I had been anticipating this book for a LONG TIME. American Wife was one of my favorite books when I read it years ago, so knowing Sittenfeld was coming out with another book about a first lady had be counting down until its release. And it delivered! The concept is so unique, and it raises many interesting questions about privacy for public figures and what right do we have to their lives. Plus, the questions that arise about Clinton's life and the impact of our choices. I think this is a book that can be enjoyed no matter your political leanings, and if you've read and loved any of Sittenfeld's work you should definitely pick this one up.

I went into Rodham feeling very skeptical. I had never heard of political fan fiction or anything similar. However, @iowaamberreads raved about Curtis Sittenfeld's previous book, American Wife, so I wanted to try this one out.

Rodham left me with some intense feelings. Those feelings include love for Hillary and absolute loathing for Bill Clinton. I also want to know how close to the truth are some of these stories??

Rodham reads quick and so very realistic. I will definitely be reading American Wife soon.

A fantastic read. I thought Curtis' telling of Hillary's re-imagined history was both fascinating and entertaining. I loved it so much, I went out and bought a hard copy too.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC

Rodham is informative, engaging, and left me feeling wistful for what might have been. Sittenfeld deftly weaved history with fiction and gave an interesting perspective of the issues assertive and intelligent women vying for respect in the public eye.

I’ve always enjoyed Sittenfeld’s writing and this book was no exception. Admittedly I was a little caught off guard by Bill and Hillary’s sex scenes early on in book. I just never thought I would read a vivid description of Bill and Hillary doing it. I didn’t find the sex scenes gratuitous, but instead necessary to capture the halcyon days of an early deep relationship. Overall I highly recommend this book. It isn’t perfect but ripe for discussion.

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld is an imagining of what Hillary Rodham Clinton’s path might have been if she had decided not to marry Bill Clinton.
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It’s fun to play “what if?” with Sittenfeld as this version of Hillary’s life unfolds. Hence the pairing with Rewind by @birdsongbrewing, a really smooth, easy drinking beer. I enjoyed the commentary on the perception of women’s choices compared to men’s by others, and the political strategizing (full disclosure: I was a Political Science major and a middle and high school Social Studies teacher, so I was INTO IT). I was more invested and emotional at the end than I thought I would be. Definitely check this book out if you like historical fiction, politics, and/or smashing the patriarchy.

Thank you @randomhouse and @netgalley for the book!

After slowly reading this one for a few months, I am 60% through and putting it down for good. While it was really interesting to see where Sittenfeld pictured Hillary without Bill, that is the only thing that kept me going. I just wanted to know how to it would end, but the process of getting there was too slow for me. It was well researched and I kept having to remind myself it was fiction. Especially during the very graphic sex scenes. I feel like Hillary and Bill are my grandparents and I don't need to picture them having sex. I really think a lot of people will enjoy this read, but it just wasn't for me.

I misheard the premise of this book. I thought it was supposed to be the story of Hillary without Bill so imagine my surprise when he appeared almost immediately! It took me a bit to adjust my expectations and I did not particularly like the young Hillary. I am glad I stuck with it because I flew through the second half of the book. I can see how the first half set the scene for who Hillary becomes. I really loved some of the twists Sittenfeld puts into this alternate political universe. It was fun to see which political figures she raised up and who got put in their place!

Well, I'll give you this: Rodham is one of my most-highlighted books of the year.

Overall: Rodham gets a lot right. But I also felt like some real life moments or lines were needlessly shoehorned in, and that kept me from entirely loving it. And I found the ending anti-climactic.

I found reading about Hill and Bill's relationship painful. I never compared an ex of mine to Bill before reading Rodham, but from Hillary's conflicted feelings to the relationship's painful aftermath... it just felt so visceral. And that's a breakup I stopped reliving in my head two years ago! Alas, Sittenfeld brought it right on back.

I also felt that she so deftly described what it might be like to be a "career woman" at the time, and then one who enters politics.

And yet: That's why I was so disappointed by moments when it felt like things were forced, and when the ending was sort of "meh" - because in so many places throughout the book, Sittenfeld displays that she's better than that. She has the chops, but things just...fell short for me a few times throughout. (I do wonder if she was on deadline, and those parts received less attention, or if an editor encouraged her to add some of the more extraneous "real life" stuff in.)

