Curtis Sittenfeld's engaging novel looks at Hillary Rodham's life through this prism: what if she hadn't married Bill Clinton? In 1971, as Hillary Rodham graduates from Wellesley, she delivers a commencement speech that gains national prominence. She heads to Yale Law school--an intelligent woman, filled with the desire to help those in need. It is there she meets Bill Clinton, a fellow law student. The connection between the two is instant--for the first time, Hillary feels she has found someone who appreciates her both emotionally and physically. In real life, Hillary and Bill head to Arkansas. He proposes three times, and she finally accepts, becoming Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"The first time I saw him, I thought he looked like a lion."

But here, in this imaginative and powerful novel, Hillary does not accept Bill's third proposal. Devastated, she leaves Arkansas and embarks on a different life. The pair's paths cross again (and again) in the years ahead, causing Hillary to sometimes doubt her decision.

I found this to be such an interesting read and oddly hopeful somehow, as if Sittenfeld read my brain and created the world I dreamed of--what a great book to read during these dismal times. It takes a little time to get into the flow of the writing: the first-person narrative certainly places you in the action, but I needed to adjust to switching back and forth between time periods (Hillary's past and present). And, funnily enough, you have to remember that this is and isn't Hillary--the first quarter of the book or so loosely follows Hillary's real life, so sometimes you have to recall who is truly speaking. I am not actually reading a Hillary memoir.

I loved how this book rewrites history--and with zero apologies. Bill Clinton does not always come off looking good here, though the love and chemistry between the two is clearly palpable. You find a variety of other characters from real life, so to speak, who sometimes play their actual roles, or re-imagined versions, and it's so fun. And, why yes, even Donald Trump has a place here. What a wonderful place it is, too. If you love politics, or political satire, there's a lot to love here.

"'If Bill Clinton was my boyfriend, I'd keep an eye on him too.'"

The Hillary of Sittenfeld's world is so real, so true, and so vulnerable and lovable. (And whoa, are there sex scenes, guys.) Even better, Sittenfeld doesn't make her perfect by any stretch; she's flawed and fallible, too. It doesn't take long to see history's actual Hillary taking this path, and sometimes, oh sometimes, I longed for her to do so. Sittenfeld excels at telling a tale from another person's perspective, somehow putting herself in their shoes. I got so caught up in this Hillary's world that I read the last half of the book in one take, desperate to know what happened to her. She felt real to me, and I needed to know how her life turned out. Please, Hillary, let it all work out this time.

This book is different, yes. It might not be for everyone, politically. But I found it fascinating to think about such a thing--how the choices we make in life affect so much. Not just saying yes to a marriage proposal, but all the other actions we take on any given day. This is a smartly written book, cementing Sittenfeld as a brilliant writer and storyteller. 4 stars.

4.5 stars! What a fantastic read! This book was both entertaining and an impressive work of historical fiction. The book explored the "what if" alternate reality: What if Hillary didn't marry Bill? As mentioned in Sittenfeld's author's note at the end of the book, she did an extraordinary amount of research on the lives of both Hillary and BIll in order to write this book, and her research and creativity of weaving in fictional events using real characters was masterfully done. Some historical events past the time she would've married Bill were still the same--and some were vastly different. I couldn't put the book down because I had to know--were things the same? Or different?

The book was a perfect escape from our current reality and showcased how such decisions can alter your life and the lives of others so dramatically. I don't want to give too much away about Hillary's life after choosing not to marry Bill--but it was entertaining to see her cross paths with current and past real life people in this alternate reality--I was literally laughing out loud in some parts. This book also showcased the difficulty of being a woman in American politics, as Hillary encountered in her real life. I can see this book being perfect for book club discussions, and I look forward to you all reading it so you can discuss with me!

his book will be very polarizing! Some people will love it and some will hate it. I think it would be a great book club pick and one that will encourage lots of discussion. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to find out how it ended!⁣

I was completely invested in the story and really enjoyed the re-imagining not only of what Hillary’s life would look like but the results in our elections. Would we have had a female president elected? You’ll have to read to find out!⁣

If you dislike Hillary Clinton this book is not for you. The book is told from Hillary’s point of view and also at times it was quite steamy. I appreciated that Sittenfeld had Hillary make some questionable choices at times, however I know Hillary haters will not like this book so in that case don’t read it.⁣

I enjoyed the book’s take on Female ambition, marriage, the compromises women have to make and our political climate. It had been a while since I had highlighted so many passages in a book!⁣ I found myself googling a lot of things to see if they were actually true (since parts of the book are based on real life events). Overall I think this was a very entertaining and thought provoking book!

