historical fiction, focused on the women accompanying the most powerful people in history (in this case, Teddy Roosevelt) is one of my favorite sub-genres to read. Alice Roosevelt's story in American Princess is no exception. I classify this as smart brain candy - it's very readable and slightly salacious, but by no means silly or poorly written. If you liked The Kennedy Debutante or any of Philippa Gregory's books, I think you'll really enjoy this one.

I really liked this book. It's a little long at 448 pages, but it also spans 96 years of Alice Roosevelt's life. I knew very little about Alice prior to reading this book. She was an interesting lady. Very ahead of her time with the stunts she was pulling in the early 1900's.

I liked Stephanie Marie Thornton's writing and will look for more of her books. She was thorough without being to wordy. This book could have easily have been hundreds of pages longer but it was nice that she condensed it.

In the author's notes Marie talks about how she kept to the facts with a few timeline changes to get details into the book without jumping years. I love historical fiction that has a lot of true stories included!

Alice Roosevelt is a force to be reckoned with. From the moment her father took office, Alice knew that she would make a mark on the world. However, impressing Theodore Roosevelt is a monumental task. Alice lives according to her own rules and the beliefs that her father has instilled upon her. Alice makes waves in Washington from her teenage years through adulthood, even when a Roosevelt is not in office. Alice would love to find love, but that aspect of her life seems to continuously fall through the cracks. As Alice survives the years and the ups and downs of Washington, she make friends and enemies but is respected by all.

I love learning about lesser known historical figures. I of course knew about Theodore Roosevelt and the many things that he had accomplished while in office. I have even visited the site where the book begins. However, I have not heard much about Alice except for a few quotes. From the moment the Roosevelt's find out that Theodore will be President, I knew that I would like Alice. Her character has immeasurable strength and conviction that is paired with a wildness that makes everything more exciting. I was surprised at the many things that Alice was able to accomplish both large and small- from having a color named after her to helping her father with international relations, Alice was influential in both the social and political spheres. While Alice's public life was filled with escapades, her personal life was just as engrossing. Her relationship with Nicholas Longworth would be fodder for every tabloid if she were alive today. I was endeared by Alice's quest to please her father. Written with careful detail to historical records, American Princess creates a rich and riveting story of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a woman who earned the title of Princess and The Other Washington Monument throughout her life.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

“As juicy and enlightening as a page in Meghan Markle's diary.”—InStyle
In Stephanie Marie Thornton's novel, AMERICAN PRINCESS(BerkleyPublishing), Alice may be the president's daughter, but she's nobody's darling. As bold as her signature color Alice Blue, the gum-chewing, cigarette-smoking, poker-playing First Daughter discovers that the only way for a woman to stand out in Washington is to make waves--oceans of them. With the canny sophistication of the savviest politician on the Hill, Alice uses her celebrity to her advantage, testing the limits of her power and the seductive thrill of political entanglements.

But Washington, DC is rife with heartaches and betrayals, and when Alice falls hard for a smooth-talking congressman it will take everything this rebel has to emerge triumphant and claim her place as an American icon. As Alice soldiers through the devastation of two world wars and brazens out a cutting feud with her famous Roosevelt cousins, it's no wonder everyone in the capital refers to her as the Other Washington Monument--and Alice intends to outlast them all.

The daughter of the President of the United State, Teddy Roosevelt, Alice Roosevelt wants to stand out in Washington and she succeeds. Alice enters a scandalous affair but moves on with gusto.  I love reading novels about real-life woman who are obscure and haven't had a book written about them. Stephanie Marie Thornton's, AMERICAN PRINCESS does not disappoint.

Alice Roosevelt is known as one of America’s most scandalous First Daughters. American Princess begins when Alice Roosevelt’s father, Teddy, becomes the President of America, and Alice moves into the White House. Alice defies to maintain a good reputation as a First Daughter and rebels against the social standards of her time. Alice falls instantly in love with a much older congressman and is determined to marry him at all costs. This novel chronicles Alice’s flagrant life including her famous feud with Eleanor Roosevelt and her turbulent marriage to Nicholas Longworth.

Alice is a really appealing and charismatic figure. She is spoiled, rebellious, hot-headed, and determined to have her own way. This makes it hard on her parents because they can hardly control her. She defies the standards of what a good daughter of the President should be. Alice was very notorious. She would often smoke in public, chew gum, and loved to wear pants. She loves going to parties, driving fast in her car, and often hangs out with males unaccompanied. This made her a woman that loved to captivate and win America’s attention. However, Alice was at times very insecure and was a woman that wanted to be loved. Thus, Alice was an endearing character.

