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The Roosevelt Women

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In The Roosevelt Women by Betty Boyd Caroli, the author gives us a fascinating look at the Roosevelt women from primarily the Oyster Bay branch of this venerable family. Most of us have a general knowledge of presidents Theodore Roosevelt (TR) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). We also have some idea of the contributions of Eleanor Roosevelt to the world stage. The story of Eleanor Roosevelt and her female kin (grandmother, aunts and cousins) is in some respects even more remarkable than that of the Roosevelt men.

The book starts with Martha "Mittie" Bulloch Roosevelt, TR's mother. This beautiful Southern Belle married the senior Theodore Roosevelt. While often times spoiled, fragile and frivolous, she was also a caring mother and patient teacher to her children. According to Caroli, she withdrew from "family competition" in order that her plain daughters would "feel superior to her, to develop both wit and charm sufficient to outshine her inordinately good looks." Though she never lived to see her four granddaughters, they all credited her for her contributions to the Roosevelt family.

Mittie's daughters, Anna Roosevelt Cowles and Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, provide the most engrossing characters in The Roosevelt Women. While not well schooled, they were both bright, articulate and politically astute women. They surrounded themselves with powerful, witty and intelligent men and their houses were the center of lively and sparkling conversation. In later life, Corinne became a published poet and a public speaker. While these sisters were trailblazers in many ways, they were content to stay in the shadow of their more famous brother, TR, and never flaunted their relationship with him. Yet, they did everything in their power to help TR reach his political goals. It has been said that if Anna, Corinne and Teddy were all alive today, the women would make better presidential material.

Subsequent chapters cover the lives of Mittie's daughter-in-law, Edith (TR's second wife), Eleanor Roosevelt, Corinne Robinson Alsop (Corinne's daughter), Alice Longworth (TR's oldest daughter), and Ethel Derby (TR's youngest daughter). "Princess Alice" is probably the most colorful of the group and was considered the "other Washington Monument." TR once said of his wayward and headstrong daughter "I can run the country, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both."

The Roosevelt Women is a very readable book, and often seems more like a novel than a work of nonfiction. But this is by no means the complete story of all the Roosevelt women, as there is very little on the Hyde Park side of the family (Eleanor Roosevelt was an Oyster Bay Roosevelt before she married her 5th cousin, Franklin) Sara Delano Roosevelt (FDR's mom) does not rate her own chapter. Also, there are no women covered in depth after the generation of Mittie's granddaughters. Still, these criticisms aside, this is a book not to be missed by any true Roosevelt fan.

I wasn't expecting to like this book. The Roosevelt women I knew about, like Eleanor, seemed too wealthy and upper class to interest me. However, once I started reading (at a friend's recommendation), I was drawn into each of these Roosevelt women's stories. The history and politics in the book were easy to grasp, and everything that happened in the lives of the women discussed was made vivid and dramatic by the author. I wish I could sit down with her and have a cup of coffee and hear about the parts she left out.

I enjoyed immensely this collective biography of a group of women linked by a family name made famous by two presidents. Each was a notable, and in some cases extraordinary character in her own right. It is not an easy task to untangle and explicate the intricate skeins of nine overlapping stories, but the author succeeds wonderfully by filling her book with memorable details, photographs and contexts for each of these women. I felt very well guided through the complexities of their relationships with each other and to the men of the family, and the influences they exerted, many of which have not been as clearly profiled in biographies focusing on the Roosevelt men. I was grateful for the large doses of social historical context, which helped me appreciate the scope of some of the lesser-known women's accomplishments. Caroli writes in the most affecting terms, clearly delineating each personality in her own right and in terms of the mark she left on American history. The choice to approach these women as a large group differentiates this book from other Roosevelt biographies and underlines the qualities of immense energy, curiosity, and forcefulness of character which are the common threads of these women's lives.

I found it a fascinating read and could not put the book down.

I've just finished a wonderful book which I'd like to recommend to anyone interested in a good read. Betty Boyd Caroli's, THE ROOSEVELT WOMEN, reads like a good novel. It's filled with interesting stories, enticing gossip, and legendary women, - all combined with good history. Although I was familiar with Eleanor Roosevelt's story, I must admit that I knew very little about most of the Roosevelt women Ms. Caroli introduced me to. These aunts and cousins were role models for Eleanor - women who traveled the world, wrote books, served in state legislatures, even addressed the Republican National Convention - all while raising families and running large households. If you want some insight into the lives of the women in this very special American family, this is the book for you.

This was a pretty well written biography of the women of the Roosevelt family. It includes TR's mother and sisters and a few others you don't ordinarily read about, such as his second daughter, a niece, his second wife. The author does not go into any great depth for any of these women, but she gives a good overview of the lives of each. Well worth reading.

