Book Description Review “In her latest novel, Lady Clementine, Marie Benedict has gifted us all with another thoughtful and illuminating behind-the-scenes look at one of history’s most unusual and extraordinary women. Benedict stuns readers with a glorious assortment of Clementine Churchill’s most personal secrets: her scandalous childhood, her unexpected role as a social outsider, her maternal insecurities, and the daily struggles she faces to smooth her husband’s political blunders and to keep up with his relentless demands for guidance and attention. With a historian’s eye and a writer’s heart, Benedict provides an unforgettable glimpse into the private world of a brilliant woman whose impact and influence on world events deserves to be acknowledged.” – Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Two-Family House and The Wartime Sisters“The atmospheric prose of Marie Benedict draws me in every single time. Lady Clementine’s powerful and spirited story is both compelling and immersive. Benedict fully inhabits the measured and intelligent voice of Clementine Churchill. Entranced throughout, I discovered the secrets behind a familiar story I thought I knew. Deftly moving from the early nineteen hundreds through World War II, Benedict skillfully paints a vivid picture of the times and life of Clementine, the remarkable woman who was the steady force beside Winston Churchill.” – Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis“Benedict is a true master at weaving the threads of the past into a compelling story for today. Here is the fictionalized account of the person who was the unequivocal wind beneath Winston Churchill’s wings – a woman whose impact on the world-shaper that was WW2 has been begging to be told. A remarkable story of remarkable woman.” – Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Last Year of the War“Winning…the personality of Clementine reverberates in this intimate, first-person account. An intriguing novel, and the focus on the heroic counsel of a woman that has national and international impacts will resonate.” – Publishers Weekly“A rousing tale of ambition and love.” – Kirkus Reviews“Well-researched, illuminating account of a complex, intelligent woman.” – Booklist“Benedict affords us a spirited fictional account of Clementine Churchill, something the New York Times best-selling author of The Other Einstein and The Only Woman in the Room should do well. Here, Clementine is tough, ambitious, and every bit as influential as her husband.” – Library Journal“This outstanding story deserves wide readership. Fans of historical fiction, especially set around World War II; readers who appreciate strong, intelligent female leads; or those who just want to read a compelling page-turner will enjoy this gem of a novel.” – Library Journal, starred review” A true tale of Clementine’s ferocity and ambition through political unrest and two world wars, the novel spotlights one of the most influential behind-the-scenes women of her time.” – Parade“A fascinating fictionalized account of the consummate political wife.” – People Magazine Read more About the Author Marie Benedict is the author of The Other Einstein, Carnegie’s Maid, The Only Woman in the Room, and Lady Clementine. She is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. Visit her online at authormariebenedict.com. Read more Customers Review: I am surprised by the glowing reviews for this book. Much of it reads like a romance novel. One of the worst sections of the book is about Clementine’s cruise on the Rosaura. The dialogue, created by the author, is inane. The last third of the book, which is focused on World War II, is actually quite interesting. If you feel you must read this book, I would recommend starting the book on page 183.
I’ve been waiting for this book; it more than delivered. We think of Churchill as a singular man. Now, we know the truth: there is no Churchill without Clementine, just as there is no Roosevelt without Eleanor. Clementine was not elected to a post, but more than did her duty.Chalk full of marriage, politics, and endurance, this book is for both women and men. And I’m glad Clementine has had her say. The conversations and tone of those conversations between the Churchills seems spot on. Also, I loved its deeper story of how Clementine had to learn to help her “nerves,” which were, in fact, caused by Churchill, despite their great love. He was just a big personality. Or perhaps marriage/ life is just hard, and we women all need to admit to our need for self-care (and give ourselves permission to actually take time off). Mommy guilt and a drive for more are also a deeply resonating part of the book. All this packed into a fast paced treatment of the events from a new, wonderfully vocal and modern female voice.Clementine speaks of everything Churchill did as “we” did this and “we” did that, just as she claims responsibility for helping Churchill with all of his fine speeches. Other than seeing how she was portrayed in “The Darkest Hour,” I confess to not knowing much about Clementine; I kept wondering how the Brits are going to like this addition to the story of one of their greatest heroes. I, for one, loved getting to know her and hope the book is developed into a movie.One writing difference which may cause listeners/ readers to hit the back button a few times: the book is written in present tense with backstory in past tense. May Hilary Mantel’s legacy continue (think Wolf Hall); it helps make HF seem as if is unfolding before our eyes, rather than being so yesterday.This is Benedict’s finest book. Bravo.
I find the topic of Clementine Churchill fascinating though I don’t love this first person approach. I’m a little unsure what’s true and what’s not (it is a novel after all it doesn’t purport to be a biography) but I think I would have actually preferred a biography. She’s too fascinating to be left as somewhat of a fictional character. I want to praise her for who she really was and what she did so I’m left a little disappointed that I don’t know what was made up and what was real. Certainly the person presented here is wonderful!The writing is solid but not masterful. Overall I recommend the book, it is interesting and it’s an easy read. Though if I find a good biography I may stop recommending this novel.
The historical portions of the novel were interesting. However, the narrative of Clementine Churchill’s constant bravado/litany of accomplishments, neediness/whining, entitled attitude, and the justification of expensive vacations for her delicate constitution, as well as hands-off parenting and then ruminating about the deficits in her children’s moral fiber, make this book nauseating and cloying. It is a good thing “Cat” (Clementine) married “Pug” (Winston), because if even a shred of this is to be believed, he could not and did not make a move without her. It is hard to believe that she influenced every major initiative that affected the outcome of two World Wars and cajoled him into making the world what it is today primarily thanks to her counsel.
I knew nothing about Clementine so this is all new to me I must say I learned a lot about this part of history To me good writing and enjoyable experience
I was introduced to Clementine for the first time while watching a Netflix movie on Winston. She was only in a few scenes, but it was enough for me to spark an interest & pick up her independence for a woman during this period of time. So when the book was published I had to read it. I was fascinated by Clementine & viewed her with such admiration. She was independent & very much before her time. Caught in the shadows of her famous husband she made her mark among men. Winston’s dependency on her also surprised me. She left me with a great admiration. After all this you can surmise that I loved the book & highly recommend it.
When I clicked on this Kindle version, I thought I was purchasing a book by Tracy Chevalier, because it was mixed in with a few of her titles as a recommended purchase. But I was open to it, and I do like British history, and I thought that Clementine Churchill would be an interesting figure. But this book was hard to like on page 1. It reads like a romance novel with would-be feminist overtones. We are meant to admire this plucky and intrepid heroine, but it is difficult to do so.It is written in the first person in pompous and stilted language, and in very fawning terms. My impression is that the author thinks that her readers are worshipful ninnies. The heroine was always smoothing down a lavender silk teagown trimmed with exquisite French lace or some such. So much was difficult to believe, that I did check Wikipedia and other sources online and confirmed that much of this novel has omitted or misinterpreted many substantiated facts.A little poetic license is fine, but this heroine is so unlikeable and so self-absorbed that it’s difficult to identify with her or have any sympathy for her.I’m at 30%, but I doubt that I will continue much further with this sorry piece of work.
I liked this historical fiction book. I enjoyed meeting Clementine and learning about her and seeing this interesting time in our history from her perspective. She was an interesting lady and contributed to the allied victory through her support of her husband and her love for her country. She often sacrificed herself and her relationship with her children for Winston and England. |
144 reviews