The First Ladies represents the second collaboration between Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. And once again, it’s a resounding success. The First Ladies takes on the friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune. It’s a subject that works much better for having these two adept authors handling it together.
While I’ve read much about Mrs. Roosevelt, Mary Bethune was unknown to me. An educator (she founded a private school that became the Bethune-Cookman College) and a civil rights activist (founding the National Association of Colored Women and sitting on the board of the NAACP), she became an advisor to President Roosevelt.
The authors have an equally strong partnership and their writing styles merged perfectly. It’s a fine art to imbue a story with facts without disrupting the pace of the story. The authors have done it perfectly.
I have strong opinions about what historical fiction should be and this met all my requirements. I learned a lot about all the individuals involved. And finished with a new found appreciation for Sara Roosevelt.
As the book progresses, it focuses on the work both women did for equal rights, starting with trying to get an anti-lynching bill passed by Congress. It was a reminder that the Democrats weren’t always the party seeking equality. And that even FDR wasn’t willing to support the bill, realizing the political hot potato it was when he was trying to juggle passing the New Deal bills and acting for the greater good.
I adored both Author’s Notes which outlined how their partnership led to a friendship which led to the necessary deep conversations about race between two women of different colors.
It’s sad to think the US didn’t pass an anti-lynching act until 2022. Sadder still to think that so much of what Mary and Eleanor fought against still goes on.
Because my advance copy didn’t include the historical notes, I’m left confused about Steve Woodburn, who appears in this story as a political advisor who took Louis Howe’s place after Howe’s death. I was unable to find any information about the man.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.

The First Ladies explores the unlikely friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Black civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune during The Great Depression and WWII era. While very informative and at times dense, the audiobook kept me engaged and interested in the subject matter. If you enjoyed The Personal Librarian, this will be one to not miss.

Read if you like:
-US Historical Fiction
-Strong female leaders
-Learning about the struggle for civil rights for African Americans
-Unlikely friendships

Thank you Berkley and PRH Audio for the advanced copy. Pub date 6/27

This book is being reviewed for the Historical Novels Review Magazine. A full review will be available after August 1, publication.

I really enjoyed the friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune in this fictional novel, it worked overall and it felt like it worked with the historical period. I enjoyed the way Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray wrote this, it was a pleasure to read and did everything that I was hoping for. The characters worked well and felt like real people. I can't wait to read more like this as I really enjoyed this book.

"Of course, I didn’t realize that my workdays would stretch from eight o’clock in the morning to nearly midnight as I coordinate the women’s voting efforts in forty-eight states, interrupted only by the demands of teaching and helping manage Todhunter. Still, I adore being at the center of this historic moment. What a gift I’ve been given."

In that time and place, who could have imagined a friendship between a wealthy white woman whose husband was a major politician and a famous black educator who refused to be cowed by people who needed to pretend that they were ever so much better than she and others of her skin color. But they had a lot more in common than differences. The book is categorized as fiction because it contains conversations and private memories that were not documented for posterity. But the story is firmly rooted in truth, only made less intimidating. Over the course of the book Mrs. Bethune is instrumental in shoring up Eleanor's poor self image and Eleanor does what she can to improve race relations in that time. The more things change the more they stay the same.
Co-authored by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, it is presented with dual narrations that add to the understanding of the era and the special women involved in working for change.
I requested and received an EARC from Berkley Publishing Group/Berkley via NetGalley. Thank you!

This was slow for me at first but once I got into it, I was hooked. Marie and Victoria have done it again! I loved learning more about these two women and their little known, long lasting friendship. I learned so much about the fight for racial equality in this novel. I had no clue how often lynching was still occurring and baffled that so many turned a blind eye and did nothing. These women came together and demanded more from the white men in power. They were moves and shakers and their story is one everyone should read about the powers of female friendship.

Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune are two wise women from different worlds; socially,ecomically and politically, yet bond instantly . They soon learn that they both desire the same equality for children's education, minorities and girls.
This unlikely alliance became a force that the nation was unready to embrace. However,others opinions and prejudices did not detour their focus, Eventually,they were able to enlist the help of FDR- sometimes unwillingly. And,while he had many character faults he respected his wife and knew her causes were just.
Over the three terms of FDR's presidency these women bargained and fought for justice and equality in the face of unrelanting prejudice.
Eleanor and Mary faced push-back from allies and foes alike. They held one another up and told each other hard truths. This bond they shared carried them through some of the darkest times of their remarkable friendship.
The author's did a wonderful job incorporating a dual POV perspective. I learned so much and gained so much more respect for these historical figures than I posessed before reading this novel.
Thank you Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray for shedding more light on the remarkable friendship that helped change the nation's stand on equality for POC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC for my unbiased feedback.

Another book by the duo of The Personal Librarian was a must read for me, and learning more about Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune (who unfortunately I knew very little about) made this a book to pick up right away.

This novel is engaging and one that kept the pages turning. Fascinating women and well done on a great novel sharing their lives with the world.

This is a great story about two well known public figures. I really appreciated the behind the scenes access to their friendship and seeing how they collaborated to work towards equality for all Americans. Wow! I would recommend this book to those that have an interest in history and pioneering women.

