THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

We all know the outcome, but listeners will still be on the edge of their seats while listening to John Lee’s superb narration of Winston Churchill’s first year as Britain’s prime minister, 1940-41. With a German invasion expected at any moment, this was the most perilous year in Britain’s history, the year of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, and the Blitz. As he’s done so expertly in bestsellers like IN THE GARDEN OF THE BEASTS, Larsen re-creates the atmosphere of the time, drawing not just on Churchill but also on his family and subordinates, as well as a mosaic of contemporary accounts. Larson delivers the introduction and does a fine job, but Lee brings the polish and expressiveness of a gifted narrator—one who performs a perfectly credible Churchill voice. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2020 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2020]