Fans of Marie Benedict’s The Other Einstein, Carnegie’s Maid, and The Only Woman in the Room will enjoy Lady Clementine, her upcoming historical novel about Clementine Churchill, to be released January 7, 2020. Those who haven’t read one of Benedict’s novels but who enjoy WWII fiction should also buy a copy or reserve one at a local library.

Lady Clementine opens on the couple’s wedding day but fills in their individual backgrounds and their meeting at a dinner party. Although portraying Clementine and Winston Churchill’s devotion to one another, Benedict focuses largely on Clementine as she copes with the ups and downs of Churchill’s political career, her growing understanding of her own and her husband’s weaknesses, and her personal grown both to meet her husband’s emotional and political needs and her own need for independence, self-fulfillment, and a place in national and world history.


Set mostly during the London Blitz and ending with the Allied victory, Benedict’s Lady Clementine is fiction grounded in historical events and peopled with not only the Churchill family members , but other British and American politicians including Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt. Unlike most history textbooks writers, Benedict portrays these famous figures warts and all, not as perfect superheroes who saved the free world, but as flawed—sometimes downright unlikeable—human beings.

Drawing details from history, ranging from war events to Winston’s elitist tastes in foods and drink during lean times to Clementine’s hostess skills, from their struggles with insecurity and depression to their pet names for each other, Benedict has written an engrossing historical novel about two flawed but key players on the world stage.

Based on my previous reading and limited research as I read Lady Clementine, Marie Benedict appears to have done her homework. Nonetheless, I would like to see an added section in the back of the published edition, as in some other historical novels, in which the author discusses her research and her deviations from historical fact necessitated by the demands of telling an entertaining story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an Advance Reader Copy of what Kirkus Review has called “A rousing tale of ambition and love.”

I've never read a book about Mrs. Churchill, the wife of Winston Churchill. While I realize this is historical fiction and the author probably took some liberties, I loved reading about this woman who refused to stand quietly besid her husband and instead took an active role at his side. I was upset at the fact that she seemed detached from her children however and put her husband's career first. Overall. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of historical fiction.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

From the beginning of their marriage, Lady Clementine Churchill put her husband first often times before their children and her own health. Not content to be seen and not heard like so many politician's wives were treated, Clementine forges her own path proving to be a force to be reckoned with. I was fascinated by this woman who stood up not only for other women but for people effected by the brutal bombings of London by the Nazis. I wonder if Winston Churchill would have reached the political heights he did if he had chosen another woman to marry. With this book, Marie Benedict has introduced another intriguing, brilliant woman I look forward to learning more about.

2.5 Stars...This is a tough book to review. While the book is well written, and very well researched, I just did not like Clementine Churchill.

I realize this is a historical fiction book, so I'm not sure how much of this is true, but I can only review the version of Clementine I read here in these pages, and in these pages, she was pretty horrible.

It's one thing to be ambitious and wanting to do everything you can to help your husband succeed in his political career, but Clementine put Winston before everything and everyone...including her children.

No matter how much I may disagree with someone else's parenting style, I don't usually call another woman a 'terrible mother' as that's just so incredibly harsh, and mothering is subjective and everyone parents differently, and what works for one kid may not work for another, blah, blah, blah. However Clementine Churchill was a TERRIBLE MOTHER.

She was selfish and narrow-minded, and had no business having as many children as she did. Even when she lost a child to illness, she STILL didn't change! She still didn't step up and be there for her remaining children, and the child that followed after. Parenting was left to the revolving door of Nannys.

No wonder her kids were so messed up.

Overall, I'd recommend this is you're a fan of the Churchills and enjoy reading about them and this time period (WWI and WWII). Otherwise, I'd say skip it. It's extremely slow going, and I skimmed the last 20% just trying to get through it.

Again, well written, but Clementine was just too unlikable for me to enjoy this.

"I may be only twenty-three years old to Winston’s thirty-four , without the education, accomplishments, or nobility of my intended, but my life will not serve solely as the invisible source of “sympathy and devotion” for my husband. Indeed, I want to write my own chapter, and I say a silent prayer that Winston will hand me the pen." - "Lady Clementine"

One of the greatest historical fiction novels I've ever had the pleasure to read. Marie Benedict brings Clementine Churchill to life in a beautiful rendition of her story. I am here for the headstrong, bold and brave Clementine! Her relationship with Winston is the definition of #couplegoals. Sure they have their faults, but the Winston Churchill in this novel is a feminist before his time and I love that. He is used to having women in the home, but he's open to Clementine's ideas and work and always supports her when it counts. Benedict doesn't depict their marriage as perfect, but instead she makes it realistic. There was a natural strain on this famous couple's love, but they are also well-suited to each other. While reading, sometimes I wanted to throw the book against the wall and yell at Churchill to trust his wife, but it's important to remember that both Clementine and him were going through trying times of war.

