Insightful! ~Sheila

In 1971, Hillary Rodham had big dreams and big expectations for herself. She is attending YALE and a part of the Women’s Rights Activists. Already, she has political aspirations, and when she meets Bill Clinton, who has many of the same dreams and goals as herself, and well, he fits the bill. (Pun intended)

The two become an item – and to the naked eye, this couple looks as though they have found their like partner in life. The two often seen together debating over politics, challenging each other emotionally, and great partners physically. And while Hillary follows Bill upon his request to come to Arkansas – AND even though Bill proposes several times to Hillary…

She turns him down.

His struggle with infidelity weighs on her even though she does love him. Perhaps, she thinks, in time this will pass, and he will come back to her – breaking her own heart – she leaves him.

And so, Author Curtis Sittenfeld weaves a fictional tale of two famous people. Weaving in sprinkles of fact with cups of fiction – creating an engaging tale of the pash not taken.

So – admittedly… I did not read this synopsis. Going in, I thought this was a non-fiction read about Bill and Hillary, and while I do not have a political bone in my body, I grabbed this from a little free library in Florida.

So… this will get a little embarrassing…

Because of my lack of reading the synopsis – I actually shared a part of the story with a friend I was volunteering with a few weeks ago – saying I did not know Bill Clinton had married before Hillary, and my friend saying that they did not know that either. As I shared the book details, I started to realize that what I was saying didn’t add up… so I looked up more on the book and ate a little crow of now knowing what the heck I was talking about 🙂

Anyhoo – way to go, Curtis! The book was engaging, and while I admit I did not enjoy it quite as much once I realized it was mostly a fictional alternate universe, I still enjoyed the background story and learning a little more of the TRUE statements on young Hillary… a powerhouse even in her youth.

Rated: 3 out of 5 (it was trending higher until I realized it was fiction) 🙂
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Yes
Where Read: picked up in Florida, where we were staying, but read in Minnesota

Bookclub Worthy: Good question. I’m not sure – while the book is about the political drive, its not political, which is good for bigger book clubs like mine. While the alternative world is interesting, I’m not sure how much a book club ( at least the one I am in) woudl find discussion worthy. AND – like the book itself, I could be totally wrong.