I stumbled upon this book almost by accident. I had been talking to a friend about books that we enjoyed reading and found out that it was coming out - Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my most favorite authors and I re-read her novel, Prep, often. So when I heard that she was coming out with a retelling of Hill's life, I was all in!
This book literally imagines what Hillary Rodham Clinton's life would have been like if she had never married Bill Clinton. This book is, in a single word: mesmerizing.
So, Hillary at Wellesley (full disclosure: I graduated from Wellesley in 2001) is still the same, down to the Commencement address she gave in 1969 - she was the first student commencement speaker at a graduation in Wellesley history. She goes to Yale Law, meets Bill and travels some with him, but instead of marrying him, she leaves him and goes back to Chicago. What is brilliant about this novel is that it's a a fictional re-telling of Hillary's Living History.
I found myself experiencing a lot of emotions here - I found myself charmed by the early romance and then horrified in turn at how Bill acted, but I still couldn't tear myself away. I felt uncomfortable with some of the compromises that were made by Hillary - particularly when it came to Donald Trump (who plays an interesting role here). I felt a little squeamish reading about the fictional Hillary talking about sex and other bodily functions, much as I would any other person talking about that - I'm sure Hillary is reading it - can you imagine HER reaction?!
And yet, in spite of this, (or maybe because of it), I couldn't put the book down. It's the most technically perfect book I've read in a very long time and I was absolutely enthralled and mesmerized by it. Definitely recommended.
This book literally imagines what Hillary Rodham Clinton's life would have been like if she had never married Bill Clinton. This book is, in a single word: mesmerizing.
So, Hillary at Wellesley (full disclosure: I graduated from Wellesley in 2001) is still the same, down to the Commencement address she gave in 1969 - she was the first student commencement speaker at a graduation in Wellesley history. She goes to Yale Law, meets Bill and travels some with him, but instead of marrying him, she leaves him and goes back to Chicago. What is brilliant about this novel is that it's a a fictional re-telling of Hillary's Living History.
I found myself experiencing a lot of emotions here - I found myself charmed by the early romance and then horrified in turn at how Bill acted, but I still couldn't tear myself away. I felt uncomfortable with some of the compromises that were made by Hillary - particularly when it came to Donald Trump (who plays an interesting role here). I felt a little squeamish reading about the fictional Hillary talking about sex and other bodily functions, much as I would any other person talking about that - I'm sure Hillary is reading it - can you imagine HER reaction?!
And yet, in spite of this, (or maybe because of it), I couldn't put the book down. It's the most technically perfect book I've read in a very long time and I was absolutely enthralled and mesmerized by it. Definitely recommended.
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