Once again, bestselling author Marie Benedict turns her keen, sharp eye to one of history’s most famous and intriguing women --- Clementine Churchill, the wife of Winston Churchill, the great historic figure who led Britain to victory during World War II. As controversial, complex and larger than life as Winston’s legacy looms in our minds, it was Clementine who was his secret weapon, guiding him through not only personal relationships, but military strategies and political endeavors as well. In LADY CLEMENTINE, Benedict shines a light on the woman behind the man, proving to us that behind every great man is an even greater woman.

The novel begins on the morning of Clementine’s wedding to Winston. She is only 23 years old, and though her family holds some noble titles, Winston’s stardom is already on the rise, and the social and economic disparities between the two worry Clementine --- or, as Winston calls her, Clemmie. Looking back, Clementine recounts her courtship with Winston, a love affair marked not by roses and candlelight but by a sparring of equally matched and impressively open minds. The two are simply dazzled by one another, and although Winston is far her senior, he makes it clear that he has never met a woman quite as brilliant, strong and steadfast as his Clemmie.

Their marriage coincides with some impressive career moves for young Winston, but even more impressive is the ease with which Clementine slides into political life. She is not only the wife of a nobleman with a strong lineage, but an agile and deft planner of parties, career changes and interpersonal relationships, something that Winston himself struggles with. Where Clementine is expected to be supportive and intuitive, she is, but she is so much more than that: in addition to hosting fellow members of state at lavish cocktail parties, she doubles as Winston’s partner in speech writing and preparing. When he strikes the wrong note, she has no trouble explaining how and why --- but even better, he has no issue taking her advice to heart, which may surprise those who know Winston Churchill only by his Bulldog persona.

As the first World War looms over the horizon, Winston’s keen eye and ability to track political partnerships reveals itself to be intuitive, smart and constantly on watch. But at the same time, his politics seem to be shifting somewhat. Clementine, who fell in love with the controversial young liberal, begins to wonder who the man next to her really is, with his obsession with naval power and glory. Those who are familiar with Winston’s politics and party-switching will find this side of him fascinating --- to see how his changing and dissonant mind affects not only his public persona but also his personal one is totally illuminating. And still, it is Clementine who is the star.

Of course, there can be no book about Clementine and Winston without commentary on their union --- a love bound by intellect, moral compatibility, and a deep and admiring friendship. Though romance is not the focus of LADY CLEMENTINE, I found the passages exploring the depths of their love to be some of the most moving. Their union was one that stood the test not only of time, but of their own tempers, faults and the pressures put upon them by their beloved country. Benedict does not shy away from revealing Clementine and Winston’s riffs and bouts of anger, but she does so with a tenderness and compassion that she has brought to all of her books --- and it is this quality that makes them so compulsively readable and enjoyable.

The Clementine portrayed in Benedict’s stellar book is a woman of tremendous fortitude. She is smart, opinionated, devoted and, above all, independent. Even when Winston becomes Prime Minister and her life is on display as never before, Clementine continues to push the boundaries of what women in her time are expected to do, including getting involved with the war movement. But the Clementine who Benedict shares with us is not only a political powerhouse --- she is a mother constantly worried that she is not doing enough for her children, a wife who carefully watches women with devious intentions, and a woman who struggles with bouts of sadness and hopelessness just like the rest of us.

That Benedict can so expertly expose and unpack every side of this incredible woman is not unexpected, as her novels about famous female figures have all been outstanding. But she truly pushes herself here, covering a broader range of time than ever before, and writing about two wars, a changing Britain and everything in between. I am always amazed at the seemingly effortless way in which Benedict embodies her subjects, and LADY CLEMENTINE is no exception; in fact, it may be her best book yet.

Miss hozier is staying at lady st heliers mansion and her dressing gown is set to the side. She has unexpected actions as her wedding needs. I couldn't connect with the characters

Lady Clementine is the story of Winston Churchill's wife Clementine and how her relationship with Churchill went beyond your average love story, but included a secret partnership between them which helped to dictate history.

Lady Clementine's roll in Churchill's life went far beyond just having his children and planning meals for statesmen. She was Churchill's confidante, public relations person, speech writer and perhaps most important of all advocate for the men and women (especially the women) of England.

Barely tolerated by Churchill's cabinet, Clementine attended all meetings and sat with Churchill during most working dinners digesting all that was being said. She and Churchill would then as equals go back and make many state decisions. Sometimes even persuading him in another direction when she felt he was off track. She was a strong voice for a man who needed advice.

