I love books about presidential history so I was very interested in If a Poem Could Live and Breathe by Mary Calvi about Theodore Roosevelt’s first marriage. I really enjoyed learning more about his courtship with Alice, their deep emotional connection, and how they were both a romantic and intellectual match. I had heard the sad story about his wife and mother dying on the same day but having it come to life was heartbreaking.

It was lovely reading the couple’s own real-life letters with the flowery language of the time. That poetic writing carried over to the fictional part of the book as well, which was in keeping with the time period but could prove difficult for some readers. I enjoyed the unique writing style and use of words we no longer use. I had to make use of my Kindle’s dictionary frequently!

This is a unique and thoroughly researched historical fiction novel that tells an important story about one of our most interesting presidents. I wonder how much Alice’s death affected him and made him the man who would become president.

I received this as an advanced reader copy. It was a delight and Mary is a wonderful writer. Mary imbues the story with such a strong sense of place, I felt as though I were immersed in the time period of 1878. Even if you think you know a lot about Teddy Roosevelt, this fact-based novel offers some nice context and surprises. I highly recommend it.

Well done, Ms. Calvi!
Mary Calvi's second novel is an amazing trip back, not only to late Nineteenth Century America, but also to the world of the innocence and romance of the first love of Theodore Roosevelt and Alice Hathaway Lee.
Using primary sources, Ms. Calvi once again has brought powerful, historic characters to life, wrapped in impeccably researched history. She uses their own words to weave a tale of two young people meant to be together, sensitively writing of their discovery of each other, their journey to love, happiness and the anguish of loss.
Theodore Roosevelt was a passionate man, a man of action enlightened by the beautiful, intelligent, passionate and gentle soul of his first love, Alice, a woman who sought to break the bonds restraining nineteenth century women, gently shaped Roosevelt's personal and political philosophies, forever changed by great love and tragedy. Theodore Roosevelt truly was a man before his time.

If A Poem Could Live and Breathe is a sweet, poignant and heart crushing story about the beautiful and brief romance and marriage between Teddy Roosevelt and Alice Hathaway Lee. Author Mary Calvi includes many of their letters written back and forth evoking a special tenderness.

Teddy was immediately besotted with Alice when they first met as teens. Alice was unusual in her independence and beliefs in gender equality of the era. When Teddy went to university the two exchanged letters which grew more frequent and impassioned as their relationship progressed. Their marriage was to be short lived as Alice died of undiagnosed kidney failure after the birth of their daughter. Sadly, Teddy's mother died the same day. Grievously stricken, he did not allow the mention of his beloved first wife's name in his presence during his lifetime. He did marry again and had more children and became the president of the United States.

The story is written with gorgeous prose and tugged at my heart. Not only is it heartfelt but also fascinating and informative. The power of love and grief is stunning. I also enjoyed reading about the close relationship between Alice and her dear cousin.

Historical Fiction fans who wish to become immersed in a true love story and learn more about history, do add this to your list.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this marvellous book.

"If a poem could live and breathe, Alice Hathaway Lee would be its title."

A beautiful story of love-lyrical in itself.

I loved this novelization based on the letters of Teddy Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee. Vivid descriptions of nature, culture, conversations and people surrounding this progressive couple dropped me right into the story with little distraction.
I highly recommend Teddy and Alice and their journey. It'll leave you sighing for love's sake.

As a fan of Teddy Roosevelt, I enjoyed learning more about his first wife and how they met. Going into the story, I knew that the death of his wife and mother in the same night had shaped Roosevelt's life in many ways, but it was nice to read how Alice's life had shaped him too.

Well written and enjoyable, if a bit repetitive after a while. The amount of research that must have gone into this narrative is astounding, and it was a pleasure to read.

Thank you to Mary Calvi, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This is one of the most bittersweet historical romance novels I’ve read. I loved Alice’s witty but loving personality that truly shines through! Teddy’s love for her is evident in every page of this book and the letters to one another were the perfect touch! This is the first I’ve read by this author but looking forward to more by her. I was given a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. My opinions are my own

A wonderful book about young, first loves and how it endures. The author does an amazing job telling the love story between Alice and Roosevelt in their early lives. One if my favorite things is the research done and using actual, never before seen letters and poems. A wonderful blend of history and romance.

The setting: "Studded with the real love letters between a young Theodore Roosevelt and Boston beauty Alice Lee—many of them never before published—If a Poem Could Live and Breathe makes vivid what many historians believe to be the pivotal years that made the future president into the man of action that defined his political life, and cemented his legacy.... Alice Lee sets out to break from the norms of her mother’s generation. Women are fighting for educational opportunities and exploring a new sense of intellectual and personal freedom. Native New Yorker, Harvard student Teddy Roosevelt, is on his own journey of discovery, and when they meet..."

