User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I am a fan of Sittenfeld's work and loved her short story collection and American Wife so I looked forward to this alternate history of Hillary Clinton's life if she hadn't married Bill. A lot works in this retelling. I certainly believed her interpretation of an ambitious and self-possessed Hillary Rodham. The depth of the narrative impressed me. It is quite different from American Wife which surprised me. The only real barrier for me was how visible a public figure the actual Clinton is and as such, it was hard to forget reality while engaged with this fiction.
Rating: really liked it
Blew my saxophone! An inspired, stunningly poignant—yes, even a little dirty—creative re-imagining of what the Clintons are and what they could be in an alternate universe. Funny—and eerie—to think how choosing a different path (not marrying Bill) might have resulted in major surprises and similarities to reality.
Highlights include sexually charged political innuendo between Bill and Hill in their college days, a nude saxophone performance, and delicious characterization of Bill as a self-described “horny bastard” who can’t resist a “savory honeypot.”
Meanwhile, Hillary is seen as a figure who largely gives up earthly delights in favor of pursuing her political mission. The irony is that ambition looks great on men, but makes her unlikable.
The alternate reality aspect offers humor and wit for political junkies and history buffs to relish. For example, Bill’s timid wife gives a disastrous 60 Minutes performance in defense of his infidelity and Hillary thinks how she could have done it better.
Whether you’ve followed Hillary through her entire career, just binged her Hulu documentary, or are vaguely aware of current affairs, there’s plenty to enjoy from all sides of the political aisle.
As for me, my first vivid memory of Hillary Clinton was in 1998. I would have been eight at the time, vaguely aware of the Lewinsky scandal though too young to know the meaning of sex. Hillary was on TV—probably doing the infamous “vast right-wing conspiracy” interview—and my mother spat with venom “she’s only defending him because she wants to be president!”
Previously busy playing with toys, my ears perked to attention. I remember two things happening. First, I was shocked to learn that a woman
could be president. As a third grader I memorized the names of presidents and consciously or unconsciously concluded that only men were allowed. This new information literally blew my mind. I had to ask my mother to confirm:
“Is it even legal for a girl to be president?”
“Technically yes,” Mom said. “If she’s at least 35.”
The second thing was that I desperately wanted Hillary Clinton—whoever the hell that was—to be the first female president. Whatever fierce determination this woman had, if it was enough to piss off my mom, it had to be good.
As I grew older, my love for Hillary increased. Learning about politics made me understand why someone might find her rehearsed responses ineffective and recognize the occasional poor word choice as political blunders, but it still boggles my mind how many people actually
hate her. Democrats! Millennials! Those who never even slogged through wall-to-wall Clinton coverage! Why?? How??
The most bizarre thing I ever heard was a mom say she “wouldn’t want to leave her daughter alone with Hillary.” Why?? Because she might be inspired?
Sorry to tangent--is it possible to talk about Hillary and not go on a tangent?--but my point is that this fictional memoir does a superb job of showcasing Hillary as a human. Someone who falls in love, has sex, makes mistakes, regrets them, tries to move on. That said, the book also helps those of us with rose-colored glasses see her as a problematic figure, in this reality and others. The way the narrative toes that line is remarkable.
This is not 400 pages of glorying Hillary and imagining a utopia where sexism is dead and women waltz into the White House. It by no means blames Bill for all her problems. We get plenty of harsh depictions of Hillary, many of them deserved, and sexism is in full swing. With and without Bill.
Since that fateful day in 2016, I’ve hypothesized that history will actually be kinder to Hillary as the first female candidate rather than the first female president. Certainly it will be kinder to her than to you-know-who currently mucking things up.
Books like this, filled with creative energy, deep reflection, and--most importantly--a riveting imagination of what it’s like to be in Hillary’s shoes refuel my hopes that I’m correct. Time will ultimately tell if her contribution to history is a small step for women or a giant leap, but I remain confident that it’s the latter.
Rating: really liked it
I feel like this book is going to piss a lot of people off and I want in on that controversial action.
Rating: really liked it
I read
Rodham some weeks ago and am of a few different minds about it, because I think you can read this book three different ways: first, as a piece of mainstream fan fiction (because that's exactly what it is); second, as a character study of a woman whose public-facing self is, at this point, a warped amalgamation of various projections; and lastly, as an artifact of what I would call the period of national trauma following the 2016 election.
