This book just doesn't play to what I consider to be Larson's strengths. When I read his books, I expect to delve into something I haven't heard about before, or only know about on a surface level. I expect him to add depth to whatever knowledge I have, and add context I wouldn't have otherwise understood. In general, he does this by weaving together two stories that seem either unrelated or only tangentially related, and then showing how intricately connected things actually are. The Splendid and the Vile doesn't do any of this. World War II is well trodden ground, and he doesn't add anything unfamiliar to the scholarship here. Churchill is not exactly an enigmatic figure either, and I don't feel I learned a whole lot more about him from this book then I could have elsewhere. I will say that I would happily read an entire book about his garbage son's wife Pamela. She was the most interesting part of the book. Overall, a forgettable read.