Displaying 1 of 1 2020 Format: Audio Book on CD, Audio Books, Nonmusical Sound Recording, Sound Recording Author: Larson, Erik, 1954- author, narrator. Title: The splendid and the vile / Erik Larson. Edition: Unabridged. Publisher, Date: [New York] : Random House, Inc., [2020] ℗2020 Description: 14 audio discs (18 hr.) : CD audio, digital ; 4 3/4 in. audio file CD audio Summary: A saga of Churchill, family, and defiance during the blitz. Subjects: Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965. Prime ministers -- Great Britain -- Biography. World War, 1939-1945 -- Great Britain. World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Great Britain. World War, 1939-1945 -- Social aspects -- Great Britain. Genre: Biographies. Audiobooks. Other Contributor: Lee, John Rafter, narrator. Notes: Title from container. Compact discs. Read by John Lee with a note read by the author. ISBN: 9780593167168 0593167163 Publisher or Distributor Number: PRHA9525 12410453 OCLC: 1134533654 System Availability: 3 # System items in: 2 # Local items: 1 # Local items in: 1 Current Holds: 0 Place Request Add to My List Expand All | Collapse All Availability Awards Large Cover Image Trade Reviews Library Journal ReviewIn this illuminating history, best-selling writer Larson (Dead Wake) offers context for and understanding of Britain's defense against Hitler's Germany under Winston Churchill's leadership during World War II. Focusing on a single year (May 1940-May 1941), which coincided with Churchill's appointment as Prime Minister, Larson presents a near-daily account through a combination of diary and journal entries, archives, and new reports from Churchill's family, including his wife Clementine and his children, as well as officials from Britain, Germany, and the United States. The picture he paints unearths the intimate details of Churchill's family and cabinet, leadership style, personality, and idiosyncrasies, all of which laid the foundation for his determination to unite Britain during this national emergency while also navigating the monumental task of keeping the United States and President Roosevelt close at hand. VERDICT Blending a gripping narrative and a well-researched examination of personal and news archives, Larson's distinctive history of Britain's "darkest hour" offers a new angle for those already familiar with this era, while attracting readers who wish to learn more about the notable leader. [See Prepub Alert, 9/9/19.]--David Miller, Farmville P.L., NCPublishers Weekly ReviewLarson (Dead Wake) delivers a propulsive, character-driven account of Winston Churchill's first year as British prime minister (May 1940--May 1941), when the German air force launched "a full-on assault against the city of London" in preparation for an invasion that never came. Larson's profile subjects include Churchill's 17-year-old daughter, Mary; his private secretary, John "Jock" Colville, who kept a meticulous (and likely illegal, due to the national security secrets it revealed) diary; Nazi leader Rudolf Hess; and, to a lesser extent, ordinary Britons. Juxtaposing monumental developments, such as the Dunkirk evacuation, with intimate scenes, Larson notes that on the night Churchill learned French leaders wanted to make peace with Hitler, he raised his dinner guests' spirits by passing out cigars, reading aloud telegrams of support from other countries, and "chant the refrain from a popular song." Larson highlights little-known but intriguing figures, including chief science adviser Frederick Lindemann, who made a multifaceted but unsuccessful case for why tea shouldn't be rationed, and documents the carnage caused by German bombs, including the deaths of 34 people at the Café de Paris shortly before Mary Churchill was set to arrive at the club. While the story of Churchill's premiership and the Blitz have been told in greater historical depth, they've rarely been rendered so vividly. Readers will rejoice. Agent: David Black, the David Black Agency. (Feb.) Librarian's View Displaying 1 of 1