But even in her capacity as a powerful voice, Clementine was also a woman with anxieties and doubts about maternal instincts. Unsure how to raise children and always traveling, she never felt a bonding with her children. And as a mother who lost a child at the age of two while she was away, never fully recovered from these beliefs. She also had jealousies and was insecure being a woman in a man's world.

During World War II Clementine was the most powerful voice for the people of England. She was the designer of better bomb shelters for the families who had lost their houses during the raids. She demanded upgraded resources in them so the families would not feel as if they were living in poverty. She understood that most of these families had someone fighting in this war.

She was a strong force against most of the Cabinet to get women working in the factories while the men at war. She demanded that her family stay in London during the war instead of moving to the countryside.
Against all orders, Clementine would take her turn at night looking for fires from the bombs being dropped as a fire watcher. Although Churchill insisted she have security, when they were in London she participated. She truly was his secret weapon.

One of the most poignant accounts begins when Clementine Churchill meets Eleanor Roosevelt. When President Roosevelt was unable to travel for meetings with Churchill he instead sent his wife. At first leery of each other, they soon realized they were very similar in nature with strong backbones to their respective powerful husbands. They develop a respect for each other no one other than they could fully understand.

Once again Marie Benedict finds another powerful, embolden woman to write about in her effective storytelling way. A woman who was certainly way ahead of her time.

Thank you #NetGalley #SourcebooksLandmark #MarieBenedict #LadyClementine for the advanced copy.

Clementine Churchill was a true heroine. She was the backbone that held the Churchills together. She was the inspiration to Winston and their children. I have always adored Winston Churchill (I mean, who doesn't?) but now I can add Clemmie to my list of inspirational women!

From the genius of Marie Benedict, author of "Carnegie's Maid" and "The Only Woman in the Room"comes this exceptional story of one truly remarkable woman; Lady Clementine, also known as Mrs. Winston Churchill.

The story unfolds with Lady Clementine stepping off the train as the new bride to one of England's most beloved and most hated politician.
A crowd surrounds them on the train platform, and Winston is pushed in front of an oncoming train, except with a quick reaction Lady Clementine pulls Winston from sudden death.
And so begins the political life of Lady Clementine, and a life time of saving Winston, often from himself.
This story takes us behind the scenes and high drama of living with "the larger than life" husband Winston Churchill. We come to know Clementine as industrious, ambitious, highly intelligent but often sad. This is the story you didnt know.
This is the story of an incredible woman who defied the times and the odds during the darkest days of British modern history, and became a powerhouse, a not to be dismissed as just " Winston's wife".

5stars

Thank you NetGalley, Source Books Landmark and the author Ms. Marie Benedict for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "Lady Clementine". The opinions in this review are mine alone.

I learned so much from this book. I love history and learning about Mrs. Churchill was fascinating. It showed how she stood by her husband not only through World War II, but throughout all of their married life. Mr. Churchill was quite the statesman, but I think with his wife giving him her support, she made him even greater. A very good book that I highly recommend.

Lady Clementine, by Marie Benedict, is an engaging narrative of the relationship of Winston and Clementine Churchill and the vital role she played throughout the better part of the 20th Century. As with her previous work, Benedict brings to the forefront the contributions of a woman whose work has been marginalized or otherwise bereft of the recognition it deserves. This book is told by Lady Clementine in a series of flashbacks, dating from her first meeting with Winston to the end of World War II. It is her memories, conflicts, and emotions that color the story.

I think it is well recognized that this couple had a warm, loving, and successful marriage and a partnership that included Winston’s reliance on Clementine’s judgment and advice. Like her wartime counterpart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Clementine also served as her spouse’s eyes and ears and took on huge projects to help the British people through the Depression and World Wars. What was unsettling was the degree to which she needed to be needed and devoured recognition from her husband and outsiders. I don’t know whether this was a function of the novel’s structure, the author’s speculation, or historical fact.

I enjoyed this book, and I learned a great deal of the British experience during WWII. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Clementine gives us another opportunity to explore the life of an unsung women of history. This book gives us the tale of Winston Churchill's wife, Clementine, who he often referred to as his secret weapon. This book showcased their lives brilliantly and I loved walking away with it knowing more than I went into it knowing. Marie Benedict writes strongly and is very informative without slipping into dry territory. My only negative about this book would be that it didn't hold my attention super well. I really liked the topic but not enough to plough through the book. I have been loving all of Marie Benedict's history of women books and can't wait to see who she writes about next.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for providing me an advance copy for an honest review!