Overall, this novel is about first love, persistence, and breaking society barriers. Except for Alice, I found the characters to be one-dimensional with not much character-growth. The pacing of the novel was very uneven. Some parts of the novel were slow while some were rushed. I would also have liked more development and focus on her later years rather than her early years. Still, this novel was very engrossing. It magically transports you to the Gilded Age where you get to meet famous historical figures like Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt and even Empress Dowager Cixi! American Princess does a captivating job in bringing a remarkable woman to life. I recommend this novel to fans of The Kennedy Debutante, The American Duchess, and America’s First Daughter.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It it a complete five stars for me! Alice Roosevelt was such a character. I loved reading her story!

I love all the things written by Stephanie Thornton so I was thrilled when this book came out.

I loved it. I never had too much interest in the Roosevelts though I'd certainly read about them as a history buff...but Alice Roosevelt was an interesting character, a ballsy woman that Thornton brought to life with her feelings and her story. I really enjoyed getting lost in the tale and getting a feel for the way American life must have been in the time of the Roosevelt era.

Thornton developed Alice well, and even her impulsiveness and bold attitude made sense (which is hard to do, given that women at that time were more conservative, so to make a bold character come alive rationally is tough).

Loved this book. Fabulously written.

As the title says, this is a novel of Alice Roosevelt, the eldest daughter of Theodore Roosevelt. Always having a complicated relationship with her father, she adored him but he kept her at arms length since she reminded him too much of her deceased mother, the love of Teddy's life. Yet she was easily the most like him in personality; unapologetically strong willed, strong minded, and outspoken with a quick wit, she was likely trying to emulate him to gain his approval, and in the process made herself into one of the most fascinating characters in American political families. The daughter of this larger-than-life American president is often in her father's shadow, but deserves her own spotlight, and this book more than does her justice. I knew from the moment I started reading this, from the very first paragraph, that I would love this book and Thornton's portrayal of Alice, and I did. So well written with such great characters, this is definitely not one to miss.

A novel about Alice Roosevelt Longworth would seem to be a slam-dunk for a sparky book, but Stephanie Marie Thornton's novel is strangely inert and Alice is not very appealing. A struggle to get through.

LOVED this book!! Stephanie did such an amazing job making me feel like I now really KNOW Alice Roosevelt. I thought she was the perfect pick to do a book on -- not a lot has been written about her -- and she covered it beautifully!! Her research is perfect and I enjoyed this book more than I can say!!

I really enjoyed this look at a person about whom I didn't have much previous knowledge. The early to mid years of Alice Roosevelt were characterized by her vying for her father's affection, finding her own place in the world, and dealing with the numerous tragedies that came her way. Added to that were the numerous scandals that also helped make this such an interesting read. The author's thorough research was evident and appreciated, including her note of where she took some liberties. I especially enjoyed the later parts of the book where stories of Alice with other historical figures of the 20th century were noted.

Any time an author attempts to write a biographical account of a person who lived as long as Alice Roosevelt did it is bound to be epic. Thornton captured the essence of Alice's personality throughout every single page. We see a precocious child longing for acceptance, a headstrong and flamboyant young adult, and a woman filled with both wisdom and passion. We don't lose the depth of Alice as she gets older. If anything, we appreciate her spunk more. While Thornton readily admits to tweaking events and the timeline of Alice's life, if anything those adaptations present a more comprehensive package by which to appreciate all of the obstacles Alice dealt with. A read that exceeded my expectations.

American Princess # NetGalley
Stephanie Marie Thornton
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was excited to read this new book about Alice Roosevelt as I didn’t know much about her life story. I had high expectations but was a little let down as, to me, it was slow getting into the story. I had to lay the book aside for a few days and come back to it. I’m glad I did, as the Alice Roosevelt character became more alive. I did learn some facts about this part of history that I didn’t know. She was quite a woman and got into a lot of trouble in her lifetime, but she had love for her husband and love for her private boyfriend. I immediately had to goggle her to see what she looked like, as well as some of the other characters. It seems as much fun as she had in her lifetime, she also had many sorrows in her lifetime. If you enjoy American history, you will enjoy this new book by Stephanie Marie Thornton. 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy read of this book for an honest review.

“Merry H*ll!” What a character Alice Roosevelt turned out to be! The bold, brash, beautiful eldest daughter of Theodore and Alice Lee Roosevelt said this about herself at 86 years old,”I miss the hedonistic hellion who smoked foul-smelling cigarettes on the roof of the White House, feted mustachioed German princes and an iron-fisted Chinese empress, and inspired the rage for the color Alice Blue in the spring of 1902!”

