Who Would Like This Book:
If you love imaginative "what if" stories or have a fascination with Hillary Clinton and US politics, this book is for you. Curtis Sittenfeld delivers a smart and thought-provoking reimagining of what Hillary’s life might have been like had she not married Bill Clinton. The book is a captivating blend of real-life details and creative speculation, making it a juicy political page-turner and a nuanced character study. Fans of alternative history, feminist fiction, or anyone who enjoys stories about ambition, choices, and powerful women will likely find this novel engrossing. It’s also a fantastic choice for book clubs thanks to its big ideas and discussion-worthy scenarios.
Who May Not Like This Book:
This one isn’t for everyone. Readers who feel squeamish about fictionalizing real, living people - especially with some explicit content - may find it uncomfortable or ethically tricky. Some found the alt-history timeline too unrealistic or felt disappointed that the pace lagged in the middle. If you’re hoping for a political thriller or action-packed plot, you may be let down - it’s much more about character and relationships. And if you’re not particularly interested in American politics or the Clintons, you might find the subject matter less compelling.
About:
'Rodham' by Curtis Sittenfeld is an alternative history novel exploring the premise of Hillary Rodham Clinton not marrying Bill Clinton. The book delves into the imagined relationship between Hillary and Bill at Yale Law School, where they fall in love but ultimately part ways due to Bill's womanizing behavior. The story follows Hillary's life as a senator, her political ambitions, and a fictionalized version of the 2016 election, incorporating real-life events and characters like Donald Trump.
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Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include sexual content, themes of infidelity, and discussions around misogyny.
Has Romance?
There is medium romance in the story, focusing on the past relationship with Bill Clinton and its emotional impact.
From The Publisher:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From the author of American Wife and Eligible . . . He proposed. She said no. And it changed her life forever.
"A deviously clever what if."-O: The Oprah Magazine
"Immersive, escapist."-Good Morning America
"Ingenious."-The New York Times
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New Yorker
NPR
The Washington Post
Marie Claire
Cosmopolitan (UK)
Town & Country
New York Post
In 1971, Hillary Rodham is a young woman full of promise: Life magazine has covered her Wellesley commencement speech, she's attending Yale Law School, and she's on the forefront of student activism and the women's rights movement. And then she meets Bill Clinton. A handsome, charismatic southerner and fellow law student, Bill is already planning his political career. In each other, the two find a profound intellectual, emotional, and physical connection that neither has previously experienced.
In the real world, Hillary followed Bill back to Arkansas, and he proposed several times; although she said no more than once, as we all know, she eventually accepted and became Hillary Clinton.
But in Curtis Sittenfeld's powerfully imagined tour-de-force of fiction, Hillary takes a different road. Feeling doubt about the prospective marriage, she endures their devastating breakup and leaves Arkansas. Over the next four decades, she blazes her own trail-one that unfolds in public as well as in private, that involves crossing paths again (and again) with Bill Clinton, that raises questions about the tradeoffs all of us must make in building a life.
Brilliantly weaving a riveting fictional tale into actual historical events, Curtis Sittenfeld delivers an uncannily astute and witty story for our times. In exploring the loneliness, moral ambivalence, and iron determination that characterize the quest for political power, as well as both the exhilaration and painful compromises demanded of female ambition in a world still run mostly by men, Rodham is a singular and unforgettable novel.
Ratings (7)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (4) | |
Liked It (1) |
Reader Stats (15):
Read It (6) | |
Want To Read (7) | |
Not Interested (2) |
1 comment(s)
What a ride this was! The first parts where she was together was pretty meh but then it just lifted of and was extremely readable and entertaining. I have to admit Im not a fan of Hilary ( not Trump either for that matter) but I really liked the story about her even if it was just fiction. I actually wished it wasn't fiction.
What can you read after
Rodham?
About the Author:
Curtis Sittenfeld is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, Sisterland, and Eligible, and the story collection You Think It, I'll Say It, which have been translated into thirty languages. Her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The…
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