I had high hopes. Maybe because it is not my typical genre, but I was left dissatisfied. Maybe, because I admire Mrs. Clinton so, I was slightly uncomfortable reading about her sex life. I did not really need to know! But I did really love the alternate history. I wonder what Mrs. Clinton will think when she reads this book.

Wow... this book was fascinating! It's the first Curtis Sittenfeld I've read, and I really enjoyed it. I think I was skeptical at first, but at a certain point in the book, I was fully immersed and almost forgot I was reading about Hillary Clinton the public figure and felt more like I was reading about Hillary, this fascinating person and character (which she is!). Lots more thoughts on this one to come, but I enjoyed it a lot and will be so curious to see what the public discourse around it is.

A curious political fantasy that asks the question what would have happened if Hillary had not married Bill. As with everything Sittenfeld writes, the book is funny and the pages fly by. In the first half, Bill seemed pretty dreamy. I liked this a lot.

When Hilary Clinton lost the 2016 election in 2016, it was one of the most devastating and heartbreaking moments in my life. Never had I felt so defeated, for myself and for my country. Curtis Sittenfeld explores what Hilary's life could have been if she had never married Bill Clinton all those years ago. How would that change her personal life? Her professional life? The lives of an entire nation? While we will never really know what could have been different, Sittenfeld does an excellent job combining fact within this fictional tale. So many times, I looked up to see what had actually happened - what was fact and what was fiction. This was certainly no easy task to write, but Sittenfeld exceeded any expectations I had. I just wish we may someday get a reaction from Hilary herself...

Sittenfeld effortlessly blends non-fiction with historical fiction in an engrossing “what if” story about what Hillary Clinton’s life might have been like if she had not married Bill Clinton. Rodham also reflects the deep misogyny and sexism that plagues American women in the public eye.

In ‘Rodham’, Curtis Sittenfeld brilliantly blends historical events with fiction and imagines the life of Hillary Rodham if she had not married Bill Clinton.
Hillary is a driven, smart, hard working student at Yale Law School when she meets Bill Clinton, the copper haired and bearded man from Arkansas. They date, fall in love and she follows him back to Arkansas. After several declined marriage proposals and devastated by Bill’s philandering, Hillary leaves Bill and Arkansas behind.
In paving a new road and career for herself, she will cross the path of Bill Clinton several times. An interesting twist is the 2016 Presidential Campaign with Bill being one of Hillary’s primary challengers.
Curtis Sittenfeld is true to the essence of who Hillary Clinton is. Her story is told with insight, compassion and humor and shines a light on her lasting contribution to American politics.

I am a huge fan of Curtis Sittenfeld's previous novels and was very intrigued by the premise of this book. I was not disappointed with the result. Through creating a fictional alternate reality for a living politician, I felt Sittenfeld was able to humanize the obstacles that Hillary Clinton and other women in positions of power face. While it was at times almost uncomfortable to connect my present day image of Hillary and Bill Clinton to the characters described in the novel, when I dissociated from their current selves and immersed myself in the story, this was an extremely enjoyable read. This book reminded me in some ways of Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win by Jo Piazza, but with a more interesting narrative arc.

This book was exceptional and made me wistful, while thinking about what might have been with a President Rodham. Curtis Sittenfeld's writing is outstanding as always!

People are going to go nuts for this book. A deep dive into the mess of America's democracy; a meditation on how private choices affect our public lives; an exposé on double standards; and a character study of a flawed yet powerful woman. RODHAM doesn't feel quite as tender as AMERICAN WIFE, but Sittenfeld is maybe more dedicated to her task, here, which is to show how easily the 2016 election might have turned out differently, and how badly we needed it to (even if, ultimately, what America needs is to overhaul this whole sordid system). Anyway. You'll love it.

Curtis Sittenfeld’s upcoming novel, Rodham, is a reimagining of Hillary Rodham’s life had she not married Bill Clinton. The provocative premise will draw readers in, but you’ll stay for the well-crafted alternate universe Sittenfeld weaves around our nation’s politics.

