3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Eleanor from her own perspective, October 3, 2000
This review is from: Eleanor : A Novel (Paperback)
Eleanor is a moving account of a fascinating woman, involved in a complicated marriage with one of history's most influential men and his family, at a tumultuous time in world history. One has a sense of peeking inside Eleanor's heart and feeling the mixture of emotions she experiences in her often trying personal life. A wonderful new perspective on a woman we have come to respect for her many gifts.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"War was passion, and passion was a partner with whom I had danced long and lonely.", May 7, 2006
This review is from: Eleanor : A Novel (Paperback)
Depicting Eleanor Roosevelt from World War I through the death of her husband Franklin, Rhoda Lerman presents a candid, fictional biography of Eleanor Roosevelt (1998), an activist for human rights both at home and abroad, and not incidentally a very human wife and mother who was often disappointed by the parade of FDR's "loves of his life." Sharing Mrs. Roosevelt's innermost thoughts, Lerman depicts her tough mind and strong character, her insecurities regarding her marriage after her husband's flagrant affair with Lucy Mercer (among others), her sense of irony and dark humor, and ultimately, her resilience.
The reader accompanies Mrs. Roosevelt, when, at the end of World War I, the thirty-three-year-old mother of five travels to Europe with her husband, who was then Undersecretary of the Navy. Vividly recreating Mrs. Roosevelt's impressions of the people she meets and her conversations with them, Lerman reveals a side of Mrs. Roosevelt which the public rarely saw. One of her most memorable experiences involves a young sergeant who flirts with her while she works at an army canteen, makes her feel desired, and ultimately sends her a battlefield memento. Bernard Baruch is so impressed with her assessments of President Wilson, whether he can be trusted, and whether or not the League of Nations will be accepted, that he sends red roses to her Paris hotel--from England, she notes, since the devastation in France has eliminated all the roses there.
Eleanor's strength of character is obvious throughout, as she breaks with her aristocratic family regarding civil rights and sets her own course while recovering from what she regards as her husband's betrayal. Her candid impressions of her pompous Delano and Roosevelt relatives, her support of her husband's efforts to become President, her willingness to seek and accept personal advice from Teddy Roosevelt, and her own feelings of uncertainty are clearly revealed in this vibrant novelized biography. After President Roosevelt's death, when she is appointed by President Truman to become a U.S. delegate to the United Nations, the reader understands the emotional conflict she must resolve before returning to public life.
It is a bit difficult to imagine the formal Eleanor Roosevelt being quite as handy with a quip as she is in this book, but the frequently wry moments and ironies provide moments of comic relief which set the serious issues of her life into sharp focus. A fine, revealing portrait which brings a remarkable First Lady to life for a new generation. n Mary Whipple
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eleanor, A Novel, October 5, 2000
This review is from: Eleanor : A Novel (Paperback)
This is the most beautiful and truest book on Eleanor Roosevelt that I have ever read. The writing is gorgeous. A must read for any fan or historian interested in Eleanor Roosevelt and her influence on our lives. Not only is the writing elegant and intimate, you believe that you are reading a book by Eleanor Roosevelt. Great Fictional Autobiography. Lerman really is Eleanor.
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