I wanted to like this book but it was just tedious. It's a "woman behind the man" book but it could have just been a history textbook from a female perspective. It was a listing of events and facts told by a fictionalized version of Mrs. Clementine Churchill. The story itself was interesting enough but the writing was bland and slow.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love Marie Benedict's historical fiction, she always puts women at the forefront of her stories and that makes my feminist heart sing! Another great addition to her repertoire and for fans of historical fiction.

BRAVO to Benedict for pulling an important character out from the shadow of her husband. I kept thinking about the strength of Lady Clementine and thought how amazing it was that both she and Eleanor Roosevelt did so much to help their countries during World War, too. My NetGalley version didn’t have an afterword to tell how life treated Lady Clementine after World War II, so I had to look it up. I agree that the author ended the story at the right place.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "Lady Clementine" by Marie Benedict. I have previously read a book from this author and really enjoyed it. This time, it was okay. I could not relate to Clementine Churchill in any way. The timeline jumps around too much. I may return to re-read this book at another time. This book may interest other readers more!

I requested this book because we are currently running a promotion of Lady Clementine for Sourcebooks marketing, and thus useful for me to know the story outline (which I enjoyed very much). The book did very well with our member-reviewers - scoring 4.5 average so in addition to the First Impressions Promotion coverage, we will be featuring it as an "Editor's Choice" recommendation in early Feb, at which time links will be sent to Tiffany and Valerie.

I was excited to read this book as I've just gotten interested in The Crown. I know, I'm late to the game. I know virtually nothing about this period in time and most especially Winston Churchill or his wife. I've read other books written by Marie Benedict and I really enjoyed them and this book is no exception.

This book shows the love and support between the two of them and all their flaws included. This book is very detailed about a lifestyle that I know nothing about, so some things that happened seemed weird to me, but that is the difference between the UK and US. Sometimes it seemed that the history took over and at those times things moved very slowly. Other than those few places I thought the book was well written and it makes me want to find out more about the real woman, not just this fictionalized account of her.

Rating: 4 stars

Marie Benedict’s latest offering is a historical fiction account of Winston Churchill’s wife, Clementine. (Pronounce the name like ‘Josephine’. This was helpful information for this American reader who prior to reading this book pronounced the name ‘klem-un-tine’ like a fork tine.) The story starts on the eve of Clementine’s wedding to Churchill in 1908, and ends at the end of World War II. This was a power couple before the coining of that term. Benedict’s portrayal of Clementine is of the unsung hero who saved Churchill’s bacon on many occasions, and who was the power behind that throne.

What struck me in details of their story was how much Clementine had to work extra hard to stay in her proper place behind the scenes, but still be the sounding board and helpmate that Winston heavily depended on. She was his ‘Cat’, and he her ‘Pug’. Together they had five children, weathered two World Wars, and bobbed upon the vicissitudes of British politics. They were often short of money, and apart for large amounts of time. Clementine kept the stiff upper lip and carried on as best she could through it all.

However, her carrying on as best she could was not without a personal toll. Like her husband, she suffered from depression. Unlike her narcissistic husband, she could not lean on him. More than once, she went away for a rest cure. She often left her children for long periods of times, even taking a months-long cruise with friends but without the children or Winston. I was reminded what a different era that was where it was considered socially acceptable to leave young children in the care of a nanny or governess for months at a time.

This was an engrossing looked at both the private and public sides of Clementine Churchill. After reading this, I feel like we owe as much a debt of gratitude to her as we do her celebrated husband for working so hard to ensure victory during WWII. This was a woman of mental substance who helped shape Churchill’s public speeches. She also provided invaluable political acumen during Churchill’s ongoing battles to stop Germany’s overrunning of Europe in both of the World Wars.

After finishing this book, I was compelled to read more about the Churchill family and view their photos on Wikipedia. I read about the Churchill children, and more about both Winston and Clementine. To my way of thinking, that is a sign of a successful work of historical fiction.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark; and the author, Marie Benedict for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An informative and engaging portrait of a prominent woman throughout history. The relationship between her and Winston was fairly depicted, nothing is sugarcoated nor told through an entirely golden lens. It felt realistic, and is something that all lover's of historical fiction will want to get their hands on.