I never knew about Clementine's involvement in the war effort. It was amazing and inspiring to read about how she went right into the thick of things, speaking to British subjects and petitioning politicans to give aid to victims of bombings. Of course Benedict could have speculated on this, but I'm sure there's at least some truth to it. This is a historical fiction novel so Benedict has full rights to write anything she wants. I do wish she would've included some references and research in the back of the book.

My favorite part of the book was near the end when Clementine met Eleanor Roosevelt. Their relationship progresses in a lovely and supportive way. Distance separted them, but I love how Clementine thought of Eleanor often. When Eleanor's husband died, it was sweet how Clementine worried for her friend immediately. I'd love to see letters, if the pair ever exchanged any. This is a wonderful early example of women supporting women!

This novel stands out for its mature and diverting language and detailed depiction of historical settings. I could picture Clementine's home and trip to Bali so clearly! I can't wait to read more work by Benedict.

Lady Clementine is precisely what a historical fiction book should be. It is an introduction to someone we have heard of, but do not know much about, which makes the reader desire to seek out more information about them. We all know of Mrs. Churchill, but no one really seeks her out as a historical figure. This book will change that. After reading Lady Clementine, people will want to know more about her and who she was outside of being married to one of England's more notorious leaders. I found myself taking breaks from reading to hop online to look up a person or an instance that caught my attention.
The writing is beautiful. Chapters flow together well as they give readers an inside look at the Churchill family and their fearless leader. This is the first book from Marie Benedict that I have read, but I will absolutely pick up another one.

3.5 stars, rounded up

This book is an interesting, but not engrossing, fiction of Clementine Churchill’s marriage to Winston. Clementine proved herself Winston’s equal time and again. Not afraid of speaking her mind, she was as enthused by politics as he was.

Benedict chooses smart women who were restrained by their times as her topics. I do wish she didn’t try to have her characters see their futures, whether Winston seeing himself as destined to save the world or Clemmie seeing herself as Winston’s rescuer. “I see my future with Winston unspool before me. Perhaps this rescue is not meant to be my last.” It just came across as telling, not showing.

The book covers a large amount of time so we see just glimpses of Clemmie and Winston’s life. Maybe because of this, I didn’t initially connect with them as real people. The book becomes more compelling once WWII starts and Winston becomes PM. I was especially interested by Clemmie’s push to get women more involved in the war effort. As well as the other issues she chose to champion such as the air raid shelters.

I felt Benedict did a good job covering Clemmie and Winston’s relationship with their children and her guilt over their parenting. In fact, throughout the book, she doesn’t sugarcoat the family issues.

The book definitely improves as it goes on. I was initially disappointed with the story but by the end, found it very worthwhile. I’ve often said that I judge an historical fiction by how much I learned. While I know a lot about Winston and England’s trials during WWII, I still picked up a lot of interesting facts. I always enjoy reading the author’s note for historical novels so that I can get a feel how many allowances were taken. But Epstein’s AN was not included in my advance copy.

My thanks to netgalley and Sourcebooks for an advance copy of this book.

Several people know I love historical fiction and have recommended Marie Benedict's books to me. I feel like an idiot for not having listened to them and picked one up sooner. Lady Clementine introduces us to Clementine Hozier, a strong minded young woman who has already broken two engagements but falls in love with Winston Churchill as his political career is just starting out. Unlike many women in her time, Clementine does not take a back seat but becomes a partner to Winston and together they weather the ups and downs of his career. What I really loved about this is even though the story features a prominent man, the focus is squarely on Clementine and her struggles to not lose her voice as she supports her husband. I felt like Benedict portrayed her in a very real way-someone who was smart, who wouldn't take a back seat to her husband or anyone else but also who gives so much of herself to Winston she reaches the point of mental exhaustion. She battles her inadequacies as a mother as being on this journey with her husband doesn't leave much time children. She was a fascinating lady who I really knew nothing about prior to picking this up. I have already ordered all the rest of Marie Benedict's books from my library and can't wait to read them.

As a fan of Marie Benedict's previous book , The Other Einstein, I was delighted to get my hands on an advance copy of her newest release, Lady Clementine. Once again the author has chosen to focus on the woman behind the man, in this case Clementine Churchill, the wife of Winston Churchill. Opening on their wedding day, the book follows the couple through moments of triumph and despair, both public and private- from Winston's early days as Lord Admiral and rapid upward political trajectory, to his public demotion and humiliation following the Dardanelles fiasco during the Great War. and on a more personal front, the tragic loss of their young daughter Marigold, as a toddler, then as the storm clouds of the second World War gather, we see them working together in the interests of Britain and its people.
I knew very little about Clementine Churchill going into this book, but I enjoyed the way her character was written. She seemed confident of her own skills and abilities and determined to show her worth, not just to her husband but to the country as a whole. It was for this reason that she worked so diligently to improve conditions in air raid shelters , and campaigned to have more women involved in the war effort , in the munitions factories, the farm fields and even in the armed services . I felt like the relationship between she and her husband felt completely believable , and I liked how the author was able to portray such a strong and complex bond so well. I also liked that Clementine was portrayed as a real ,flawed human being who faced sadness and temptation , and was not always right. I do wish that the book had continued beyond the end of the war, as I would have enjoyed reading more about the aftermath and the later years of Clementine's life, but that is a small gripe about an otherwise extremely enjoyable and engaging book.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Marie Benedict for allowing me to read and review Lady Clementine. Ms. Benedict knocks it out of the park again! I love her work so much!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. I feel really honored when I get a chance to read a new book by Marie Benedict. She is a fabulous historical fiction author! This is the story of Clementine Churchill, the wife of Winston Churchill. She was a fascinating woman who had such a profound influence on Winston and all his decisions as a world leader. I loved her strength and wit! I also liked reading about the love between them and how strong their marriage was. Winston seemed to be a hard man to live with, but she stuck by him through all the ups and downs of their lives. I just can't say enough about this book! I hope Marie Benedict just keeps writing more stories about famous historical figures, especially women. Highly, highly recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley, Ms. Benedict and her publisher for an ARC.