A fine fictionalized account of Hillary Rodham's life, but not the 5-star read I was expecting. (Of course, it may be for you!)

An alternate narrative as to what would have happened if Hillary never married Bill? Color me intrigued.

I will say, it's a bit difficult to read an alternate version of something you lived through when the character's names have not been changed - it's hard to separate this story from fan fiction and to not feel "icky" about some moments when the real people have been prominent figures in your country. All that aside, Rodham was thoroughly enjoyable - and made me wistful for the way things could be right now.

Sittenfeld is a wonderful writer and Rodham is definitely proof of this. Was it a favorite for me? No. Am I glad I read it? Absolutely.

I've seen some mixed opinions on this book, and while it's not without its faults, personally I really enjoyed reading it. As someone who's read two of Hillary Clinton's memoirs, I think Sittenfeld perfectly captured her logical, matter-of-fact voice in this book (as well as her relentless commitment to service--one of the reasons I greatly admire her). Is it wish fulfillment? Certainly, Do I mind that? Not one bit. I will say, however, that if you weren't a big fan of Bill Clinton going into this book, his characterization will leave you feeling even more unfavorable of him. If you enjoyed this book or simply felt intrigued by it, I highly recommend watching Hulu's 4-part documentary on Hillary Clinton. It serves as an interesting contrast to certain parts of RODHAM, and it definitely helped me to analyze it more critically. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it for what it is: a work of fiction.

Brilliant read by the impeccable Curtis Sittenfeld. If you like Hilary you will love this book and if you dislike Hilary you will love this book. Five star read. Beautifully written with generous prose and characters you can see, hear and know.

Disclaimer: The election year of 2016 is going to be something I will be sad and mad about forever.

In Rodham, Curtis Sittenfeld writes alternate history and gives us an alternate present: what if Hillary Clinton hadn't married Bill Clinton?

I wasn't sure entirely what to expect of this book, but the premise intrigued me. Sittenfeld always succeeds at making her characters very human, flawed and fierce. Hillary Rodham is no different. She's full of self-doubt and internal drive. At times, especially early on, it's easy to forget that this is fiction and not a memoir, what might exist if Hillary Clinton was ever allowed to be completely candid. The story takes us on a path down a different set of modern US Presidents, a different historic feminist rise in politics for Hillary.

The first half of this story was much more appealing than the second half. I loved the early relationship between Hillary and Bill, knowing this book was going to take them on different paths. The second half, set closer to now, introduces Donald Trump, the only character that felt unreal to me. Knowing what happened in this timeline makes this theoretical one like a a car wreck in progress -- I found myself bracing for impact. A series of events unfold that felt both rushed and implausible close the story and make the novel's different path of history feel a bit less lived in than I was anticipating after the gorgeous first half of the story. 

This book is really fun, though, and a quick read. The writing is golden and the characters are compelling. I'd be friends with this Hillary. Truthfully, I'd read an entire book where Curtis Sittenfeld explains how and why this book happened. In fact, I'm always interested in the next thing that Sittenfeld comes up with, whether it's veiled (thinly, in this case) historical fiction, updated takes on classic literature, short stories, or whatever else. If you enjoyed this book you should absolutely check out more of her work.

This book was a huge miss for me. I was really uncomfortable with the personal liberties the author took with the life of a living, breathing person. I really did NOT need to read about Bill and Hillary's sex life and, at the end of the day, the book still revolved around Hillary's relationship with Bill, even to the point where she considered giving up her presidential run for him. It seems the aim to present a life where Hillary's future was reimagined without Bill was not at all fulfilled, which was a big disappointment. The fact I finished this book is an accomplishment (?), because I was ready to give up fairly early on.

Thank you Random House for the free book. In Rodham, Curtis Sittenfeld imagines an alternate future so mind-bending, when you finish you may or may not want to get bent back again.

The 2016 presidential election will go down in history as one of the most bizarre displays of politics to ever hit the American national stage. When billionaire turned reality TV star Donald Trump won the election, Hillary Clinton supporters were in tears after their hopes of witnessing the first woman President elected were dashed. In an attempt to rewrite history, Curtis Sittenfeld offers up her new novel Rodham as solace to those who threw their support behind the former first lady. But there's a plot twist, because in Sittenfeld's Rodham, Hillary never marries Bill Clinton, and history is forever changed.

