The Splendid and the Vile

Winston Churchill becomes prime minister on 10 May 1940 as Germany attacks the Low Countries and France, leaving Britain to face Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the threat of invasion. During the following year, Churchill works to sustain public morale, strengthen aircraft production under Lord Beaverbrook and persuade Franklin D. Roosevelt that Britain can remain in the war. The Blitz brings repeated bombing to London and other cities while the government operates under constant military and political pressure.

Larson places high strategy beside the private life of Churchill’s household and inner circle. Clementine Churchill, their youngest daughter Mary, private secretary John “Jock” Colville and other family members and advisers move between Downing Street, Chequers and Ditchley as raids, romances, quarrels and official decisions overlap. Diaries and wartime records show how Churchill’s leadership was experienced daily by those closest to him during Britain’s most dangerous year.