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March 2020: Journalism
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The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson 5 *'s
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MargieD2017
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Mar 29, 2020 11:56AM
I can't put my finger on one thing that makes this a 5* read for me. Is it the incredible non-fiction historical writing abilities of Erik Larson (have read all of his books) or my long-held appreciation for Churchill in his oratory and leadership skills? Whatever it is this account of his first year as Prime Minister during the war with Germany is riveting. I love that the daughter, Mary, and the lacing her perspective of life during this time was especially effective. The era was rife with human drama, tragedy, victory, and revelation. Larson has done an amazing job of weaving these multiple aspects through the recordings of multiple key players that reads like a novel with constant realization that this happened! Couldn't be more fitting for the unprecedented days we are living through today. A comparison study of loss and struggle that is hard not to see its application in our daily lives today.
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MargieD2017 wrote: " Couldn't be more fitting for the unprecedented days we are living through today. A comparison study of loss and struggle that is hard not to see its application in our daily lives today. "I thought that as well as I was reading it last week.
Nice review. I agree with you about Mary as well.
I am on the wait list for this....who know when the library will re-open and I am number 3 right now...so could be summer before I get a copy! I am glad to be seeing the great reviews of it, but very jealous.
I really loved this book. It shows how dire the situation really was after the fall of France. Britain was the last stand in Europe against Hitler. This book is different than others in that it looks at what life was like for Churchill, his family, and his inner circle from a very personal angle. It's a masterful work of narrative non-fiction in my opinion.
Joy D wrote: "I really loved this book. It shows how dire the situation really was after the fall of France. Britain was the last stand in Europe against Hitler. This book is different than others in that it loo..."It was a really masterful work and I really enjoyed the look at his inner circle and could see how critical the situation was.
