The Splendid and the Vile

In this book, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill rose up during Britain's darkest year to teach the nation the art of being fearless. It is the story of political brinksmanship in the global arena, but also an intimate domestic drama. Larson follows Churchill through the streets and meeting rooms of London, then out of the city to Chequers or Ditchley - the strongholds when the moon was brightest and the bombing threat most intense. Drawing on a wealth of untapped sources, including recently declassified files, intelligence reports, and personal diaries only now available, Larson provides a new lens on London's darkest year, and a compelling personal insight into the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their daughters, Sarah, Diana, and the youngest, Mary, who chafed against her parents' wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; her illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the cadre of close advisors who comprised Churchill's 'Secret Circle', including his dangerously observant private secretary, John Colville; newspaper baron Lord Beaverbrook; and the Rasputin-like Federick Lindemann.