RaveThe Missourian... captivating, distinctive ... What makes The Splendid and the Vile a welcome addition to the canon of Churchill biographies is the plethora of new sources including recently released declassified files, intelligence reports and personal journals, all previously unknown information. In addition, Larson reports from diaries written by common citizens at the government’s directive to gauge public morale during the blitz ... Churchill’s amusing idiosyncrasies are on display ... The book has a fast, energetic pace; Larson’s writing is electrifying. Set aside plenty of time to read this book and to savor the in-depth, multilayered, intimate exploration of one year in the life of Winston Churchill and those close to him.
Jane Leavy
PositiveMissourianJane Leavy brings an extensive knowledge of sports history to her latest biography ... This colorful biography captures Ruth as a hitter who swung his bat with the same lack of restraint that he lived his life and recreates the sadness and the capricious nature of his short life ... This poignant life story reveals Babe Ruth warts and all.
D. B. John
RaveThe MissourianThe storylines of these three characters interweave, providing an exhilarating, intriguing plot. The novel ends with a fiery chase brimming with unusual twists and turns. Through it all, the reader is unexpectedly educated about realities in the hermit realm of North Korea. John offers a fresh, informed look at the oppression, corruption and widespread misery caused by Kim Jong-il, father of Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s current totalitarian dictator. The novel, grounded in facts, is intellectually stimulating because of this new, and sometimes maddening, information about life in this regime. This is a smart, sophisticated, topical spy story hard to put down.
