I loved this book. I was swept away by the prose and the storyline.

I feel as though the impact she had on the history of Great Britain shouldn’t be overlooked, and this novel gave her a moment to shine. They say behind all great men is a great woman, and she was indeed that.

My only wish is that this could have been part of a series.

This book was about the American mother of Winston Churchill and the family politics that she endured. She was already wealthy and privileged herself, but when she marries the Duke her life completely changes. I found this book a little boring at times, even though I like historical fiction. I never knew anything about Winston Churchill's parents so it was interesting from a history lesson standpoint.

The life of Jennie Jerome, the American mother of Winston Churchill. I was intrigued by this book as it was about a person and era that I did not know much about. Unfortunately, the Jennie that I found here was not all that interesting. It seemed like it was about house party after house party and not much substance.

I'm not sure if it was the characters or how the author decided to portray the characters but I only found this book to be average. While I enjoyed reading about the Churchill family I found I didn't much care about what happened to them. The story seemed to not truly have a defined focus. The flashbacks to when Jennie was a child seemed overdone and could have served their purpose with a narrower lens. Without having read anything previously about Winston Churchill's childhood, this book did provide some good insight into why and how he became the man that he did.

Wealthy, privileged, and fiercely independent New Yorker Jennie Jerome took Victorian England by storm when she landed on its shores. As Lady Randolph Churchill, she gave birth to a man who defined the twentieth century: her son Winston. But Jennie--reared in the luxury of Gilded Age Newport and the Paris of the Second Empire--lived an outrageously modern life all her own, filled with controversy, passion, tragedy, and triumph.

When the nineteen-year-old beauty agrees to marry the son of a duke she has known only three days, she's instantly swept up in a whirlwind of British politics and the breathless social climbing of the Marlborough House Set, the reckless men who surround Bertie, Prince of Wales. Raised to think for herself and careless of English society rules, the new Lady Randolph Churchill quickly becomes a London sensation: adored by some, despised by others.

Artistically gifted and politically shrewd, she shapes her husband's rise in Parliament and her young son's difficult passage through boyhood. But as the family's influence soars, scandals explode and tragedy befalls the Churchills. Jennie is inescapably drawn to the brilliant and seductive Count Charles Kinsky--diplomat, skilled horse-racer, deeply passionate lover. Their impossible affair only intensifies as Randolph Churchill's sanity frays, and Jennie--a woman whose every move on the public stage is judged--must walk a tightrope between duty and desire. Forced to decide where her heart truly belongs, Jennie risks everything--even her son--and disrupts lives, including her own, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Breathing new life into Jennie's legacy and the gilded world over which she reigned, That Churchill Woman paints a portrait of the difficult--and sometimes impossible--balance between love, freedom, and obligation, while capturing the spirit of an unforgettable woman, one who altered the course of history.

Churchill's mother was an American. She marries a duke and immediately is immersed in royal politics and goings on. It wasn't ground breaking, but pretty solid in the recitation of facts of her crazy life.

Americans in the turn of the century were a source of political ambush, sexual dalliances, and general drama not unlike we would see on soap operas today. And Jenny Jerome was no different, despite being in a different world, Paris. Amidst counterparts of Alva Vanderbilt, Jennie is portrayed as a headstrong woman, looking for love outside of her hasty marriage to Mr. Churchill. Her vitality is imbibed with first her affair with a Frenchman, and then later with the political career of her son Winston. Fascinating to see the women of the time as the forces behind much of the world's changes of the time. A well written book that will bring much insight to the parentage of one of the greatest men of the 20th century.

"That Churchill Woman" is a rare historical novel. Unless you already know a great deal about Jennie Jerome Churchill, it's unpredictable. It features a set-up made for historical fiction: the wealthy American heiress who marries British aristocracy and yet goes on to have powerful emotional connections elsewhere in her life. (No spoilers, I promise.) And the characters are for the most part sympathetic and engaging.

What's great: A Scottie dog appears. Yes, I might be biased.

What's iffier: The ending of the book is a bit rapid, and while I could follow the decisions of the characters for the majority of the book, there's a point here where I felt our lead character's decisions were out-of-the-blue. That was made more clear when just a page later in the afterward, we find out major details of Jennie's life that weren't placed within the novel's pages, which begged the question of why the book ended where it did.

A very interesting historical account of the life of Winston Churchill's mother, Jennie Jerome. I knew nothing of her or of his upbringing. I certainly knew nothing about his father. Wish I had. Anyways, while I enjoyed this book and I very much enjoyed learning new characters, this book was a bore. I slogged through it. Ugh, even skipping parts to just get to the story.