Having never read a book by this author duo before I wasn't sure what to expect. But I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Not only did I learn some new information from this point in history, but I learned much more about Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune. This is a great read for those who enjoy historical fiction!

As with The Personal Librarian, these two authors delivered a great story that was both entertaining and extremely informative. This was such an unlikely friendship but these two women fought to show everyone that friendship, and civil rights, will always be worth fighting for. They learned from each other and they supported and encouraged each other to continue the fight. Although progress was difficult and always challenging, they never gave up. I loved this book and I will definitely encourage customers to read it.

This book was about the astonishing friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune. Their friendship spanned the years before and after FDR’s presidency and dealt with Bethune’s constant striving for the betterment of the negro race and how her friendship with Eleanor gave her access to the president to aid in that endeavor.

The title of the book, First Ladies, refers to the fact that while Eleanor became First Lady of the United States, Mary’s appellation came to be “First Lady of the Struggle.”

I had not known about the friendship between these two extraordinary women and found this to be an interesting read.

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one! It was so great! Eleanor Roosevelt has always been someone I have looked up to. Reading about this part of her life as an activist, joining up with Mary was really inspiring. Especially since the civil rights movement didn’t happen until 30-40 years after the events of this book took place. Highly recommend if you enjoy historical fiction.

There are many fans of Marie Benedict that will be excited and enjoy this book. The first two thirds were hard for me to get through. I have heard so much about current political affairs I am tired of reading about Washington DC. However that said the setting and bad politicians make it timely. The second reason I was having a tough time with the first part of the book was it made me think the women in the book were weak and marrying just to be in the limelight. But the last part changed my mind about all of that and became a real page turner but it took a little too long to get there. I hope readers don’t stop too soon, because they will miss a satisfying finish

The First Ladies
By Marie Benedict , Victoria Christopher Murray
Pub Date: June 27, 2023
Berkely
Thanks to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for the ARc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Well researched , but for me a little slow moving for me. I felt like I was plodding through the book. I liked the short chapters and shifting POVs .
4 starsc

This is definitely for fans of traditional historical fiction. The history behind this title is fascinating, and I do love the short chapters, and the shifting perspectives between Mary and Eleanor. I do think, at times, that the portrayals of super high profile historical figures, such as Franklin, Delano, Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt, feel a little hollow. Personally, I need my historical fiction to have a little more vibrancy and I need better pacing and movement in the story. This felt a little slow and wobbly but I think that the author unearthing forgotten black history is commendable, and the research that went into this is very clear. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this to my friends, I will definitely recommend to patrons.

I love Marie Benedict's novels because they are well researched and contain strong female characters that the reader may not have heard about. Here she and Victoria Christopher Murray write of two very well known women- the twist is that what is less known is that these two amazing women had a close relationship. Both Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McCloud Bethune were champions of education and civil rights, but together they made a formidable team, and it was a joy to get a glimpse into these women's personal lives and struggles as well. We have a strong following of historical fiction in my library, and I will be recommending this book highly to those with a social conscience as well.

The books is about the extraordinary friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. This book pulled me in immediately and showed me a part of history I was not familiar with. When FDR is elected president the two women collaborate even more closely. You are brought into the world of Eleanor, her relationship with FDR and his secret love affair. The book follows two strong and passionate women who will not give up on making the US a more equitable place for blacks.

The First Ladies by historical fiction authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is the story of the friendship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. The story takes us from the time Eleanor was a young bride until FDR’s death, covering the time period from the start of FDR’s political career, the great depression, WWII up to his death in 1945.

Having not been familiar with this bit of history, the details of the story were interesting . The chapters alternated between Eleanor and Mary. It was a little slow in parts and I did struggle to keep reading at times but I’m glad stayed with it until the end. Fans of The Personal Librarian should give this a try. I will definitely keep an eye out for the next work of historical fiction by this pair of authors.

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Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Readers may feel there is not much more to learn about Eleanor Roosevelt,, but the Benedict/Murray collaboration of The First Ladies will highlight Roosevelt's unwavering efforts to bring civil rights reform to all Americans during a turbulent time in American history. And it is her friendship with activist Mary MacLeod Bethune that will be the catalyst for change and growth in America. The story of Bethune's contributions to the Civil Rights Movement is told alongside the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's belief in the basic rights of all people.

The story opens with Bethune as she heads to the home of Sara Delano Roosevelt to attend a tea. She is the lone black woman and somewhat aloof until she meets Eleanor Roosevelt. This duo will place their emerging friendship in the nation's limelight and will utilize their wiles and ingenuity in the name of justice where blacks have little or no say and are subjected to the evil and cruelty of lynching.

Using alternating chapters, readers are treated to an in-depth examination of events during the FDR administration including the Depression, Marian Anderson, Louis Howe of the White House staff, the Tuskegee Airmen, Bull Connor's continued attempts to uphold segregation. Lorena Hockok and so many additional characters who make the times so thought-provoking.

The First Ladies is a read for everyone. New understandings can be realized that stress friendship, hard work and determination.