I am not sure what I thought I was getting into when I started this; I knew it was speculative fiction based on Hillary Rodham Clinton's life and an alternate reality, but I still had a really hard time with the book. I mean, I'd read American Wife and I knew that was fiction based on Laura Bush, but there was more of a story there, maybe because all the names had been changed? I couldn't help wondering what HRC thought when she read it (has/will she read it?) and that left an icky feeling. And maybe I should have had that feeling with AW, too, but I didn't.

First, there were the first 50 or so pages of tons of sex with Bill Clinton. Waaay more info than I needed, thanks! It was hard to slog through it. I get it, he was (is?) a horn-dog and they were still in college, but I just didn't want those images in my head.

The second half of the book picked up some steam, and since it was speculative, it was a little easier to read as fiction. But even there, it felt pretty heavy-handed. Unfortunately, Ms. Sittenfeld is preaching to the choir when she writes about the sexism and misogyny in politics and media. The people who don't already recognize it aren't going to read this book.

At the end of the day, I felt like it was more about those things that about HRC, and I think it could have been better if it hadn't been so specifically about someone who has been in the public eye for so long, but more of a fictionalized character based on her.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rodham is mentioned in my recent book roundup for Mashable here:
https://mashable.com/article/spring-book-preview-2020/
Thanks!

I was living and studying abroad when the infamous 2016 election took place. When the results started rolling in, I felt incredible sadness and defeat wash over me. You see, I have always been an admirer of Hillary Clinton. Now before you back away, let me first say this-I know she is a polarizing figure across both sides of the aisle, and she has many political faults. But, she is smart, accomplished and a strong woman and that is why the November 2016 election to me was such a shock. I am still not over it (not sure I ever will be!) and keep remembering how much better off we might have been, especially during our current crisis around the world, had Hillary become the 45th President of the United States. Luckily, Curtis Sittenfeld’s new novel Rodham arrived in my inbox from NetGalley and Penguin Random House and it made my month! Sittenfeld has written a semi-fact based historical fition novel that asks the question, ‘what would it be like if Hillary had never married Bill?’ This premise immediately got me excited to read this book. What if! Perhaps, she’d be President today.

In Rodham, Sittenfeld uses real moments of Hillary’s life from a young university student, to a law professor to her eventual emergence into politics as a Senator. The reader experiences it all. Yet meeting Bill changed her life regardless of circumstance. She continually encounters him over the years after their very passionate and strained relationship at university and beyond. The reader is engaged with her inner-most thoughts, feel her passion for Bill when they meet, and her anger and sadness when she is consistentley looked over because she is a woman in power. Sittenfeld does an incredible job of emoting such resounding character within THIS Hillary, it feels very personal and emotional at times. Mostly, because I am sure a lot of women regardless of age, when they read this will have their fury reignited over how often women are betlitted and scrutinized in a way that no male has ever experienced. The novel emphasizes this in each portion of Hillary’s life, and it is a perfect representation (this is loosely fact based), of the scrutiny and bizarre treatment that a woman in power receives.

There was one passage that really struck me, and hit home. Sittenfeld writes, “…but as much as I wanted to be president, I wanted a woman to be president-I wanted this because women and girls were half the population and we deserved, as a basic human right and a means of ensuring justice, to be equally represented in government…Of all other presidents…none of them had run because they hoped to gain entry to the highest office of power on behalf of an entire gender. Yes, I was me, Hillary, but I also was a vessel and a proxy.” This perfectly summed up the entire 2016 experience for me, and without any spoilers, I felt a sense of poignancy at the ending of the novel and it made me very emotional. I lived this moment in history, but I was also emotional because of the fact that an accomplished woman was robbed of something she should have been rewarded by. It’s still hard to swallow, but I hope one day that a woman will be in the White House. Until then, this novel was a nice emotional placeholder. So thank you Curtis Sittenfeld, for writing this.

