The President’s Wife
On September 2, 1939, Eleanor Roosevelt is woken from a sound sleep by a telephone call from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, announcing that the Nazis have invaded Poland. As the isolationist United States grapples with the possibility of war, Eleanor is determined to do all that she can to help her husband, her country, and humankind. But her efforts are dogged by the distance that has grown between her and the President ever since his betrayal of her years before—and not everyone appreciates a woman involving herself in world affairs.
Alternating between wartime events and the earlier days of Eleanor and Franklin’s relationship, The President’s Wife (narrated in the third person) is an enjoyable read that moves at a fast pace. Once the author gets expository lines such as “Poland? The country Britain and France have sworn to defend?” out of the way, the writing is lively, and the Roosevelts themselves are engaging and well-drawn. Refreshingly, Stuart avoids sensationalizing their personal lives.
Stuart does have a tendency to hammer her points home. We’re told rather too often, for instance, that President Roosevelt was a consummate politician—that we can figure out for ourselves—and anyone who cares to make a drinking game of how many times we’re informed that Eleanor dislikes alcohol has no business driving afterward. Nonetheless, this is an inspiring account of a formidable woman, with the bonus of an informative author’s note.
