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Pepi House

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Meet and greet the huge Pepi family in Pepi House! Join 10 lovely characters in their day to day...

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Rodham in Books

May 21, 2020

Rodham

Curtis Sittenfeld | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Curtis Sittenfeld's engaging novel looks at Hillary Rodham's life through this prism: what if she hadn't married Bill Clinton? In 1971, as Hillary Rodham graduates from Wellesley, she delivers a commencement speech that gains national prominence. She heads to Yale Law school--an intelligent woman, filled with the desire to help those in need. It is there she meets Bill Clinton, a fellow law student. The connection between the two is instant--for the first time, Hillary feels she has found someone who appreciates her both emotionally and physically. In real life, Hillary and Bill head to Arkansas. He proposes three times, and she finally accepts, becoming Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"The first time I saw him, I thought he looked like a lion."

But here, in this imaginative and powerful novel, Hillary does not accept Bill's third proposal. Devastated, she leaves Arkansas and embarks on a different life. The pair's paths cross again (and again) in the years ahead, causing Hillary to sometimes doubt her decision.

I found this to be such an interesting read and oddly hopeful somehow, as if Sittenfeld read my brain and created the world I dreamed of--what a great book to read during these dismal times. It takes a little time to get into the flow of the writing: the first-person narrative certainly places you in the action, but I needed to adjust to switching back and forth between time periods (Hillary's past and present). And, funnily enough, you have to remember that this is and isn't Hillary--the first quarter of the book or so loosely follows Hillary's real life, so sometimes you have to recall who is truly speaking. I am not actually reading a Hillary memoir.

I loved how this book rewrites history--and with zero apologies. Bill Clinton does not always come off looking good here, though the love and chemistry between the two is clearly palpable. You find a variety of other characters from real life, so to speak, who sometimes play their actual roles, or re-imagined versions, and it's so fun. And, why yes, even Donald Trump has a place here. What a wonderful place it is, too. If you love politics, or political satire, there's a lot to love here.

"'If Bill Clinton was my boyfriend, I'd keep an eye on him too.'"

The Hillary of Sittenfeld's world is so real, so true, and so vulnerable and lovable. (And whoa, are there sex scenes, guys.) Even better, Sittenfeld doesn't make her perfect by any stretch; she's flawed and fallible, too. It doesn't take long to see history's actual Hillary taking this path, and sometimes, oh sometimes, I longed for her to do so. Sittenfeld excels at telling a tale from another person's perspective, somehow putting herself in their shoes. I got so caught up in this Hillary's world that I read the last half of the book in one take, desperate to know what happened to her. She felt real to me, and I needed to know how her life turned out. Please, Hillary, let it all work out this time.

This book is different, yes. It might not be for everyone, politically. But I found it fascinating to think about such a thing--how the choices we make in life affect so much. Not just saying yes to a marriage proposal, but all the other actions we take on any given day. This is a smartly written book, cementing Sittenfeld as a brilliant writer and storyteller. 4 stars.

Kudos

Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated All She Wants in Books

Sep 5, 2021

All She Wants

Jonathan Harvey | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

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Humour

This book had me giggling from the very start. The real type of giggles where people give you funny looks when you’re reading a book, not the giggles that you can suppress.
We follow Jodie McGee, a girl from Liverpool, who’s dreams seem to have come true. She’s an actress on the soap that she’s always dreamed of starring in and seems to have the perfect life, or does she?
We go back in time with Jodie to where her life started to go wrong, and comically so. We see that she doesn’t have the perfect life at all, and it makes you love her character all the more. She’s incredibly sarcastic and funny, which I absolutely loved. While some of the things in her life seem incredibly outlandish, they are also quite believable.
As someone from around the Liverpool area, the references to Liverpool were much appreciated in this book and I could imagine all of the places mentioned in the book and appreciated the references that may not have been appreciated by those not familiar with Liverpool or the scouse sense of humour.
I’ve loved Jonathan Harvey’s writing and will be on the lookout for more of his books. I would love a follow up to Jodie’s life but he ended it in such a way that it’s not needed and you can imagine where her life will go from there.