Listen free for 30 days
-
The Splendid and the Vile
- A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
- Narrated by: John Lee, Erik Larson
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
The Splendid and the Vile
Buy Now for $29.14
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
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.
You may also enjoy...
-
In the Garden of Beasts
- Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 90
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 75
The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the “New Germany,” she has one affair after another....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it
- By Tracey L. on 2023-05-15
Written by: Erik Larson
-
Dead Wake
- The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 97
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 83
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 82
On May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, German U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
This is a great book
- By Barbara on 2018-09-13
Written by: Erik Larson
-
Getting Started with Sourdough
- From Flour to Levain to One Great Loaf
- Written by: Chad Robertson, Jennifer Latham
- Narrated by: Chad Robertson, Jennifer Latham
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
If you've always been intrigued by the idea of baking beautiful, post-worthy loaves of bread from your own sourdough starter but have found the process confusing or intimidating, this is your easy entry into producing incredible loaves at home. Chad Robertson and Jennifer Latham have taught legions of professional bakers to bake bread with a deeply flavorful crust and a custardy crumb. Now they've simplified those lessons to talk you through their process.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great for all experience levels!
- By Junkopartner on 2022-01-02
Written by: Chad Robertson, and others
-
The Demon of Unrest
- A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Erik Larson
- Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Excruciatingly tedious and dull
- By CT on 2024-10-11
Written by: Erik Larson
-
Isaac's Storm
- A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
At the dawn of the 20th century, a great confidence suffused America. Isaac Cline was one of the era's new men, a scientist who believed he knew all there was to know about the motion of clouds and the behavior of storms. The idea that a hurricane could damage the city of Galveston, Texas, where he was based, was to him preposterous, "an absurd delusion." It was 1900, a year when America felt bigger and stronger than ever before. Nothing in nature could hobble the gleaming city of Galveston, then a magical place that seemed destined to become the New York of the Gulf.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the best
- By Tim Mabey on 2023-01-15
Written by: Erik Larson
-
The Devil in the White City
- Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 257
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 216
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 216
Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Dry non-fiction
- By Tee on 2017-10-12
Written by: Erik Larson
-
In the Garden of Beasts
- Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 90
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 75
The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the “New Germany,” she has one affair after another....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it
- By Tracey L. on 2023-05-15
Written by: Erik Larson
-
Dead Wake
- The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 97
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 83
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 82
On May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, German U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
This is a great book
- By Barbara on 2018-09-13
Written by: Erik Larson
-
Getting Started with Sourdough
- From Flour to Levain to One Great Loaf
- Written by: Chad Robertson, Jennifer Latham
- Narrated by: Chad Robertson, Jennifer Latham
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
If you've always been intrigued by the idea of baking beautiful, post-worthy loaves of bread from your own sourdough starter but have found the process confusing or intimidating, this is your easy entry into producing incredible loaves at home. Chad Robertson and Jennifer Latham have taught legions of professional bakers to bake bread with a deeply flavorful crust and a custardy crumb. Now they've simplified those lessons to talk you through their process.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great for all experience levels!
- By Junkopartner on 2022-01-02
Written by: Chad Robertson, and others
-
The Demon of Unrest
- A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Erik Larson
- Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Excruciatingly tedious and dull
- By CT on 2024-10-11
Written by: Erik Larson
-
Isaac's Storm
- A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
At the dawn of the 20th century, a great confidence suffused America. Isaac Cline was one of the era's new men, a scientist who believed he knew all there was to know about the motion of clouds and the behavior of storms. The idea that a hurricane could damage the city of Galveston, Texas, where he was based, was to him preposterous, "an absurd delusion." It was 1900, a year when America felt bigger and stronger than ever before. Nothing in nature could hobble the gleaming city of Galveston, then a magical place that seemed destined to become the New York of the Gulf.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the best
- By Tim Mabey on 2023-01-15
Written by: Erik Larson
-
The Devil in the White City
- Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
- Written by: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 257
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 216
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 216
Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Dry non-fiction
- By Tee on 2017-10-12
Written by: Erik Larson
What the critics say
"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)
21 Best Audiobooks for Dads to Inspire and Teach Young Ones
Whether you’re already a proud papa or a father-to-be, our collection of the best audiobooks for dads will entertain and inspire.
What listeners say about The Splendid and the Vile
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-04-23
A time of dread, punctuated by hope
Imagine the events in Great Britain after Dunkirk, only the path that they take aren't known to the main players. A fascinating look at Churchill's circle from 1940 to the end of 1941. A useful tonic to current events.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- cathy
- 2021-11-13
soo good!!
Totally enjoyed learning more about the people behind the historical time. I never knew Churchill was such a child-at-heart. Highly recommend this book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- mary pedersen
- 2020-08-07
Battle of Britain, a great read for all ages
Was not certain I wanted to read more Churchill but so well researched, written , and wonderful narration. Well done !!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex
- 2024-09-04
Great book, incredible performance.
The book itself is so well put together and detailed, but the performance of this audiobook deserves a 6/5, wonderfully done!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emerson
- 2020-04-13
Excellent!
This is a fascinating account of England during the blitz, with perspectives from the personal diaries of everyone from Churchill, his family, secretary, British people, German officials etc. I can’t recommend it enough!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Llewellyn
- 2021-01-30
Fascinating !
I have read many books on Churchill and the war, but this one gives an intriguing inside look into the character of the man that steered Britain through its darkest hour.
It also gives new insights into how our parents and grandparents thought and behaved in that terrible time.
I thoroughly recommend
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Slater
- 2020-05-08
I never write reviews.....
But this time I have to. I read this during the Covid-19 pandemic. If anyone wants/needs to learn about what true government leadership and courageous civil participation looks like, read this book. It is intimate without being mundane, it is factual without being just a list if facts but shows how truth in the face of adversity can embolden, motivate, and bring out the best in everyone: politicians and civilians while not ignoring the ever-present nay-sayers and defeatists. Every quote comes from a primary source of someone who was actually present. It blends the day to day lives of the Churchill family with those of the “ordinary” British while providing a dramatic, fast paced description of unfolding events from both the highest level of British and German government officials. Read it. Read it now. And ponder how much better off we would be if we had leadership like Churchill’s right now.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- William Chan
- 2020-05-31
Thoroughly Enjoyable Book and Production
Great writing as usaula by Larson thst helps the reader gets immersed in the story. Very well performed. I can almost imagine it is the very Winston Churchill himself reading some of the monologues. A terrific way to spend 15+ hours!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bruce
- 2022-02-20
Captivating Listen
Kept me on the edge of my seat. A good combination of the Churchill journey and the great British war struggle.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark T
- 2024-08-04
Riveting
in the context of history we often misunderstand the moments in time completely! This author puts us there, in that moment in time!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!