Told in the retrospect, the book sets up the historical events from the close first-person. It takes us through the mind of a fictionalized Hillary as she finds her knack for public speaking at a young age, meets Bill in law school at Yale, and moves to Arkansas as he runs for governor. But then reality diverges: Hillary refuses his multiple marriage proposals due to his habitual transgressions and leaves Arkansas for good. The rest of the novel shows an alternate reality of Hillary’s career as a single woman. Characters like Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump are rearranged, and the snowball effect of Hillary not marrying Bill proves historically significant. We’re even given a fictitious list of the presidents that are elected in this parallel timeline.

The plot winks at our political reality, but it’s noticeably fictionalized. Hillary’s narrative voice is self-assured and engaging, but is self-consciously reminiscing on the events of her life: “But now that I am in my seventies, I’ve learned very little from the past is truly sealed.”

The fictional Bill becomes, in effect, the villain of the story. On their first date, Bill explains to Hillary his problem with becoming “overly infatuated” with women, and readers aware of the Lewinsky scandal shudder at what’s to come for Hillary. We’re complicit in the plot, because as Americans, we are the background characters.

Fans of Sittenfeld (like myself) know this is not her first work in the genre of political fantasy. Rodham follows Sittenfeld’s novel American Wife, a story loosely based on the life of Laura Bush. But unlike its predecessor, Rodham doesn’t change names of characters, nor does it take as many liberties with their personalities and life events. By technicality, Sittenfeld has now entered a literary tradition well-written fan fiction.

And before you scoff at fan fiction: note that it’s not just a recent invention spawned from the internet’s Wattpad archives. Shakespeare copied characters, if not entire plots, for many of his plays, including Romeo and Juliet. Early Star Trek fanzines like Spockanalia explored feminist narratives within the story that weren’t shown on screen. And Sittenfeld is not the first to venture into fictionalizing political figures: the 1946 novel All the Kings Men by Robert Penn Warren is generally read as a thinly veiled novel about controversial Louisiana politician Huey P. Long.

Political fan fiction contains grains of truth, threads of validity. In Rodham, Hillary compromises her values for racial equality to get ahead in a senatorial race. She becomes aligned with Donald Trump in order to secure votes in her presidential race, despite her distaste for him. Beneath the inspiring story of a woman rising to the top of her game in politics lurks the essential deceit and dog eat dog world of the profession.

If anything, this is the part of the novel that wasn’t brought to the forefront as much as it should have been. The nefarious nature of politics plays second fiddle to Hillary’s romantic life, and by the end, we’re made to believe she clawed her way to the top with little casualties––and this feels a little too unrealistic for a political novel.

For those who love Hillary Clinton, this novel will validate them, but it will remove the veil of diplomacy behind the politician. For those who hate her, it will provide little consolation, but it will give valuable insight into the world of femininity in politics. And for those who are ambivalent about her, it will leave you with both an admiration for Hillary and the author. Sittenfeld has taken on a truly ambitious subject matter, and Rodham will be a controversial success.

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld is a fictional reimaging of Hillary Clinton’s life, in which she does not marry Bill Clinton, a charismatic law student from Hope, Arkansas. Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton do meet and fall in love, but the romantic relationship is not an enduring one. Yet, Bill Clinton continues to remain on the periphery of Hillary’s mind, and to a lesser extent, in her life for much of the novel. In this novel, Hillary Rodham’s pragmatic style, intelligence and wry sense of humor ring true, as does her insecurities and self-doubt about herself as a leader and woman. Sittenfeld is meticulous in crafting her novel. By filling her novel with period specific details, snippet of actual conversations, along with her created dialogue, the author creates an interesting, multifaceted portrayal of Hillary Rodham. The insightful commentaries on what it was like for a woman trying to blaze her own trail in the highest levels of political power, and the antagonism and the sexism that plague her along the way will resonate with readers.. Rodham, is a well written, timely and engaging read.