In the first aspect, as a piece of fan fiction, I actually think the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the book is surprisingly successful (Kudos on AO3, although the Hillary/Bill smut might scar you). As a character portrait, and an exploration of the tension between Hillary's private and public selves, this novel is competent but uninspired. There's a flatness to Sittenfeld's Hillary that she's never quite able to flesh out, and it only gets worse as the book goes on. And in the final aspect, as a broader kind of post-2016 social-political commentary, I think this book is pretty useless. The ending, in particular, engages in some white feminist wishful thinking that has a lot to say about sexism but glosses over the resurgent nationalism, racism, and xenophobia that helped carry Trump to victory four years ago. Even more insidious is Sittenfeld's depiction of Trump as an unlikely Hillary surrogate (yes, really), which plays into the dangerous notion that he's a mere clown who possesses no real ideology. Most of the last 1/3 of this book is baffling at best, and its feel-good ending—which presents the idea of a woman in the White House as a kind of national redemption—rings terribly hollow in 2020.
Rating: really liked it
“When the Saints Go Marching On”......🎶
Did Hillary sacrifice her professional future, being with Bill?
Not in this fictional tale.
I love Curtis Sittenfeld’s books. HUGE FAN....
“American Wife”, was particularly outstanding.
But....
“Rodham”?
Hm??? I read through the night - finished this morning.
I gobbled this novel in one sitting.
Its kinda of creepy...
And....
kinda thought- provoking puzzling.
I don’t want to say too much....
....readers will either choose this book because of being a fan of Hillary Clinton- or a fan of Curtis Sittenfeld: perhaps both!
Point is— choosing to read this book is very ‘self selective’.
I don’t think any review: positive or negative will influence a readers choice.
So..., I’ll leave one excerpt — and share — that for me— it wasn’t as spectacular as “American Wife”...
And not as much fun as other Sittenfeld books.
Personally, I think I’d die if this book was written about me....
( even as fiction)....
Bill says to Hillary:
“Your whole body is perfect, and you have such a pretty face, your eyes and lips and your skin. I love playing with your hair, and I love how you smell and how you move when we are in bed. Isn’t it obvious I can’t keep my hands off you? I love your whole body. I love all of you. You’re brave and funny and hard-working and you’re so goddamn smart, but you know what? You’re beautiful, too. And there’s nothing about you that’s pathetic. Nothing”.
The sex scenes, just felt yucky as can be.... and not because I’m a prude or anything was particularly disgusting as far as sex scenes go —but the mixture of personal fiction and political fiction didn’t feel right in my heart.
Both played tricks on my mind - with the truth that....
fact is: Bill Clinton was president… And Hillary was his wife and First Lady.
Everything in this book is speculation.
I found it worked terrific in Stephen kings book 11/22/63....
But.....less so here.
Cheatin’ sleazy Bill
and Hardball Hillary might hit just the right ‘fun notes’....
for many readers....
But.....
Power hunger politics &
jokes to cover up our pain about the state of our country just felt old.
However.... I wouldn’t mind some watermelon 🍉 about now!
3 stars.... good! not great!
Rating: really liked it
Okay, it was interesting, creative, extremely thought provoking and we have a skillful, talented author on the board but hmmm… I think this concept didn’t work for me!
I always loved “what if” based story-lines: opens to alternated realities and parallel universes. What if we choose the other path, what if we do the quite opposite thing and rethink our life choices, how will be the consequences? Will be happier, wealthier, healthier, more successful or will we live in regrets, suffer from resentments, depression?
I think semi-autobiography merges with fiction and some kind of retelling, it may be a little confusing. I respect the author’s challenging and truly provocative story-line choice. But two things bugged me:
First: reading an alternative fictional life story of Hilary Rodham narrated by her was confusing because especially at the second part of the book which life changing-sliding door moment later: after Hilary says “no” to Bill for the third time and as the alternated life story begins, I couldn’t connect with the character when I normally do with the characters who tell their story firsthand. In my opinion, third person narration would work better to approach the character from outside and give us opportunity to get a better, objective, non-biased opinion.
Other thing was steamy let’s so called love-making scenes: If they were not fictional characters based on real life and it could possibly work fine with me but as you may imagine playing a sex-tape of Bill and Hillary in your head wasn’t the most entertaining life experience and it is not healthy for your churning stomachs! (big yikes)
The book’s feminist undertone and Hilary’s ambition and determination to find her place at the political jungle, her struggles, her self-discovery to test her limitations were the favorite parts of the novel but long chapters about political campaign slowed down the pace and put the story into repetitive cycle.
Overall: the book answers this question: What if one of the most powerful first ladies in the world wouldn’t stay as the first lady and decide to be a leader! Do you want to know what would happen, you gotta read to know about it!
If I wouldn’t get so confused between fictional and real life characters, this book could easily fix my expectations. But I think, autobiography meet fantasy-fiction genre combination wasn’t my dreamy reading option!
Rating: really liked it
THIS is the reality, the actual story, all serious Hillary fans wanted, maybe still want. As Americans watch the news everyday and get that winsome look in their eyes, they still think – if only Hillary was at the helm.