Ms. Benedict does not disappoint. I knew virtually nothing about Clementine Churchill. Just like my enjoyment of Benedict's The Other Einstein, this book captured my interest from the very beginning. I love historical fiction especially as it pertains to strong women. Lady Clementine knew how to "manage" the strong willed Winston Churchill and maneuver the political agenda. She was very pro women's rights in securing "men's" jobs and not just for the war effort. Her help oversight was to the detriment of her children, who are often sacrificed. I have already told many about this book as it will be released next month. Several have already ordered a copy for when it is released and my book club has it on the calendar to discuss later in 2020.

I really enjoyed this book. I find the idea of learning about the women behind history's great men fascinating. This story was well written and kept me interested. I was a bit disappointed that the author didn't go into her later life at all but overall I was satisfied, learned from the story, and would recommend to others.

This book was absolutely mesmerizing. Marie Benedict is truly a genius when it comes to writing historical fiction, especially about women. This book will not disappoint. You find yourself very invested in the characters and their lives. You feel what they feel, and find yourself wanting to know more and more. It is great that his author focuses on spot lighting the lesser known stories of important women in history. Thank you!

The first person POV and the frivolous tone of this novel was off-putting to me. There is an interesting historical overview here, but the novel itself didn’t quite hit on all cylinders for me.

September 12, 1908, Clementine Hozier is about to become Mrs. Winston Churchill. They are an odd but perfect pairing as is reinforced through the decades of their marriage. She is the voice of reason to his intellectual wandering. She is grounded and loyal to her suffragette and liberal positions, while he wavers, and like most politicians switches and maneuvers for his political survival. She is his speech coach, his second head, his greatest defender, his strength when the “black dog moods” overtake him. She is wily, an excellent observer and decipherer of those who surround her husband, and she is politically astute. She is able to determine the paths that will lead them forward and does not shy away from the spotlight. Facing marginalization on many occasions she is constantly recreating her voice as one to be heeded. She is unquestionably a force to be reckoned with.

The positives of this book are that it was well written, well researched and very interesting. The negative was the sometimes strident tone and the “Me, Me, Me” diatribe that often reared its ugly head. It was a bit lengthy and towards the end I thought tighter editing might have been helpful.

Much like Marie Benedict’s book “The Carnegie Maid” the male character has a strong, domineering mother to whom he is in thrall and provides a constant challenge to the female lead. The books I have read by Ms. Benedict have all dealt with females who have made significant contributions to society and history and have rarely been accorded the notoriety that they deserve.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy.

What a fantastic, fictionalized story of Mrs. Winston Churchill. Great read!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Lady Clementine is the story of the wife of Winston Churchill. She may not have been as widely recognized, but her influence spoke loudly. What Winston was not, is everything that Clementine could be. Devoted wife, Clementine had the wisdom, charm, and patience to rule Winston, and in turn all of England. Clementine not only supported her husband, but propelled his career with her keen sense of intuition. Clementine was a force much more likable than that of her outspoken, overbearing, and often disrespected, husband. Clementine had tact, a way with people, timing, and social graces. She was the woman who made the man, at all costs to herself and family.

As always, I am happy to read and review the writings of Marie Benedict. She has an amazing talent introducing us to strong female protagonists and their significant roles in history. Marie fills her novels with information while presenting her characters and stories of fascination in a way I find so enjoyable. I look forward to her every novel to learn, understand, and become enveloped by the life and meaningfulness of her heroines of choice.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for my personal opinions.

#Netgalley #MarieBenedict #LadyClementine

This is the little known story of Clementine Churchill, wife of Winston Churchill. The story begins on her wedding day and then it goes back as if she is telling us the entire story.... from their courtship until the end of the World War II. She made so many contributions but was given so little credit. This book was fascinating to read and was written so well that I actually felt like I were there beside her watching it all unfold. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for all of those historical fiction fans.

I loved this book -- a novel of Winston Churchill's wife. It brought to life what such a marriage must have been like -- a marriage of compromise, tending to her husband's needs, both political and other. Lady Clementine presents a vivid, entertaining portrait of the woman who shared the statesman's life. Highly recommended.