Weaving factual events with vivid re-imagination, Sittenfeld takes readers through Hillary's early days with Bill, chronicling their dates, vacations, and numerous sexual encounters. But when Bill proposes, Hillary says "no," and that's where Rodham deviates from the well-known script of Hillary Clinton's life. Just how would the world and political scene be if Hillary Rodham hadn't married Bill Clinton? Well, vastly different according to Sittenfeld.

Rodham is admittedly, a strange book to read, being that Hillary Clinton is very much alive and still married to her husband Bill Clinton. Thus this novel often feels like fan fiction and serves more to soothe the souls of anyone still mourning the loss of a Clinton presidency of the female variety, rather than to provide any real insight into Hillary's personal life. While the early chapters were rather interesting, sticking close to fact and re-imagining Hillary and Bill's private moments, the novel becomes tedious once Hillary decides not to go down that road with Bill, instead forging out on her own and making her own destiny. From there, the novel is strictly political, and may be a bore to anyone without an invested interest in politics. For those that enjoy that sort of thing, and especially those who wanted to see Hillary in the highest office in the nation, this novel is good at best. Thought-provoking and inventive, Rodham asks the "what if" questions, but reads as a flattering, albeit heavily-biased, portrayal of the woman who was almost President.

Rodham has Curtis Sittenfeld's signature writing style that perfectly captures the awkward reality of being a human but it just misses the mark. Sittenfeld is a favorite author for me but it was hard to read about a real-life public figure that I admire being fictionalized and even accepting an endorsement from Donald Trump. It seems like this is being marketed more as an escapist book but that did not help me escape. I enjoyed this book for it's entertainment value and found some of the sections to be poignant and reflective. But I think this book could have had a bigger impact if it was written more in the vein of American Wife.

Speculative fiction is one of my favorite sub-genres and Sittenfeld’s latest book plays around with the idea of what Hillary Rodham’s life would look like had she not married Bill Clinton. Throughout the book, I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction and not a memoir. Sittenfeld wrote Hillary’s character with such depth that it totally had that tell-all feel to it. I enjoyed the feminist issues that carried throughout the story – how women candidates are criticized far more than their male counterparts, how a man’s past isn’t nearly as detrimental to his political aspirations as a woman’s is, and how quickly women can be vilified in the media if they don’t properly conform to society’s expectations. I felt like there were parts of the book that drug on a little unnecessarily so, and I was a little disappointed that Bill Clinton continually showed up throughout the book. That particular part of the story started distracting the overall message and felt a little forced to me. Overall, an immersive and satisfying read – perfect for your summer beach bag!

I love Curtis Sittenfeld and have enjoyed all of her other books I have read. I breezed through Rodham but wished that she had told the story a little differently. Why did we need the Trump character, why couldnt we make it really fictional and find another way to tell Hillary's story.

Rodham offer an intriguing look at an alternative future for HRC. Imagine a world where Jerry Brown and John McCain are president, where Hillary's unlikely ally is a fake billionaire/tv huckster and Bill is called to the carpet for indiscretions. With seamless voice, we accompany Hillary on her quest to become the first woman president.

Rodham was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and there were things that I both enjoyed and didn't like about this one.

The premise of this one is so interesting: what would Hillary Clinton's life look like if she hadn't married Bill Clinton? Sittenfeld takes the reader from the time that Hillary is in her first year at Yale Law School (where she meets Bill) up until the 2016 presidential election.

I struggled with the first-person narrative in Rodham. It felt strange to be reading a first-person POV fictional story from a public figure who is still alive and is still very much active. Also, the sex scenes between Bill and Hillary! They felt like reading about your parents or grandparents (yikes).

However, the second half of this story redeemed it for me. I really enjoyed the story once Hillary and Bill split up and the history diverged from reality. I thought Sittenfeld did a good job of sharing the injustices that women in power face, the expectations, the comments, etc. It was inspiring to see a version of the 2016 election where our current president did not win. But Sittenfeld doesn't gloss over the negative parts of politics or the history that Hillary has with questionable decisions in the name of her campaign. While these fictional events were different from what happened, she still was able to show the complexity of Hillary's character and the decisions and lengths she was willing to go to to obtain a historic moment.

Overall, this book was highly readable and there is SO much to talk about! While it wasn't my favorite Sittenfeld book I'd still recommend it because it's pretty fun to reimagine history and then talk with everyone you know about it!