From Washington D.C. and the White House to jaunts in the Far East to the Adirondack Mountains and Sagamore Hill, this reader thoroughly enjoyed the wild, emotional ride through the whole 96 years of Alice’s personal and political life. Stephanie Thornton, author & history teacher, takes the reader inside the workings of political campaigns, the elation and celebrations of victorious elections, and then those that ended in “agony and defeat.” The love/hate relationship that Alice endures with Nick Longworth and the gut wrenching empathy that is evoked from her desperate pleas for the love and attention of Theodore Roosevelt, left this reader needing an emotional break-but for just a quick breather, and then to return to the global impact of WW l, the fight for the League of Nations, the Depression, and many more presidential elections. Alice eventually authors her memoirs and a syndicated column for newspapers; including her views on the rise of Hitler, Edward Vlll’s abdication in Britain, and Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal-“hitting them between the eyes just as her father had.”

Such a long life -in Alice’s later years she chats with Eleanor about the United Nations and even presidential hopefuls Nixon and John F. Kennedy- who she says no one one had ever heard of!

American Princess-“Daughter of of one of America’s most beloved presidents, cousin and antagonist to another, wife of the most debonair Speaker of the House, mistress to the most famous senator of the century, mother and grandmother…. the other Washington Monument.”

Lovers of American history will relish these Theodore Roosevelt quotes: “When you’re at the end of of your rope, Sissy, tie a knot and hang on.” “Soldier on with a stiff upper lip.” And, one of Alice’s favorite’s from her cousin, Eleanor, “A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. ”

Alice, the avid reader, reflects on how Voltaire had once mused “that life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” Alice Roosevelt Longworth did endure many “shipwrecks” in her life, but then she did always remember “to sing in the lifeboat.”

In a powerful story of the dark and light sides of her life, the unconventional, unapologetic, and uninhibited Alice Roosevelt shines through the pages of Stephanie Marie Thorton’s American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt. This is a story of a truly incredible woman that I admit I knew very little about before reading this book. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read about her life, because she is truly an early feminist icon if you ask me!

Stephanie Marie Thorton is an incredibly talented writer, and Alice came to life through her words in this book. It would be sad to read about Alice Roosevelt from the present looking back, I think, because her life truly had so much darkness to it, particularly in her later years. But the Alice we see for the majority of the book is vibrant, stubborn, intelligent, sassy, and completely unapologetic for who she is.

Alice debuts onto the scene as the first daughter of the incredible Teddy Roosevelt at a debutante ball, where she is determined to be the most eligible debutante while still breaking all of the rules. And she certainly does that! Carrying a pet snake which she nicknames Emily Spinach, smoking cigarettes with her girlfriends, and staying out all night at clubs—Alice is everything that goes against what was proper for a woman at that time. And yet, despite her misbehavior, she is the darling of her father, the media, and the country.

Alice wouldn’t change who she was for any person, and some of the scenes we see with her and her friends and enemies were downright delightful to read! Alice does not hold back when someone has wronged her. She throws a mighty hex and an even mightier retort to those who have gone against her. What a woman she was!

We also see her struggle, though. Everything was not easy for Alice Roosevelt. The man she marries is a known philanderer, and Alice finds herself in an unconventional marriage that has love, support, and anger in equal measure. Indeed, I felt both frustrated with and in awe of Alice’s husband throughout the book. Shocked by his behavior, but then sold by the undying support he showed Alice at a time when a man with a good political career could shut down the jealous musing of the media about Alice’s life.

Through all of the laughs and heartbreak, I fell in love with Alice. She’s a woman who stands up for women’s rights at a time when it wasn’t common to do so. She is both bound by societal pressure on women, but also flagrantly disregards them. And when anyone dares to judge her for it, Alice finds a way to shut them down. She’s truly an icon, and I’m so happy I read this book!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.

I featured this title for women's history month and will submit a link to that post to the publisher in the next stage of this process.

Theodore Roosevelt’s election launched his eldest daughter into the national spotlight. Alice became America's sweetheart and her dress styles were copied and sold using her name. During her father’s presidency, she was constantly followed by the press and she often rebelled with her headstrong and non- conforming personality.

Alice's life started with a tragedy when her mother died two days after childbirth. When her father was unable to cope, she was looked after by his sister. Teddy soon remarried which introduced a stepmother and new siblings into her life.