Read this while you are in isolation and lose yourself for a few hours or days. You will not regret your mindful vacation.
Curtis takes us back to 1971 when Hillary was a top student at Wellesley and gave her renowned commencement speech. Then on to Yale Law, still involved in student activism and women’s rights, she meets fellow student, Bill Clinton, from Arkansas. Both he and Hillary were intelligent, political, and driven, but he had that goofy, southern charm, that both annoyed and attracted her.
Yes, they dated, and he won her over enough for her to move to Arkansas after their graduation. Although Bill proposed several times, Hillary always said no. She had some doubts about Bill, that would not let her marry him with a clear conscious. They broke up and she moved back to Chicago. Hillary built a solid life as a lawyer and professor, eventually leading to local and state politics, and then to the National stage.
Bill calls her now and then to, “keep in touch,” and asks her to say, “good things,” about him to the press. She never promises one way or the other, but Bill keeps chattering on till they are saying goodbyes.
Hillary is focused, always has been, on what is ahead, the goal she wants to attain. She will let nothing stand in her way, not even old boyfriends.
It has been said, and I concur, “Curtis weaves a fictional tale with actual historical events.” (paraphrasing, mine.) Highly recommend.
My last thought, is the timing of this book is unfortunate. 2017 would have been a better year.
Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Curtis Sittenfeld
Pub date: May 19, 2020
Rating: really liked it
Thank you, Random House, for the gifted early ecopy. I also purchased a physical copy for my shelf.
I’m so excited to finally share my thoughts with you on this book. It’s one I looked forward to all summer long, and I literally enjoyed every sentence. This was my first book from Curtis Sittenfeld, and I found her writing flawless. She pulled me right in to the heart of this story, and my interest never waned, even at over 400 pages.
If you aren’t aware, the premise is that Hillary Rodham does not marry Bill Clinton. What direction does her life take instead? If you have had a hard time accepting Hillary as is, I think this book may give you some insight even though it’s fiction. I was already a fan, and I still gained so much insight into her character and the whys and hows (I know, it’s fiction). It’s funny because, as I write this review, I’m listening to In Her Own Words, by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. One of the first things she describes is her love for her husband and how he was willing to love an intellectual, powerful woman, and how rare that is and was, especially for that time.
Back to Rodham, I could not put it down. It’s steamy- wow, steamier than anything I’ve read recently, smart, and insightful. There’s good tension, too, as you follow along to see what will happen next for Hillary. I thought the whole thing was brilliant.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Rating: really liked it
Hear ye, hear ye: I've found what'll no doubt be one of the most polarizing books of the year and what I can only describe as a muuuuch darker and more political version of Taylor Jenkins Reid's
Maybe In Another Life mixed with a little bit of the TV show
Veep.
The second I heard of
Rodham's impending publication, it sent me down a bit of an existential crisis: Do we really
need (or even truly
want) a fictionalized account of Hillary Clinton's life without Bill Clinton as her spouse? Does it even matter? Especially when there are so many other books that can and should be published?
One thing can't be doubted: Curtis Sittenfeld makes some incredibly deft and poignant remarks about modern womanhood and what it means to be a woman with ambition; I felt many of the struggles she described viscerally. And Sittenfeld wasn't necessarily in the wish fulfillment business where Hillary would be a perfect person without Bill, which was actually a relief. But my other big abstract question is, did we really need it to be Hillary Clinton to tell this story? There can be something unsettling about trying to fill in a lot of intimate gaps about a real-life person no matter who that is, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.
Larger existential questions aside, I never quite got myself totally oriented with the writing itself. Hillary's personality oscillates between being nonexistent and slightly wry, and the chapter breakdowns were a little all over the place. I also felt like the ending was pretty abrupt considering how much of a slow burn the rest of the book was. I'm putting this one at 2.5 stars.
I don't think I'll ever get much of a handle on
Rodham. But maybe that's sort of the point.
Rating: really liked it
In these Dark Ages of the Reign of Trump, Curtis Sittenfeld’s “Rodham” descends like an avenging angel. Here, in the pages of this alternate history about Hillary Rodham Clinton, is the story not of “What Happened” but of “What
Could Have Happened.” This isn’t just fiction as fantasy; it’s fiction as therapy for that majority of Americans who voted for Clinton in 2016 and are now sick and unemployed under the current calamitous administration.
It takes a village to create a demon, and that tireless work has produced the extraordinary boogeywoman that is Clinton, the conniving, corrupt, murderous, senile, pedophiliac, money-grubbing, cookie-hating, email-abusing harridan who terrifies Fox News commentators. Indeed, as the subject of thousands of wing nut conspiracies, Clinton may already be the most fictionalized person in modern political history.