What I liked: the history and research. A strong woman protaganist--Alice Lee Hathaway was Roosevelt's first wife and his great love. And, learning about Roosevelt's early life, pre-politics.

What I disliked--ALOT--the mush--it overwhelmed me, and was a disconnect, I could have walked away at any time after several/too many iterations.

A few examples:

"...feeling his powerful thighs through the wool of his pants. She imagined his masculinity would be even more apparent below the material."
"...his lips nearing hers, and there was nothing she could do but fall."
"Pink with a full lower lip, curved at the corners--her mouth, he imagine, would be delicious to the taste."
"The pink lips of her rose into a delightful curve."
"Lips explored each others."
Lots of lips--and there's more!!
My head screamed STOP!!

On the plus side: new words: anosmic and quaternions. And learning that "...chestnuts are the foulest smelling of all arbors."

In the distinct minority of readers.

2.5. Not rounding up.

I’ve always been fascinated by Teddy Roosevelt. But the books I’ve read all concentrate on his adult years and mostly after the death of his wife, Alice. This book is about their love. And he was definitely in love. He was smitten at first sight. They met when he was a junior at Harvard and she was just shy of eighteen. Neither was what was considered normal for their class or time. Theodore was considered eccentric. Alice, much to the dismay of her mother, was not exactly ladylike with her desire for advanced education and women’s rights.
The story veers towards the sappy at times. I think the author was trying to emulate the writing of the times, but I found it overly sugary. I wanted more historical fiction and less romance novel. More a meeting of the minds and less swooning. I wanted more of their fiery personalities. I could have also done without a description of every dress Alice wore.
Calvi does a good job of getting the thoughts of the times down. Alice’s illness is put down to the idea that women weren’t designed for deep thought.” The influence of severe intellectual exertion in women is found to produce physiological effects”, according to her doctor. Flip side, it was interesting to read about the efforts to open Harvard to women.
The book switches between “The Present” of 1885 (after Alice’s death in 1884) and “The Past” when they first meet and move forward into marriage. The Present takes place after Theodore has headed to North Dakota and is trying his hand at ranching and dealing with his grief. The latter part of the book includes many actual letters between the two.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

A historical fiction novel based on the first love of Theodore Roosevelt and Alice Hathaway Lee, complete with real love letters between the two. We know a lot about his political years but what about those years in college that made him into the force he ended up becoming.

This is a story of love and loss. Alice is such a powerful character seeking the same educational opportunities available to men. Teddy is her true soulmate, following his passion for nature, animals and of course his dear Alice.

The letters included in this book (some that have never been published) warmed my heart and brought a tear to my eye several times, as I could feel their love for each other shine through.

This historical novel tells the story of Theodore Roosevelt's courtship and short marriage to Alice Lee. The love affair spans a few years when both were in their teens and 20s. I am a lukewarm fan about the genre but enjoyed the book very much as both of them travel between New York and Boston and we are introduced to an era when women didn't vote, coed colleges were rare, and coming out to society and getting married were the main axes for a young woman, especially of the aristocracy. No actual love letters between the couple have survived so the author takes some effort to reconstruct their romance and how smitten they were for each other. Alice was quite the student of poetry and literature that made her a good match with TR, and you see how their relationship blossomed and deepened during their courtship. If you are interested in the late 1880s era, or are somewhat familiar with TR's political rise, then this book is worth reading. It never gets mawkish or sentimental, and is quite entertaining while also being informative.

Author Mary Calvi shows the strength of her research skills in If a Poem Could Live and Breathe. She poetically captures the depth of the heart warming love Theodore Roosevelt had for his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee and shares interesting details about their everyday lives.

I am a fan of historical fiction and love to know details about historical figures that help bring them to life again. The author worked to use the authentic voices of Teddy and Alice written in epistolary form for much of this book. While the real life details were interesting to learn, I prefer to have more action in the books I read. I found the depth of the descriptions to caused the story to drag for me. While the language was authentic, it did not keep my attention.

2.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Mary Calvi for an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I always enjoy reading books about historical events with which I am not familiar, and the story of Theodore Roosevelt and his first wife Alice was new to me. The author obviously did a lot of research and painted a romantic picture of the president that I was not expecting.

The story did get a little cheesy as it went on, as Alice and Teddy's letters were pretty flowery, and Ted's thoughts about his "perfect, pure queen" were a bit much after a while. I would have liked to know more about what happened to Theodore and his daughter after Alice's death. Perhaps a book from the daughter's perspective might be next?

Overall I enjoyed this book; it was a quick read especially as it progressed.

If a Poem Could Live and Breathe is based on the beautiful letters that Teddy and Alice shared. The world was changing, and their letters and diary entries show the historic events and the growing love the two had for each other. Their love story was one for the history books, and I am so glad those memories were preserved enough for Mary Calvi to write this wonderful story.

