Summary, Analysis, and Review of Erik Larson's The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

by Start Publishing Notes

PLEASE This is a summary, analysis and review of the book and not the original book.
With a firm grasp of the British struggle under German aggression, Larson crafts a story of epic proportions, taking the reader on a journey of novel insight and unexpected emotion. It’s not about Churchill so much as his preservation of all that Britain valued as a civilization at the height of the Second World War.
Who knew that so much could happen over the course of twenty months in Great Britain? Erik Larson has managed to extrapolate a poignant rendition of 1940 to 1941, as the British Isles took a final stand for Europe, and the United States deliberated about whether to enter the war. It’s a little bit of history under a mountain of inspiration, where the leadership of heroes was only eclipsed by the bravery of those who followed them. You’ll laugh and cry, and you’ll certainly learn something about what it means to be human.
This book is intended as a companion to, not a replacement for, The Splendid and the Vile . Start Publishing Notes is wholly responsible for this content and is not associated with the original author in any way.

ebook

Published March 20, 2020

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Splendid and the Vile,Eric Larson's novel of epic proportions set during the time of Germany's aggressive movement to overtake Europe and the British Isles. Similar to Devil and the White City, Larson balances historical events with the voices of real people living during the events. He balances the horrific, the unimaginable terror of the fifty-six nights of bombings with the mundane lives of everyday people struggling to make a living, raise their children, and function as normally as possible. It is through the words of Clementine Churchill that readers learn what it is like to be in the bomb shelters with latrine overflowing, the musty beds in darkness while the bombs are bombarding the earth. Balancing this scene, Larsen takes us into the private quarters of Churchill as he sits in his bed while his secretary is typing memos at the foot of that bed being interrupted by aides walking into and out of his bedroom with current items of importance. Endless glasses of whiskey and cigars...the wanton life of his son Randal, Mary the child who most resembles Churchill with her dedication to her job, Clementine, his wife, who through it all maintains her objective tone by leading her private life, and the birth of his first grandchild. Churchill emerges from this novel as a stalwart leader who believed in himself in his mission to save England at all costs, and his earnest attempts to court US government to lend a hand.