I really enjoyed the book and learning about the woman behind such a powerful 20th century figure. We have purchased this item for our collection and have also received positive feedback from our patrons, I do think there are slight elements where things have been tied up a little too quickly - I feel as if the other could have spent a bit more time on those.

Full disclosure, I received this copy as an ARC through Netgalley. I chose the novel because of my love of history, and in particular, Winston Churchill. That Churchill Woman is a portrait of Winston's America-born mother and socialite who grew up during the Gilded Age when Newport society was in its heyday. What I think Barron does best is frame the former Jennie Jerome as she grew into her own power in British society; first meeting and becoming engaged to Lord Randolph at dizzying speed, then having her two sons, one of whom grew up to save the British Empire. Behind the scenes is where Lady Randolph dazzles within the author's prose as we see her secretly correcting and advising her husband's speeches for Parliament, charming those in the highest circles of the British country house set, the pinnacle of which is Bertie, HRH the Prince of Wales. Hated by some, loved by others, an American in British society can be celebrity, pariah or an amalgam of both. The former Jennie Jerome is profiled in this book as a loyal wife to Lord Randolph up until the bitter end when he dies of the advanced stages of syphilis, a loving mother to Win and his brother, despite the children always at boarding school (the times, you know), and a passionate lover to Charles Kinsky. The latter remained captivated by her but to her credit, Lady Randolph knew her station in society and compartmentalized her passion for Charles against the tragedy that she knew would befall her boys and husband should she leave her marriage. Discretion, after all, was the unwritten rule and motto of the English County house set. Overall, Barron does a masterful job of profiling this complex woman who integrated a rigid system and stood her ground and carved out her individuality while working within its parameters. Under- girded by a wealth of historical biographical sources including surviving letters, Barron has crafted a keen portrait of this fascinating woman that has left me looking for the next biography on Lady Randolph.

Im afraid this read a little lifelessly for me. I get that the author did her research, and I appreciate it, but the history was rather heavily applied and the foreshadowing/characterization were a bit broad for me.

This gorgeous novelized biography of Jennie Churchill presents a new view of Winston’s American-born mother that drew me from the start.

Written in lush language that holds the reader as close as a lover, it reveals a woman who is not the tart who slept with 200 men and shamelessly neglected her two children. But rather a brilliant beauty who skillfully advanced the career of her husband, Lord Randolph, who remained married to him despite his advancing syphilis, his homosexuality.

At the heart of the story is the star-crossed romance with soulmate Count Charles Kinsky. Oh how they loved each other! Oh how circumstances prevented their being together.

After Randolph’s death she went on to marry two other times. Upon learning of her second marriage, Kinsky sent her a black-bordered card with just three words in French: “Toujours en deuil. Always in mourning.”

One wonders what her life would have been like had she married Kinsky, how Winston’s might have altered.

We will never know. At 67, she broke her ankle tripping down the stairs in fashionable Italian high heels. Gangrene led to amputation of her leg above the knee, resulting in complications that killed her three weeks later.

I mourn this spirited woman who refused to be controlled by others, whose American nature gave her a sense of freedom that eluded her English female peers.

I thank her for birthing and inspiring a son, my favorite figure in history, who kept Western Civilization alive while England stood alone against Hitler.

I thank author Stephanie Barron for giving us Jennie in full resplendent glory!

I absolutely loved this novel. The writing style was excellent and the author really brought Lady Churchill alive. She had a complicated life but she handled it all with her head held high and character intact. It was interesting to learn about her close relationship with her father who told her she was as good as any princess and that after her beloved sister Camille died at 7 "she now had to live for both of them"'. And she did. I was a little disappointed at the end when she and her true love Charles Kinsky did not get together after her husband died of syphilis but I could understand her hesitancy. The book sheds a bright light on the early life of her older son, Winston. It was sad that he tried unsuccessfully to win his father's affection but simply couldn't. I couldn't put this book down, it was so good. I highly recommend this novel to all lovers of historical fiction.

The cover and the summary hooked me in and I had to read it. I am so glad Netgalley gave this to me!

The story follows Winston's mother, Jennie, who was a legend herself in a different way. She is an American who marries a British politician. She helps shape him and his rise in Parliament. As the Churchills' popularity soars, Jennie is forced to deal with her husband's sanity and health decline. Due to this she walks a dangerous line of duty and desire.

First of all...I LOVE THE COVER SO MUCH!!! Simple, but beautiful!

