RODHAM

by Curtis Sittenfeld

In Rodham, Curtis Sittenfeld uses historical facts to create a novel about Hillary Rodham and how her life might have turned out had she turned down Bill Clinton’s marriage proposal to pursue her own political ambition. What a fascinating premise! Not only is the idea for the novel great, but so is the execution.

Sittenfeld follows Hillary from Wellesley College to Yale Law School where she’s a leader in social activism and women’s rights groups. She meets Bill Clinton, finds her soul mate and follows him to Arkansas, putting her own ambitions on pause in order to bolster his career. Eventually, she forces herself to acknowledge his sexual infidelities, however, and decides to leave him and Arkansas. From there, Sittenfeld offers an alternate life for Hillary, one with a 40-year political career of her own.

Not only is this fictionalized version of Hillary’s career captivating, but Sittenfeld offers a poignant exploration of the difficult and painful choices women must make in order to succeed in what is still mostly a man’s world of politics. Sittenfeld is an astute observer of human behavior and interaction. I devoured this book and I think you’ll enjoy it too! (Liz)

A SECOND HELPING

Sittenfeld develops the story of Rodham based on a truly weird premise: What if Hillary Rodham Clinton had never married Bill? Frankly, I never could have imagined spending so much time thinking about Hillary and Bill’s sex life. But, Rodham is an incredibly entertaining book. Sittenfeld masterfully weaves together true events and people with the story as it might have been. (Lily)