Rodham - Curtis Sittenfeld (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 08/07/2020

Author: Curtis Sittenfeld

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Publication Date: May 19, 2020

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours)

About the book:

‘Awfully opinionated for a girl’ is what they call Hillary as she grows up in her Chicago suburb. Smart, diligent, and a bit plain, that’s the general consensus. Then Hillary goes to college, and her star rises. At Yale Law School, she continues to be a leader— and catches the eye of driven, handsome and charismatic Bill. But when he asks her to marry him, Hillary gives him a firm ‘No’.

The rest, as they say, isn’t history. How might things have turned out for them, for America, for the world itself, if Hillary Rodham had really turned down Bill Clinton?

With her sharp but always compassionate eye, Sittenfeld explores the loneliness, moral ambivalence and iron determination that characterise the quest for high office, as well as the painful compromises demanded of female ambition in a world ruled by men. Uncannily astute and witty in the telling, RODHAM is a brilliant

reimagining – an unmissable literary landmark and truly a novel of our times.

Review:

        I am not sure whether I am fully equipped to review this novel. As per geographical position, I live nowhere near America and hence not an ardent follower of the political condition there. But I did want Hillary to be elected as the President, so a fictionalised version of events where she gets to fulfil her dreams along with that of many is a small consolation. 

      Reading a fictionalised account of a living person is kind of eerie, especially when she is a household name. No one wants to think about the road not taken, that's a sure way to madness. Did her marriage to Bill Clinton change the course of Hillary Rodham's life? Perhaps. But I would like to believe that the glory of being the first female President of the United States is destined for someone else. 

       Now let's have a look at this as a work of fiction. This is my first time reading Curtis Sittenfeld and her writing is nothing short of incredible. We get to see a young and ambitious Hillary making her mark in the law school and the story keeps fidelity to her life story until she rejects the proposal of Clinton. There starts a long and sometimes tedious journey of a law professor who finally finds her way after many years.

        What I loved most about this book is the inside information and the excitement and terror of campaigning. As expected, it is not enough to have the best intentions at heart, you need to advertise it to convince the media and the voters. It does present some hilarious and crazy situations which make this fictional account truly enjoyable. I was not expecting that 'Trump' card . . . Ha! the best moments of the story, without a doubt.

Meet the author:

In addition to Rodham, Curtis Sittenfeld is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller American Wife, in which she painted a picture of an ordinary American girl a thinly disguised Laura Bush who found herself married to a President. It was longlisted for the Orange Prize, as was her debut novel Prep.

Her other books are Man of My Dreams, Sisterland (a Richard & Judy Book Club pick), Eligible, and the acclaimed short story collection You Think It, I’ll Say It. Her books are translated into 30 languages. She lives with her family in the American Mid West.