I loved how this book challenges the assumption that fate drives our lives and that there's only one outcome possible. The butterfly effect of Hillary and Bill not staying together affects so much more than just their marriage and the book has some fun illustrating how life might have been different over the course of the last few decades, even though the players are largely the same on the political scene.

That being said, reading a work of fiction that features real people and makes no secret about its goal to reimagine the outcome of events feels quite strange. In my excitement to read this book, I don't think I even realized how strange it was going to be until I started to wonder what was based on fact and what parts of the plot were simply liberties on the part of Sittenfeld.

As soon as I stopped taking the book too seriously and looked at it as a work of pure fiction that follows the journey of a smart, driven and politically-savvy woman who can't stop running into her ex, I really enjoyed it!

** spoiler alert ** What if Hillary and Bill Clinton had never married? In this fictionalized account of her life post-Bill (they date in law school and break up due to his infidelity and satyromania), Hillary Rodham becomes a senator representing Illinois, runs against Bill Clinton (a politician-turned-tech god?) for President of the United States in 2016, and wins with the endorsement of Donald J. Trump. What?!

I was really looking forward to the premise of this book, but the structure crumbled as I struggled to finish it. I hoped it would provide readers with a more nuanced look into Hillary's life, which the media failed to give her during her 2016 presidential campaign. But in Rodham, she remains flat and two-dimensional, blatantly (white) feminist to the point of yawning.

I also struggled with the sexual nature of this book, and felt uncomfortable and disrespectful when reading about the sexual relations between Hillary and Bill during their five-year (post-)law school romance. The author paints Bill as a sex addict and never lets you forget it. That's all fine, but as Bill and Hillary are still alive and married, I wonder what Hillary would think if she read these passages.

In fact, that thought stuck with me through the entirety of this novel. Does Hillary know it's out there? Did the author ask Hillary permission of any kind? What if her family reads it? Perhaps it feels too soon for such a personal, fan-fiction account of Hillary's relationships and what we lost in November of 2016.

I'm confident that the author is a Hillary fan and most likely supported her. I write all of this at the risk of sounding prudish, but this book did not hit home in the way I desperately wanted a Hillary Rodham (Clinton) novel to.

What if Hillary never married Bill Clinton? What would her life have looked like? Would she still take part in politics?

In 1971, Hillary Rodham meets Bill Clinton while they both are attending Yale Law School. Hillary has never met someone more intelligent, attractive, and interesting. Real-world Hillary follows Bill to Arkansas after graduating from law school in which Bill asks Hillary to marry him several times before she eventually says yes. But in this story, Hillary says no, and she goes on to lead a path for herself that causes her to cross paths with Bill again and again but in a different way.

THIS BOOK. WOW. I am a big fan of Curtis Sittenfeld’s previous novels, and this one may be the best yet. Sittenfeld beautifully crafts Hillary’s “what if” future if she hadn’t married Bill, and explores what might have been if Hillary's life was never attached to the Clinton name. It was heartbreaking for me to read about this *almost* perfect man that ultimately could have been Hillary's soul mate (who she still thought about consistently over the course of her life) but realistically, at least in this book, deserved better.

While on the surface this book may seem like fanfic, it’s far from it. Sittenfeld has Hillary grapple with larger issues like privilege, female empowerment, and the consequences of poor decisions. As a woman, Hillary often feels like her poor choices imprison her, whereas men are more easily forgiven for their mistakes. Throughout the novel, Hillary questions her ability to strive for what she wants, and if being a woman is the one thing that is holding her back from achieving greatness. In a politically-charged climate with an upcoming presidential election, this book is bound to make you think “what if?”.

Trigger Warnings: Sexual assault, suicide, sexual content

Curtis Sittenfeld did it again! This fictionalized story of Hillary Clinton's life if she didn't marry Bill, was fascinating! Now I am left wondering what is real and what is fiction?

What if she was never Hillary Clinton? What if she hadn’t married Bill and had stayed Hillary Rodham? How would things be different, how would they be the same?