No spoilers here, but I rated this four out of five stars because I felt that I could have done without the incessant sex scenes with the fictional Bill, it was a tad uncomfortable at times. I would have preferred even more focus on Hillary herself, to focus even more so on what a treasure we lost out on in the White House. I also felt that I would have enjoyed it a bit more had we not had a bizarre (I’m sure there’s a better word) brief cameo by the orange idiot as well. However, this was an excellent read that will no doubt cause a bit of commotion in the publishing world when it is released on May 19th . This was one of my most antipated novels of the year, and it did not disappoint.

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for sending me an ARC to read and review.

This book is a reimagining of Hillary Clinton’s trajectory if she hadn’t married Bill Clinton. I’m familiar with a few of Curtis Sittenfeld’s books and I found this novel to be an interesting foray into Hillary’s perspectives. I had wondered how much Bill was a liability to Hillary’s presidential campaign in 2016, but I hadn’t considered how Hillary’s support of Bill might have been key in his winning his own presidency. And though I voted for Hillary in 2016, it was done so reluctantly - this book made me introspective about my own apathy towards her candidacy. The book’s pacing felt glacial at times, and some of the plot lines unlikely considering Hillary’s career and life choices, but it was a worthwhile read.

Though I don’t believe I would have picked this book up without having read some of the author’s prior books, I am happy to have done so. I give this book a 3.5/5 (rounded up to a 4) for its clever reimagining of recent American political history and for its wishful thinking.

Wild alternate history imagining the possibilities a singular woman could have when not distracted by lowering her standards. It was fun to read a world inspired by fact and research but which took on the fantasy of paths not taken. Escapism at its best.

I guess I'm just not into fictionalized accounts of a living person. This novel (and I stress NOVEL) made me so uncomfortable that I almost didn't finish it. To take a living person and make up intimate
details about her life just seemed wrong and unnecessary. The writing itself was good but I just couldn't appreciate the premise no matter how satisfying the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC to read and review.

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld is unlike anything I’ve read before. At the heart of the novel is taking a look at what happens when a woman isn’t defined by a man.

Say Hillary never married Bill. What could have happened to her life and career? That’s what Rodham takes a look at.

What if? Those two words are so profound. I think most people can see where they made a huge decision and it completely changed the trajectory of their life. But what would have happened if they took a different path?

As I read this story, knowing fully that it’s a fictional take, I was so struck by how real it felt. I’ve read memoirs that felt more closed off compared to this story. Part of me wondered if Curtis will actually take off a mask Scooby-Doo style and reveal that Hillary is actually the real author of this story! I’m clearly kidding there but wow, this book is so deeply personal.

Curtis really dives into her relationship with Bill and the issues that it faced. I thought that was very interesting. I was also very engaged when the story diverges from reality and we follow Hillary as she charts her path as a politician.

She still deals with BS and misogyny and she can’t quite escape her past relationship with Bill both in public and private. But in this timeline, she’s able to stand on her own. The ending is much different than we experienced in real life. So it might make you sad and frustrated.

This is a very interesting exploration of fate, free will and the idea that there are different timelines for all of us.

The early chapters of this book had me scrambling to the internet to check dates and events about Hillary. And I continued to read because of the appeal of Hillary’s life portrayed by Sittenfeld. Lots of people, events, perceptions and impressions of the people in the foreground and in the background of political life. Sittenfeld does this without losing track of the central character living a full life within American Cade is and politics. A very good read, kept me interested from start to finish. It made me wonder, “what if...?”.

Split into three sections, Rodham explores timespans when Hillary is with Bill, her first Senate campaign, and her third presidential campaign. The book becomes increasingly interesting the further it goes, not because the timeline diverges more and more but because Curtis Sittenfeld develops ideas more deeply: racism, sexism, fate and friendship, among others. Sittenfeld expertly weaves what happened with what could've happened, such that qualities and moments in Hillary's real life come to bear in Hillary's alternative life (and it was an interesting, thrilling reading experience to recognize those moments). She's criticized for the same things and she has some unseemly connections for which she must account; there are no Wall Street speeches or email controversies, but there are still white men chanting at rallies, lots of sexual allegations and problematic surrogate supporters. One of the most compelling aspects of the novel is Hillary's relationships with other women: Bill's accuser, as well as a friend who supported her Senate campaign and a friend who did not support it. The writing is accessible but asks deep questions about morality, ambition and purpose -- and mixed in with all that are scenes where Hillary talks about Kegels and buys condoms and K-Y jelly. Though you may pick this up for its alternative history plot line, you're compelled to continue reading by what's recognizable from this world.