This is a story about Teddy Roosevelt meeting and wooing his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee. Although it took me awhile to get into this book, I found that my interest in historical fiction and romance collided and the book improved immensely. Both Teddy and Alice came from wealthy families and they were both very smart. In the 1880s women were just starting to be accepted to Harvard (Radcliffe) and Alice wanted to go there but her mother was dead set against it. Nevertheless, she hung out with Harvard men, along with her cousin and girlfriends and it made for some interesting pairings.

I learned a lot about Teddy Roosevelt and fact checked some of the situations in the book. It helped that the author used the actual letters they sent to each other. It made me miss the art of letter writing that we hardly ever do today.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It brings to life the personalities of one of our most famous presidents, Theodore Roosevelt., as well as his family and, of course,, Alice.

A fact-based romantic speculative novel about Teddy Roosevelt’s first love

My grandfather was a big fan of Teddy Roosevelt. It could have been from when his dad told him about Roosevelt coming to North Dakota and also telling him this story.

Alice Lee was a beautiful woman from Boston. In 1878, she set out to shatter the idea of women in previous generations. Women are fighting for freedom and educational opportunities and Alice is one of those women. Looking to shake things up.

Teddy Roosevelt is a Harvard student on a journey of his own. Both exploring, discovering new territories, and each other. When Teddy meets Alice, he is smitten. The love they had was never replicated. They had a child and when Alice dies, he returns and eventually becomes President.

This beautiful look at the poems and love letters they wrote is touching. It shows a different side to Roosevelt and explains some of his behavior. One thing I noted was the fact that he never let anyone say Alice in front of him. Such love.

A wonderful look at the power of first love and loss and how it shapes our lives.

NetGalley/February 14th, 2023 by St. Martin’s Press

I have to admit is has been a long time since a book has stirred up this kind of emotions in me. The author gives us a very personal history of Teddy Roosevelt and his first true love. The book is warm and tender but left me crying at the end. When people think of Teddy, they kink of President of the United States not a romantic man. Their love letters to each other are so real and from the heart they can truly touch the soul. I found an interesting thread throughout the book about a red-headed bird which would be seen by Alice and Teddy whenever something important in their lives was about to happen. They both loved birds and Teddy could imitate many bird songs which enchanted Alice. Their love story was one for the history books and I am so glad many of those memories were preserved enough for Mary Calvi to be able to write this wonderful story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

“I’m to the threshold, turning the creaky knob, opening the door to the madness.”

“Make me suffer a hundred broken bones to bring back my love.”

“…courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”

I haven’t felt this conflicted in a review in a while. I really LOVED parts of the book. The problem for me, is that the writing was inconstant and mostly boring. Out of 46 chapters, I loved 15 of them. The other 31 chapters dragged, felt ridiculous, silly, unnecessary and I’ve never fallen asleep more reading a book than with this one. Talk about snooze fest.

The chapters rotate between the “PAST” and the “PRESENT”
The “PRESENT” is written in first person (I am, I feel) and the “PAST” chapters are written in third person. (She, her, him etc) I can understand why the author did this, but it felt like I was reading two different books and the writing was more impactful in the first-person perspective. I wish it would have stayed consistent.

I think the author was trying too hard at times to make the book feel like a "poem." to reflect the title, If a Poem Could Live and Breathe. It had an abundance of metaphors and long winded, descriptions. This only really worked in the “PRESENT” first person chapters.

When Rosevelt met Alice, he was instantly besotted. Yes, that’s a well-known fact. HOWEVER, for 90% of the time, Rosevelt comes across as a teenage boy, meeting his celebrity crush. It was flowery, ridiculous and overly dramatic.

A couple times, the characters quoted Shakespeare but there was no explanation that it was Shakespeare which was strange. Not everyone is going to recognize a quote from Henry the IV.

OVRALL:
Some of this was done beautifully but the rest was ok at best. I wish It could have been five stars. The plot had such potential, but for me, it fell flat.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Characters/Depth/Growth - 4
Atmosphere/World - 6
Writing Style - 5
Plot - 5
Intrigue -4
Love/Relationships - 8
Enjoyment/Memorable - 7

I was give a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the author, Mary Calvi, and St. Martin's Press.

If a Poem Could Live and Breathe is a beautifully written story about Teddy & Alice's love story. We meet them at a time that they are coming of age and discovering themselves and their place in the world. Alice is clever and intelligent and outspoken. Teddy is hardworking and determined, if a little quirky .

The book is very reminiscent of the time of the Bronte's, which unfortunately did not work for me, personally. It felt more pretentious than it needed to be.

I can go either way on this book. There is such beautiful descriptions that really bring the world to life, but it is also very cumbersome to get through.
My favourite character in the entire book was Slippers.

Happy Reading!