Now, I did feel for Jennie....but I didn't really like her much. I understand her loneliness and the whole the heart-wants-what-the heart-wants. Her husband even before he gets sick in body and mind, is a jerk. I get it. However, I wanted to smack her. I also wanted to smack Charles. He was an asshat too. WHAT DO YOU SEE IN HIM JENNIE????? Especially near the end there. Gods Charles was so dumb. Sighs.

Jennie DID get better when she got a backbone. It took 75% of the book, but I did warm-up to her more. However, I still wanted to give her a lecture.

Loved Winston's POVs. He didn't get a lot, but as he got older we got to see a young Winston. Bless his heart. I do want to see more from him in his youth. That will be fun.

I did really enjoy the writing style. The author really did bring the past to life and the characters were really developed. The author showed the horrible and glorious parts of society. Those people could be evil like that Minnie character. Oooo! She was something indeed.

My biggest issue was the changing POVs. Yes, I did love Winston's, but I really wanted this to solely focus on Jennie. She is our star and I felt she was just another character. Maybe that is why I didn't connect with her until near the end? Not sure, but I do feel like she needed more spotlight.

Not amazing, but I did enjoy it. It took a bit to get sucked in like I wanted, but I was curious and did enjoy it. This was overall okay. This is a good one for HF lovers like me. I'll give this a 3 overall.

Stephanie Barron's new novel, That Churchill Woman blends historical scandal with a manners novel.  Throughout the book, Jennie Jerome shows incredible loyalty to her husband, Randolph Churchill, helping him with his Parliament career and hiding his secrets, while she privately indulges in many flirtations and a serious affair. 

There was a special open-secret aspect to the upper-class affairs in this novel. As long as no one said anything too dramatic or raised any children who were obviously not their father's, it seemed like the whole crowd turned a blind eye to extramarital affairs. This was an interesting class note in itself, since emotional scenes were seen as lowerclass, while there would be a whole drama of inheritances with any illegitimate children. Divorce, on the other hand, was a social and financial disaster.

I loved meeting the other American girls who'd married into British peerage, and I loved the sneaky, gossipy plotting. (I especially loved when one of the less popular girls, Minnie Paget, who turns her English connections into a sort of business, doing introductions for Americans, and the others discuss whether they ought to pay her to avoid her  social attacks.)

Obviously Jennie is Winston Churchill's mother, but I didn't love the Winston Churchill scenes as much as I liked the rest of the book. It seemed a bit heavy to alternate discussions about how useless he was with young Winston exhibiting military talent and extreme stoicism. 

This is a great historical drama, with memorable, complex characters in beautiful European settings.

I knew almost nothing about Jennie Churchill when I picked up this book. It was fascinating to learn about her, and I especially loved the flashbacks to her childhood. She did not have a very tranquil home life! The author did a great job of drawing me into the story, and portraying her in a sympathetic manner. This would be a great title for book clubs.

The novel, That Churchill Woman, follows the life of Jennie Jerome Churchill, the mother to England's Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Stephanie Barron did a fabulous job bringing Jennie to life,

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this from the publisher Ballantine Books (Random House) through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron tells the fascinating story of Jennie Jerome Churchill. American born, she was a force to be reckoned with. She was the women behind England's greatest prime minister, Winston Churchill.
She was notorious for her Seduction of younger men, clever and cunning and was the "great woman behind the man", Including her husband.
She was married to one of the most controversial politicians, Lord Randolph Churchill a rude Englishman with an ugly temper and secret vices that made the marriage a sad one. Their marriage was a tumultuous one from the start, it was hard to see what Jennie saw in the man in the first place, however it's clear who the real politician was. She wrote many of her husband’s speeches. She defied convention in many ways. She had a great love affair with Count Charles Kinsky, Unfortunately, it doesn’t end happily ever after.
The author gave a interesting look into the inner workings of parliament. While reading about Jennie Churchill, there were times I disliked her and times I was fascinated by her. She was a neglectful mother to be sure, but clearly loved her boys, I think the rules and convention of the times prevented her from doing so, she hardly payed attention to either of her sons when they were young, however as Winston grew into adulthood her attention and influence increased.
The author writes wonderfully and really gives the reader a glimpse into the life of this woman. That ChurchIll Women is full of intrigue, romance and drama. A great read to be sure!

Review is posted on both Goodreads and Amazon.

I looked forward to reading this book. Sadly it was disappointing. It goes back and forth in time, but when it took me back to the past it made no sense.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you,Netgalley.
All opinions are my own.