Overall, wildly interesting and imminently readable. Highly recommended. Would be a great book club pick!

An interesting alternate history take on Hillary’s future without Bill. Certain to generate a lot of interesting discussions in book clubs about the importance of individual choices vs. fate.

This is a book that will cause backlash and make a lot of people upset, and I am here for it.

I had no idea how much truth Curtis Sittenfeld was going to include in this, and I think she balanced it really well. She has a sort of detached way of writing about her characters that often prevents the reader from getting too deep in the minds of her characters, and it works here. She doesn't try to pretend like she's the only one who can detail Hillary's personality, as if she's mindful that she's a real-life person. Ultimately, I think I preferred the first part of the book to the second, but the second part definitely kept me on my toes; I had no idea how it was all going to work out in the end.

Overall, it's both a disturbing and comforting read in these crazy times.

Sittenfield has a history of focusing on first wives. With Rodham, she focuses on one of the most polarizing first wives: HRC. In this book, she delves into Hillary's life to attempt to answer the question of what would have happened if she had not married Bill Clinton. If she'd never been a first lady, would she have been the first female President?

Sittenfield captures her subjects masterfully. Hopefully readers will move past the polarizing current political divide to give this fictional work a .chance. The universal themes of choice and sacrifice are ones worth exploring for all of us.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I trust Curtis Sittenfeld to give a fresh perspective on a well-known tale (I loved Eligible) but Rodham takes things a step farther, in the best way. I very often forgot that what I was reading was fiction. It felt so much like a true political memoir. Of course, with far more juicy detail. Rodham tells the story of Hillary Rodham if she had never married Bill Clinton. An interesting thought experiment that makes for a highly enjoyable read. Real-life events were woven into fiction seamlessly. I loved going in this journey with Hillary. My only complaint is that I wish it had been even longer!

What if Hillary never married Bill?
Curtis Sittenfeld masterfully tackles this exact question in Rodham, which follows an alternate Hillary Rodham that falls in love with Bill, then out of love, and lives quite a remarkable life on her own.
I will confess to being a Hillary fan for most of my conscious life. And. I'm equally a fan of this Hillary - this bold, strong, and empathetic Hillary. The sexism and society's unrealistic expectations are as true in this timeline as our own (side note - I wouldn't mind to read Hillary's story in a matriarchal universe), and how this Hillary manages it.
This was such a satisfying, addictive read in true Sittenfeld fashion. There. are things I didn't appreciate during the first read - the masterful jump between the past and the 2016 election, the. way relationships evolve, and just. how. closely. Sittenfeld mastered Hillary's voice.
This book has a lot of hype, and it exceeded it. And I wouldn't mind living in that universe, if I'm being honest.

I'm always so excited by a Curtis Sittenfeld new release, and this title was no different. A fascinating exploration into what could have been a parallel universe for Hillary Clinton. Going into this, I thought the premise was her life had she not met Bill Clinton at all but it's actually about whether they'd gotten together and broken up. Though I didn't care for the graphic portrayals of a Hillary/Bill love affair, I did really enjoy imagining this alternate universe and path for Hillary. Plus, Sittenfeld's writing was as always, fantastic.

While I'm generally a huge fan of the subject of the book, I often find her writings dull. I never finished her first autobiography.
This book was equally a slog, which is a shame.
I used to live in Park Ridge, IL, and was hoping for more details about the town.

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld was one of my most anticipated 2020 reads! After loving Sittenfeld's 2008 novel, American Wife SO much that I had high hopes for this one.

Sittenfeld presented a compelling (and sometimes quite steamy) look at what might have been if Hilary Rodham Clinton had NOT married Bill Clinton…I always love books that look at the path not taken and this was such a nuanced look at female ambition, marriage, and compromises women have and still have to make.

Sittenfeld's writing was engaging and the characterization of Hillary, Bill, and their initial relationship was well developed. As you move further into this book, this does become obviously a fictional look at the "what ifs" of a real individual which may not work for some readers. I really enjoyed this aspect of looking at things through an alternative timeline, especially during today's political climate.

I loved the nuanced look at gender, ambition, power, and privilege and also found the plotline completely engrossing. Rodham would make a fantastic book club discussion, especially as we are in the midst of an election year.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for an advance reader copy. All thoughts my own.