Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Eleanor Roosevelt takes a deep breath. She knew this day was coming but now that it’s here she needs every ounce of courage to face it. She’s stood by Franklin’s side through thirty years of marriage and three terms in the White House but entering the war that’s been raging across the world will be their greatest challenge yet.
Eleanor watches thousands of women as they embrace their husbands for what could be the last time before they go off to war. She knows she needs to put aside the troubles in her own relationship for the sake of the country. But will the latest threat to her marriage finally tear her and Franklin apart?
The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been. This is a moment that history will never forget, and all eyes are on them. Will Eleanor succeed in her role as the president’s wife and help to save her beloved country as well as her marriage? Or will tragedy strike before the war is won…?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The President’s Wife to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The President’s Wife by Anna Stuart is what I would call a companion book to her previous novel, The English Wife. Both can be read as standalone books as each give an insight into two incredible women who stood by their men, Roosevelt and Churchill, during the greatest tests of their lives. That being World War Two. The amount of research that must have had to be undertaken in order to write this book, which focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt, must have been very daunting but the rewards for doing so are rich and detailed. The author herself in her end notes states she could have written a second book on this fascinating and gutsy woman but choose to focus on the period of the war. The end notes in fact provide the reader with more information on characters who were on the periphery and those that couldn’t feature because they didn’t fit in with the storyline or time period. At times I did feel there was a lot of detail and it slightly became as if I was reading a history book for school. Don’t get me wrong I love history but the detail sometimes slowed down the flow of the book. Although saying that I did manage to read this in two sittings.
Chapters are told from Eleanor’s viewpoint of the war and how she helped her husband, Franklin, navigate the times when there was resistance to America joining the war. Many viewed it as unnecessary but without the great nations presence it perhaps may not have been won. There are other chapters scattered throughout which give the backstory to how the couple met, the children they had and how Franklin’s long term goal of becoming president of America affected their relationship. I loved these as there was a good flow and a nice storytelling feel to them. There were two significant personal discoveries that meant Eleanor changed her perspective as to how she viewed and interacted with her husband. But she deserves much admiration for standing by a man who was determined to see the war won.
There is great development throughout the book of Eleanor as a character and I kept comparing her to the women that have come after her in how they adapted to the role given to them as the president’s wife. I doubt many achieved as much as she did within the constraints of what she was experiencing. There are overlapping parts with Clementine, the wife of Churchill, and yes it did feel as if I had read these before from the previous book but it didn’t bother me in the slightest because I found it interesting to see things from another woman’s perspective. Eleanor was a woman very much open in her thinking and genuine in her compassion for those in need. She was a woman vastly ahead of her time and could always see the bigger and long term picture and was constantly thinking of ways to achieve her goals. Therefore this made her an ambitious person, full of spirit, courage and determination. She fought for those marginalised in society. In particular, the segregation of black people in America was something she intensely disliked and she would have loved to see things alter drastically in her time as Lady President. Her pursuit of justice and fairness was evident in all her thoughts, words, actions and deeds and I adored how she pushed the boundaries, stepping out of her comfort zone and doing what others shied away from.
There were many injustices in the world and Eleanor was hell bent on righting them. The role of women in the home was deftly explored throughout and with the onset of war women were stepping out of the realm which had bound them for so long. Yes, having and raising a family was an important part of a woman’s life but there was so much more that women could achieve. Clementine, in the previous book demonstrated this from an English perspective so it was brilliant to see Eleanor doing the same here. But what stands out for me is Eleanor’s loyalty and dedication to her family. Yes, she wanted to work towards her own personal goals but she stood by Franklin’s side through thick and thin through times which would push any woman to her limits. She could have turned tail and ran when she made a certain discovery but deep down she truly loved him and knew from the day she met him that he had lofty ambitions which would not be achieved if she did not remain by his side. It must have been very challenging for her and that distance she maintained in terms of a particular aspect of their relationship it suited her at the time but still one wonders would she not have sought comfort somewhere else?
I’ve read lots and lots of historical fiction books centred around World War Two but never one from the American perspective and so rich in detail. It’s always mentioned that America came into the war and from that juncture it was a really turning point. The tides of change began to move and books sometimes make it seem like it was all easy. But there were many challenges and to read of Eleanor’s journey to the Pacific to visit the many men stationed there was brilliant. I often forget that it wasn’t just Europe and North Africa facing the most devastating of loses. Through Eleanor’s eyes we see the suffering and how what she witnessed affected her but it also gave the men the determination to keep going and to win the war for the sake of their country and so many others. This was a prime example of Eleanor pushing herself outside of her comfort zone and venturing where others wouldn’t or couldn’t.
The pacing of the book may have been slow at times but it is definitely worth sticking with it. For an amazing all-round picture is created of a woman who left a lasting legacy as did her husband. Reading of her work after the death of Franklin and the conclusion of the war was fascinating. I had absolutely no idea that she was so heavily involved in the creation and deliberations of wording surrounding the Declaration of Human Rights. Something that we take for granted today. The President’s Wife does make you stop, think and deliberate regarding the men and women who played such vital roles during the war. There was so much going on behind the scenes, details of which may form a mere sentence or paragraph in a history book but at the time extensive negotiations and exploration of tactics and manoeuvres were explored. The writing is exceptional throughout this book as is the detail which I have already mentioned and although not my absolute favourite by this author(I think the Women of War series will always hold that title) I still would highly recommend it for opening my eyes to a female whose name and her actions deserved to be remembered and celebrated for a very long time.
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