But “Rodham” is something of a rarity in American publishing. The market has long featured highly partisan nonfiction books created exclusively for liberals or conservatives. Trump disciples and detractors can spend their whole lives cuddled up with memoirs, biographies, exposés and rants that confirm their polarized convictions. “Rodham,” though, is a high-profile novel — not a parody or a joke book, but a serious work of literary fiction — designed to rally the political spirits of liberal readers.
More than a decade ago, Sittenfeld published “American Wife,” a thoughtful, slightly melancholy. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
Rating: really liked it
[4.5]
Rodham is not for everyone - but I loved it! If you dislike Hillary, I don't recommend spending 417 pages with her. Boldly and brilliantly, Sittenfeld reimagines Hillary's life so well, that going forward it will be hard for me to reconcile her actual life with the one in this novel. Especially in the beginning, it is jarring to be inside Hillary's head (and bed). And as she did in
American Wife Sittenfeld pads the pages with mundane details. Yet I was never bored. I found this novel exhilarating!
Rating: really liked it
★★★ /5
This was a really interesting book. I enjoyed the writing style, it was really easy to comprehend. The story at the beginning was engaging and quick, but around the halfway point, it really slowed down and dragged a little bit. The characters were well rounded and interesting to read about, but character development was a little bit inconsistent.
Rating: really liked it
The narrator was perfect for this book! Although I was sure if this book would interest me or hold my interest, I was absolutely engaged throughout and felt like no part or sentence was superfluous.
Rating: really liked it
One day after finishing this book, my anger against it increased. My feeling was upgraded from "dislike" to "detest". Therefore, 1 star instead of 2.
I had been fascinated by Bill Clinton since he was elected to be US president in 1992. I read many books about him and wished I would meet him one day to see if his charm was real. It finally happened in 2016 at a Hillary event. Hillary was with Bill and Chelsea and I met all of them. Hillary took a selfie with me. What surprised me the most was that Hillary was a better speaker and had more charisma than Bill by that time.
I'm sure many of us who voted for Hillary in 2008(primary) and 2016 wonder "what if"s. One of them is Hillary and Bill's marriage. I read this novel hoping Hillary gets better life in the alternate universe.
Unfortunately, it was a letdown. If she had decided not to marry Bill, she would've moved on completely. Hillary in this novel sounds too insecure about her looks or her value as a woman(and as a person). I don't think she is like that at all. Sittenfeld doesn't seem to understand who Hillary is. It's quite an insult for Hillary and readers like me. I don't think Sittenfeld really understood why women decide to stay with their boyfriends or husbands who are obviously bad for them. I hate the way Sittenfeld cheapened Hillary's character and her struggle.
Rating: really liked it
You know, when I first heard of this book, I wanted nothing more than pure wish fulfillment, a Tarantino-style rewriting of history to close our eyes to the horror that is our actual reality. But as I read more and more of
Rodham, especially given the massive unrest and movement around police brutality and racism in the U.S., none of it felt right. I wasn't satisfied, and I did not wish I could live in this fantasy world. Although I would certainly have preferred Hillary as a our president compared to the vile man who's currently in office, I'm not going to pretend like having Hillary as president would in any way erase the very real issues of racism, sexism, homophobia, and all other manner of disgusting sentiment that, as we've discovered, has just been lurking beneath the surface this whole time.
It's certainly an interesting thought experiment that Sittenfeld has engaged in here, and I did like reading about Bill and Hillary's initial courtship and the (likely real) warning signs of things to come. In this story, Hillary decides not to marry Bill after experiencing how he has an insatiable desire for sex in addition to no respect for women. Hillary becomes a professor, then eventually a Senator (running against Carol Moseley Braun in a storyline I did not like), and then runs for president a few times. Donald Trump enters the story in a less than satisfying way. Bill Clinton re-enters the story. The whole Benghazi-and-emails chant is not rehashed because Hillary never served in Obama's cabinet (to me, an unrealistic turn of events, Obama still existed in this narrative and he definitely would have appointed her to a cabinet post), so that controversy goes away. There are still scandals and gaffes, but everything works out in the end, just as advertised.
This book reads more as fiction to me, particularly because I haven't read enough biographies/autobiographies of Hillary and Bill to know what's factual and what's not. It must have been tough for Sittenfeld to meld history with fiction, and she does it fairly seamlessly.
Overall, it just doesn't feel like the right time to be reading a book like this, nor does it feel helpful to try to pin all of our hopes and dreams on someone who admittedly is problematic and wouldn't have been the savior we're looking for. It's a fun thought experiment, but it wasn't fun, escapist wish fulfillment like, say,
Inglourious Basterds.
