What is the last
book that kept you up too late at night?
The Splendid and the Vile had me up too late last week trying to finish
it. Although it is a non-fiction
history book, it read like a thriller and I wanted to know how it ended.
The Splendid and
the Vile is the story of the London Blitz, the Churchill family, and London’s
defiance of Nazi Germany. The book
delves into not only the politics of the times and the brutality of the war,
but it also delves into the personal lives of Churchill’s family and
friends. It was an interesting entire
picture of the one pivotal year in history.
Erik Larson is a
fantastic non-fiction author. I have
previously read and enjoyed The Devil in the White City and Thunderstruck. I like how his books are immensely
readable. They read like fiction but are
non-fiction. I learned so many
interesting things in this book. But by
also writing about the personal lives of Churchill, family, and friends, I found myself
laughing at times, and struck with horror at other times. I felt for them and their trials and tribulations. The chapters were short which I prefer and also
included German perspectives at the time.
I didn’t realize the
Germans defeated the French line and invaded France almost immediately after
Churchill became the prime minister. The
book had you feeling dread as you realized that the Germans were making their
way through France at a much faster rate than anyone had anticipated. How would they get their soldiers back to
England? How will they save themselves from invasion? How would they arm themselves and make aircraft
to stave off the impending invasion? I
loved how Churchill found the best person for the job in one of his friends to
get aircraft manufactured . . . and hidden around the country.
One thing I
realized over and over again when I read this book was how Churchill was the
perfect leader for his time. He was able
to gather the best people around him to get the work done and he was able to
keep the hope up in the people of England that they could be victorious. He traveled to bombed out areas and met personally
with those impacted. He had empathy and
felt their pain. He also worked slowly, but surely on Franklin Roosevelt to get
him vested in England’s cause as he realized they couldn’t win in the long run
without help from the United States. He definitely
had eccentric behavior that was humorous, but he was a great leader during very
trying times. I wish we could have such
a leader.
Churchill’s wife
Clementine was the perfect partner who helped him to host events and wasn’t
afraid to tell him how she felt about things.
She also made a personal tour of bomb shelters and noted what they
needed for updates, with specific care for sanitation. As an environmental engineer, I thought this section
was fascinating, but I also loved as a wife, that the had such a great
partnership that Clementine could do these things on her own, report back to
Winston, and he could get improvements through.
There were certain
episodes in the book that I just can’t get out of my mind. Like a singer that was running late and got
to his night club right on time to be bombed and killed. Or the love affairs that sprang up between
assorted people living through harrowing times.
I somehow had no
idea that Rudolph Hess flew from Germany and crash landed in Scotland to try to
make a peace treaty. I had heard of him
but had no idea about this episode and what ultimately happened to him. This would make a great story on its own or
even better, an alternative fictional story where he succeeds.
Favorite Quotes:
“No one had any
doubt that the bombers would come.”
“Whatever Winston’s
shortcomings, he seems to be the man for the occasion. His spirit is indomitable and even if France
and England should be lost, I feel like he would carry on the crusade himself
with a band of privateers.”
“Here, as in other
speeches, Churchill demonstrated a striking trait: his knack for making people feel loftier,
stronger, and above all, more courageous.”
“Never in the
field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.”
“Afterward, as
Churchill, Clementine, and the others emerged on the steps of the university, a
large crowd surged forward, cheering.
And at that instant, in a singular moment of meteorological
synchronicity, the sun broke through the clouds.”
Overall, The
Splendid and the Vile is non-fiction at it’s finest and most thrilling. It’s a story of humanity also at it’s greatest
with strong leadership and a people willing to face long odds to keep their
country free. I loved it.
Book Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