Betty Boyd Caroli gives equal and entertaining time to several generations of Roosevelt women who were just as intelligent and strong-minded as their male counterparts (if not more so), even if they didn't have the same career opportunities. This extremely well-written and thoughtful book fills a long-neglected gap in the copious field of Rooseveltiana. Highly recommended to casual readers and historians alike. More compelling as fact than most fiction you'll ever read.

This is a simply wonderful book for what it tells us both about the women of the Roosevelt clan and the men. Caroli's story lends great insight to both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt and the relationship between the two.

The book is set up as a series of smaller books, each one on a particular Roosevelt woman. The great thing is how Caroli connects these women to each other and to the politics of the time. It is interesting to see how different these women were as well as similar. For many of them, their most important relationships with men (outside their brothers/fathers) were not their husbands. Bamie, Corinne and Alice's husbands all take a backseat to other men - often the political magnets of the day. Not that scandal haunted any of these women (except Alice, who courted it). There were some genuine love matches - Edith and Theodore really had a strong, passionate marriage.

Caroli begins with Theodore Roosevelt's mother, Mittie. Mittie is often an overlooked figure and this book brings out who she was and why. It also gives great insight to the childhood of TR and how the Civil War affected him quite differently than you'd expect. Mittie's sister, Anna Gracie, is also a huge force in the life of the young Roosevelts and we see this chapter.

Then Caroli covers TR's sisters: Bamie Roosevelt Cowles and Corrine Roosevelt Robinson. Both these women played down their role in their brother's political life, but this book shows how involved they actually were. Both these women contributed greatly to the political future of the US. These women were also the models for the next generation and where they went for advice and help.

The fourth "book" talks about Edith Roosevelt (TR's wife) and Sara Delano Roosevelt (Franklin's mother). What is interesting here is the comparisons that Caroli draws between these two women. Edith was seen as the perfect wife and companion while Sara was vilified as the evil mother-in-law. Yet Caroli manages to show them as real women, beyond that basic stereotype. I especially find it interesting how involved Sara was in creating the woman we know as Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor, in the beginning of her marriage, needed the advice and guidance of the older woman, although she would later outgrow it, hence the later picture of Sara.

Then Caroli covers Eleanor Roosevelt, but here it is interesting to see the background to the political life we know so well. Eleanor, although Franklin's wife, is also Theodore's niece (the daughter of his brother, Elliot) and connected to both sides of the family. With this generation we see the split between the "Theodores" and "Franklins" politically and then moreorless socially (although there is never a complete severing of ties). Theodore's family had always been staunch Republicans, but Franklin was going to be the golden boy of the Democratic party, which would rub hard on the "Theodores."

Next we see another niece of TR's, Corinney Alsop [her name is Corinne, but the family called her Corinney and to distinguish mother and daughter, Caroli does as well], the daughter of his sister Corinne. Corinney followed in her mother's shoes as a political speaker and activist, even serving in political office herself (one of the few to do so and the only of this generation). Corinney also kept some of the best relationships with the "Franklins" and even voted for him at one point.

Finally we cover TR's daughters: Alice and Ethel in the last two sections. Ethel's life revolved around family and her activities more confined than some of her cousins. Alice, while not an activist in any sense, was one of the best known figures of Washington for her outrageous behavior and tongue. Alice would literally say anything. The stark contrast between these two sisters is brought out as we see Ethel as the more dutiful and responsible and Alice as the butterfly, always seeking attention, yet these two were constant friends throughout their long lives.

This book is definitely worth your attention for several reasons. First, it showcases these oft-overlooked political figures of the Roosevelt clan. Second, it gives new insight to the men who rose to political heights on the shoulders of these women. Lastly, it is just plain entertaining and well-written - a completely enjoyable read.

This book really held my attention. While I must admit that I still get a little confused with the Roosevelt family tree, this book gave me just enough information about the Roosevelt women. It's refreshing to read about the women behind the men!

What a delightful book. While Caroli's title, "The Roosevelt Women", could cover as many talented women as there are rabbits, she has elected to portray those she found most interesting. Roosevelt-philes, including relatives, may resent her exclusion of some members of the clan they deem of more importance than those who appear as subjects of the book. Inclusion of all would have meant a computer-like scrolling and a Britannica compendium. As written, her subjects have personae made relevant to her modern readers. Good for Caroli.

This book is so good, I can't put it down. It should be on the reading list of every college student doing Women's Studies, as well as regular history courses. Thanks to Book Notes for interviewing this author on C-span, I can continue my education with these wonderfully insightful books.