Amusingly, Larson writes, Churchill then turned to a colleague and said, under his breath, "And ... we will fight them with the butt end of broken bottles, because that's bloody well all we've got." From Churchill working from his bed all morning to entertaining guests until late at night, the intimate life at 10 Downing Street comes alive—as well as the Churchill’s weekend home and the places where they waited out the blitz. I kept thinking that as interesting as the Churchill entourage was, I would have longed for a little peace and quiet. But there was no peace for Clementine Churchill and the rest of the family.

We learn that Churchill kept trying to get Roosevelt to engage in the war, but the United States was reluctant to enter.  Roosevelt sent Averill Harriman to London to assess the situation. Harriman ingratiated himself so thoroughly with the Churchills that he ended up having an affair with Churchill’s daughter-in-law Pamela. Ultimately, the US Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act which greatly aided the British in their fight against Germany. The United States ultimately entered the war at the end of 1941—and at the end of the book.

Alternating chapters gives the reader a view of some of the things happening in Hitler’s Germany during the same time frame. There are not as many details because the major part of the narrative concerns Churchill. One of the more interesting vignettes concerns Rudolf Hess, who took a plane from the German fleet, flew across the English Channel to Scotland in an attempt to work out a peace deal with England without the knowledge of the Third Reich. Of course he was captured and spent the rest of his life in prison.

My husband and I read The Splendid and the Vile aloud to each other a chapter at a time. We found it a totally engrossing read. We had read Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts the same way and loved both of them as well. Erik Larson relates history like it were story. He is the best.

An enlightening article about Erik Larson and his writing in the New York Times. Well worth the read.