Oh man. This was one of my most anticipated reads this spring and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Well, let me pause that thought for a second, it only disappointed in that this is not what actually happened. This fictional book was so amazingly done, and at times I had to remind myself that it was not a memoir, but fiction. I found myself so wrapped up in the story, all the while wishing that this is the turn Hillary’s life had taken instead. While I could have done without seeing the name Donald Trump in this book at all, it definitely added a crazy aspect to the story, and overall, I think it was necessary he be included. I really enjoyed this read and I highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy when it’s released on May 19!

Thank you to Random House for my gifted copy of this book!

I loved this fictional autobiography of Hillary Rodham, in which she does not marry Bill Clinton. The first part of the novel, set in the early 70’s, shows the romance between the two (and feels actually true) but ends with Hillary deciding she can’t live with his congenital infidelity so leaves him: “The margin between staying and leaving was so thin; really, it could have gone either way.”

From there we are into speculative fiction. Hillary stands for the Senate (in Illinois) in 1991 and then in the final section, set in 2015, she is running for President. I have to confess that my knowledge of late 20th century American politics is a bit then (we didn’t move to the US till 1997), so I had to spend some time on Wikipedia determining what was fact and what was fiction in the fluid melange that Ms Sittenfeld has cooked up for us.

Hillary herself comes across much as I think she would in real life: ultra smart, thoughtful, kind, ambitious, and self aware (though often only in retrospect) but there is always a hint of distance, a few degrees less warmth than you might like.

The repercussions of Hillary’s crucial decision are cleverly played out, always feeling possible, if at times troublingly weird. The author brilliantly subverts actual people and events, and places them in a different context in her fictional world.

Does it end with the result you want? No spoilers here!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the digital ARC.

I'm something of a stranger to alternate histories, it is possible that this is a typical example: I was so entranced by the idea of Hillary without Bill - imagine my disappointment when instead I got a Hillary who happens to have handled Bill differently...and that's it, these interactions were the only parts of her entire life worth writing about.

Thank you so much to @randomhouse via @netgalley for a copy of this book. I was ecstatic to receive the Advanced Reader’s Copy. The book will be out May 19, 2020.

I have read several books by #curtissittenfeld and one that I really loved was #AmericanWife and how it was based upon the life of Laura Bush. So when I heard about this book...I knew I had to read it. First, the writing is impeccable...truly excellent in every way so that it was effortless to immerse yourself into the story. This is a fictionalized account of Hillary Rodham’s life if she had never married Bill Clinton. I was intrigued how in “American Wife” the main character is not named Laura Bush but in this one she uses real names. I would love to know more about why she choose to do that instead of just using a fictional name too. Anyway, I loved this book and thought it was so well done. I really like the idea of how women’s lives are viewed differently when compared to men’s lives. I also enjoyed the deep and thoughtful dialogue between characters that showcased a woman’s intelligence. I think being smart should have such higher priority in what makes a person seem more attractive or strong in today’s society. This book has a lot of politics so if that is not your cup of tea...you may not enjoy this from that aspect. For some reason, I love a politically heavy novel so this was my jam! Also it covers a big chunk of time from the 70s to present day which always gives that background and closure I crave in a novel. This book would make the perfect book club book or buddy read as I feel like it is meant to be discussed. So pre-order it, read it, and then come back to me so I can talk in depth with you about it! This will definitely make one of my favorites of the year. Review posted on Instagram @carolinehoppereads and Goodreads.

What an interesting premise this book explores--what if Hillary Rodham hadn't married Bill Clinton? What might her life and career been like?

I hadn't read the books description prior to reading this book. I actually thought it going to be truly about Hillary's life, and it started out so realistically I was really sucked into the story. Imagine my surprise when events in the book began conflicting with real-life events! Sittenfeld wove reality with fiction so seamlessly, that the fiction really crept up on me. This was a thoroughly engaging, well-written story. I enjoyed every bit of it.