This story is a realistic view of Alice's life as she progresses through failed relationships, politics and her frustrations over having to share her father with the world. This well-researched novel examines the life of a progressive woman who walked to her own beat and lived life to the fullest. I really enjoyed ”American Princess” by Stephanie Marie Thornton.

From pet snakes, poker games, and smoking on the White House roof, Alice Roosevelt doesn’t let her father Teddy’s presidency stop her good times. While her antics delight, it’s her sharp political insights that fascinate. A vivid, not-to-be-missed portrait of the unconventional First Daughter, congressman’s wife, and mistress to a senator who became Washington’s “other” Monument.

Four stars: A fascinating read about a non conventional woman.

Alice Roosevelt is a young woman who refuses to mold herself into the societal norms for women. Even though she is the daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt, she does what she wants and says what she wants. Whether it be riding in fast cars, smoking cigarettes or speaking her mind. Alice is a force to be reckoned with. This is her story. A life of privilege, heartbreak, scandal and betrayal. Through it all, she holds her own and never gives in. Do you know Alice Roosevelt?
What I Liked:
*I went into this one knowing absolutely nothing about Alice Roosevelt. What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be. Alice was a fascinating person. I loved her spunk, her fearless attitude and her unwillingness to bend to societal expectations. She was an amazing woman.
*I loved that the author did plenty of research on Alice and many of the quotes in the book are pulled directly from history, including Teddy Roosevelt’s quip about managing her. I appreciated the attention to detail and the time the author spent researching Alice.
*Alice is unforgettable. I loved that she was always her own person, and I adored her wild streak. Alice is smart, sassy and she was a force to be reckoned with. Even as she aged, Alice was still a part of the political scene. She even spends time with the Kennedys. I was fascinated and intrigued by Alice, and I loved her spunk and determination.
*It was interesting to me to see Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt through Alice’s eyes. Alice was related to both of them, but their relationship was prickly. After all the feuding and the ugliness, the two women eventually reach an accord, which I though was wonderful.
*When it came to scandal and Alice’s relationships, this was definitely an eye opening read. Even a hundred years ago, there was plenty of soap opera material. Alice’s marriage was messy and complicated. It was interesting to see how people handled infidelity back then.
*At the end of the book there is an author’s note where Ms. Thornton discusses the liberties she took with the story. Even though I was disappointed to read that some of the stuff was fiction, I appreciated that the author disclosed what wasn’t true.
And The Not So Much:
*I was disappointed that some of the big events of the 20th Century were glossed over. I wanted so much more on how the Roosevelt’s dealt with the Depression and World War II. There wasn’t enough information for me.
*I didn’t like that the author put Eleanor Roosevelt behind the wheel of the teapot mobile. Not sure why she did that.
*I wish that there was more on Alice’s relationship with her daughter. I wanted a better understanding of why the two had a miserable relationship.

American Princess was a fascinating and informative read. I knew nothing about Alice Roosevelt before reading this book, and now I know what an amazing and interesting woman she was. I loved Alice. This is an excellent read that I highly recommend.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Alice Roosevelt, daughter of the president, wife of the Speaker of the House, mistress of a Senator... america’s princess!

This was a compelling book about a remarkable woman! Alice Roosevelt was bold and brash and blunt. She realized in order for A woman to be noticed in Washington she needed to shake things up, so shake things up she did! From smoking on the White House roof to publicly opposing her cousin FDR when he was running for president. Alice was always marching to the beat of her own darn drum!

Alice’s 96 years were filled with triumph, heartbreak, politics, tragedy, scandal, and love. She was a strong and smart woman, well ahead of her time. At one point in this book Helen Taft the wife of William Taft, told Alice that it was a woman’s only job to make sure her husband was happy. This was something that Alice absolutely did not prescribed to. She had tenuous marriage to a congressman Nick Longworth, who later became the speaker of the house. But she never lost sight of who she was or what she stood for. She was never afraid to voice her opinion, in fact she strongly opposed FDR when he was running for president. Despite the fact that Eleanor and her were raised together, there was no love lost between these two ladies.

Alice was a amazing and memorable person. I enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book Learning about Alice and what part she played in America’s history. I also now admire, respect, and adore her. Could not help but wonder how all of this would have played out today with all the social media the instant information? So much scandal that they seem to be able to keep from the public, I wonder if that could possibly happen today?

This was a fabulous book about a fascinating woman that I am so grateful to have learned more about! There really is nothing better than a book that teaches you something you didn’t already know. Absolutely recommend!

*** many thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book ***