I really hadn’t thought much about Mrs Churchill, as Winston was always at the forefront of the story. This was an intriguing, albeit fictionalised, look at Clementines life and the role she played in the Prime Ministers world.

Clementine Churchill is not a woman I knew anything about. She was always a background player in any story read or movie I watched. It was time she was brought to the forefront. This novel highlights her love for and commitment to Winston. It also illustrates what a critical support a wife is, especially to a man in a position of power. She was clearly very influential and Winston valued her opinion, relied on her for support and a sounding board. I would recommend this book to any historical fiction fan.

Thanks #netgalley #sourcebooks #sbkslandmark for a free e ARC of #ladyclementine in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Clementine Churchill is the devoted wife, partner, and best friend of Winston Churchill. Lady Clementine is brilliant, ambitious, innovative, and fascinating, and she devotes all her energy and loyalty to her husband and country.

An underappreciated woman in history….

Author Marie Benedict condenses decades of history as she relates the story of Clementine Churchill. The story is rich in historical details and descriptions of events, people, and places. If you love WW1 and WW11 history from an English perspective, you might enjoy Benedict’s well-researched and candid portrayal of Lady Clementine and her various achievements.

Lady Clementine is a somewhat difficult review for me to write in the respect that I have conflicting thoughts about Lady Clementine. Although she contributed greatly to Winston Churchill’s success, the delegation of the care of their five children to the almost exclusive oversight of a nanny disappointed me. I DO think it’s possible for women to have a dual career of work and family, but Clementine clearly found the role of a nurturing parent challenging. As a result of personal stress and a zealous commitment to work, to entertain, and to support Winston, she needed frequent solo vacations…..one lasted four months. I did feel empathy for her at a few points when it seemed she might be suffering from bouts of postpartum depression, mental stress, and exhaustion. Benedict created a remarkable complete portrait of this complicated woman.

Lady Clementine was relentless in the causes and concerns to which she was committed. She was a tireless champion for women’s rights and equal opportunities for women. During WW11, her work to improve shelters for London citizens and her other work with charitable projects was impressive. However, for me, all of these positive achievements were overshadowed by her lack of involvement with her children. She did feel guilty from time to time, but she never felt convicted to put their needs before (or even on par with) her own. Her life was consumed by her partnership with Winston and service to England. Lady Clementine highly valued her contributions to Winston, the War, and the Nation, and she was disappointed that she didn’t receive the public recognition she felt she deserved for her hard work and forward thinking.

I recommend Lady Clementine as an important and thought provoking read for fans of well-researched WW1 and WW11 histfic, for readers who appreciate stories about strong, complicated, and independent women who have been overlooked in history books, and for book clubs who enjoy books that read like narrative nonfiction.

Confession: I didn't even know the name of Winston Churchill's wife until this book came along. And I am a huge WW2 historical fiction reader, but so often the names that have lived on are the powerful white men on all sides of this war.

When I saw that Marie Benedict wrote this book, I knew I had to read it. If you're not familiar with her work, her books are historical fiction and often delve into the unknown and often overlooked roles and stories of the women who were in the same rooms with those powerful men whose names we have seen in countless history books, movies and news reports.

There were part of Clementine's story that were so relatable even though it's decades later - the struggle to balance motherhood, marriage, identify and your life's purpose and work. And of course, the sheer exhaustion that comes along with that juggling act. The judgement of and misunderstandings about who we are when we don't fit the typical expectations.

There are also things that I found unrelatable about her story like the live-in nanny, the lack of hands on mothering and the lifestyle afforded to her even though she often considered her & Winston as being "poor". However, I reminded myself of the context of the time period (pre WW1 through WW2), gender roles and societal norms at the time when I found myself judging Clementine harshly.

As with any historical fiction, the author has to take license to create dialogue, motivations for actions and fill in the details where they are missing. Benedict does a great job of doing this in a realistic way that rings true to the time period and brings a new dimension to our understanding to this couple's role in history. If nothing else, the resiliency and determine that Clementine displayed in the face of a less than ideal childhood, being in the spotlight and an adulthood that was frought with both personal and national loss (hello - two world wars) is astonishing.

A great read for fans of WW2 historical fiction like Cilka's Journey, The Nightingale and Sarah's Key.