--- product_id: 155968631 title: "The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz" price: "29559CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/155968631-the-splendid-and-the-vile-a-saga-of-churchill-family store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz **Price:** 29559CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz - **How much does it cost?** 29559CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/155968631-the-splendid-and-the-vile-a-saga-of-churchill-family) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz—an inspiring portrait of courage and leadership in a time of unprecedented crisis “One of [Erik Larson’s] best books yet . . . perfectly timed for the moment.”— Time • “A bravura performance by one of America’s greatest storytellers.”—NPR NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • Vogue • NPR • The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • The Globe & Mail • Fortune • Bloomberg • New York Post • The New York Public Library • Kirkus Reviews • LibraryReads • PopMatters 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 twelve 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 readers 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. Review: Another winner from Erik Larsen - If you ever find yourself in conversation with someone and they admit, "I really never liked history," allow me to suggest the perfect rejoinder: "Apparently you haven't read Erik Larson." History is taught poorly in most schools, losing the 'story' aspect of the subject and instead focusing on memorizing dates, names of leaders, etc. Erik Larson "Devil in the White City," "In the Garden of Beasts," "Dead Wake," and others) rejects that style of history and instead focuses entirely on the story . . . and he has the knack for picking *great* stories. From a serial killer at large during the Chicago World's Fair to the descent of Germany into Nazi madness to other tales, Larson either has the gift or labors hard to find captivating stories and tells those stories in a captivating, seemingly effortless way. (As anyone who has ever tried to write will tell you, making writing look effortless takes Herculean effort.) With "The Splendid and the Vile," Larson takes the reader to the inner circle of Winston Churchill during the outbreak of World War II, and most particularly, the Blitz, when Germany rained bombs down on Britain seemingly at will. When Americans study World War II, we usually focus on America's role - that the war helped yank America out of the Great Depression and America went to war to help struggling allies. "The Splendid and the Vile" gets into the grit of the struggle one of America's staunchest allies went through . . . and oh, the humanity. Winston Churchill looms large over this story, and all the usual anecdotes are there - the excessive drinking, the bizarre fashion sense, the childlike delight in gadgets as well as 'playing soldier,' and so on. But we also get to see Churchill's family - the wastrel son who gambles and drinks away his fortune, the daughter who comes of age during the chaos of war, and so on. We also see the chaos of the Blitz. It's one thing to read, "The English were tough and endured horrific bombing." It's another to read details of the carnage unleashed on a glamorous nightclub when bombs rip it apart mid-show, or the vanishing of a church, or a bomb blasting a building where dozens of children are sleeping. Larson puts this in context - we see the Germans trying to pound the British into submission, getting angrier and angrier at the British refusal to submit. We also see Churchill trying to woo in the Americans into the fight while simultaneously building up the British ability to strike back at Germany on its own - Churchill may have understood that America was essential to the British effort, but the average Brit sure didn't want to depend entirely on the second-class Americans. And from the British perspective, one gains an understanding of how frustrating it must have been to endure nightly bombing only to be told that "Lend-Lease" is the best President Roosevelt could do, due to isolationists in the American Congress. Wonderfully written, reveling in the humanity of the struggle (Larson writes with great sensitivity and humor about the increased British sex drive that the Blitz inspired), "The Splendid and the Vile" is a wonderful history . . . and a reminder of what a genuine struggle actually is. Highest recommendation. Review: Interesting Book On England and World War 2 - The book is very well researched and well written. Great storytelling and gripping action. Excellent character development. I strongly recommend the book for everyone interested in World War 2. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #22,790 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in U.K. Prime Minister Biographies #4 in WWII Biographies #13 in World War II History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 46,221 Reviews | ## Images ![The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81vhdf--erL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another winner from Erik Larsen *by S***N on June 20, 2026* If you ever find yourself in conversation with someone and they admit, "I really never liked history," allow me to suggest the perfect rejoinder: "Apparently you haven't read Erik Larson." History is taught poorly in most schools, losing the 'story' aspect of the subject and instead focusing on memorizing dates, names of leaders, etc. Erik Larson "Devil in the White City," "In the Garden of Beasts," "Dead Wake," and others) rejects that style of history and instead focuses entirely on the story . . . and he has the knack for picking *great* stories. From a serial killer at large during the Chicago World's Fair to the descent of Germany into Nazi madness to other tales, Larson either has the gift or labors hard to find captivating stories and tells those stories in a captivating, seemingly effortless way. (As anyone who has ever tried to write will tell you, making writing look effortless takes Herculean effort.) With "The Splendid and the Vile," Larson takes the reader to the inner circle of Winston Churchill during the outbreak of World War II, and most particularly, the Blitz, when Germany rained bombs down on Britain seemingly at will. When Americans study World War II, we usually focus on America's role - that the war helped yank America out of the Great Depression and America went to war to help struggling allies. "The Splendid and the Vile" gets into the grit of the struggle one of America's staunchest allies went through . . . and oh, the humanity. Winston Churchill looms large over this story, and all the usual anecdotes are there - the excessive drinking, the bizarre fashion sense, the childlike delight in gadgets as well as 'playing soldier,' and so on. But we also get to see Churchill's family - the wastrel son who gambles and drinks away his fortune, the daughter who comes of age during the chaos of war, and so on. We also see the chaos of the Blitz. It's one thing to read, "The English were tough and endured horrific bombing." It's another to read details of the carnage unleashed on a glamorous nightclub when bombs rip it apart mid-show, or the vanishing of a church, or a bomb blasting a building where dozens of children are sleeping. Larson puts this in context - we see the Germans trying to pound the British into submission, getting angrier and angrier at the British refusal to submit. We also see Churchill trying to woo in the Americans into the fight while simultaneously building up the British ability to strike back at Germany on its own - Churchill may have understood that America was essential to the British effort, but the average Brit sure didn't want to depend entirely on the second-class Americans. And from the British perspective, one gains an understanding of how frustrating it must have been to endure nightly bombing only to be told that "Lend-Lease" is the best President Roosevelt could do, due to isolationists in the American Congress. Wonderfully written, reveling in the humanity of the struggle (Larson writes with great sensitivity and humor about the increased British sex drive that the Blitz inspired), "The Splendid and the Vile" is a wonderful history . . . and a reminder of what a genuine struggle actually is. Highest recommendation. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting Book On England and World War 2 *by E***S on June 21, 2026* The book is very well researched and well written. Great storytelling and gripping action. Excellent character development. I strongly recommend the book for everyone interested in World War 2. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good novel but too much of it filled with descriptions of nightly bombings *by R***T on August 15, 2026* I enjoyed the book when it dealt with Churchill himself but the book dealt too much with the nightly bombings suffered by Great Britain during the war. We became aware that there was a great deal of suffering from the bombings but every chapter was filled with descriptions of the bombings. There were few anecdotes of Churchill and FDR and Stalin was completely left out. I would have liked to know Churchill’s feelings about having to deal with Stalin, a man just as bad as Hitler. Too bad that wasn’t included but maybe that’s another book. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/155968631-the-splendid-and-the-vile-a-saga-of-churchill-family](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/155968631-the-splendid-and-the-vile-a-saga-of-churchill-family) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-09-26*