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A Scottish Lighthouse Escape by Julie Shackman # #ScottishEscapesBook9 #PublicationDay

  Welcome to Book 9 in the Scottish Escapes series by Julie Shackman. A Scottish Lighthouse Escape  is published today on July 31st by One More Chapter . You can read my reviews of others in the Scottish Escapes series here   A Secret Scottish Escape . |  A Scottish Highland Surprise    |   The Cottage in the Highlands |   A Scottish Country Escape   |  The Bookshop by the Loch A Scottish Highland Hideaway   |   A Scottish Island Summer   Get ready to fall in love with the brand new romance in the Scottish Escapes series from bestselling author, Julie Shackman.   When romance author Rosie Winters’s own fairytale romance ends with a bang, she’s determined to get away from everything. Packing up her belongings she sets off for the furthest place she can think of: Scotland. Rosie spent her summers at her late grandmother’s coastal cottage in the Highlands and knows it’ll be the perfect place to wallow f...

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld #Review

Today I have a novel which poses a rather intriguing question: What if Hillary hadn't married Bill? 

The book in question is Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld which is published by Doubleday in hardback on July 9th. The Hillary and Bill are of course, Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton...

‘Awfully opinionated for a girl’ is what they call Hillary as she grows up in her Chicago suburb.

Smart, diligent, and a bit plain, that’s the general consensus. Then Hillary goes to college, and her star rises. At Yale Law School, she continues to be a leader― and catches the eye of driven, handsome and charismatic Bill. But when he asks her to marry him, Hillary gives him a firm No.

How might things have turned out for them, for America, for the world itself, if Hillary Rodham had really turned down Bill Clinton?

With her sharp but always compassionate eye, Sittenfeld explores the loneliness, moral ambivalence and iron determination that characterise the quest for high office, as well as the painful compromises demanded of female ambition in a world ruled by men. Uncannily astute and witty in the telling, RODHAM is a brilliant reimagining –an unmissable literary landmark and truly a novel of ourtimes.

My Thoughts

This is a work of fiction which re-imagines what Hillary Clinton's life would have been like if she had not married Bill Clinton. Although you are always clear that this is speculative and fictionalised, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy at someone's life being used in this way, especially when intimate thoughts and sexual encounters are included. However, if I put these reservations to one side, I can say that this is an enjoyable read which threads together political figures and even uses words from seminal moments.

    This is a study of the costs of political ambition to the individual.  It is made clear that the public persona has to take precedence on the private one and you feel that Hillary's ambition and belief in her ability supersedes everything to her. But she nevertheless feels like a rounded character who has regrets and affection for others. The background to electioneering and political manoeuvring is shown in detail. The other message which comes over loud and clear is the sexism which she fought against all her life. Women's rights are written in large letters throughout. 

In short: Literary fiction merges with politics
 
About the Author


In addition to Rodham, Curtis Sittenfeld is the author of the Sunday Times best seller American Wife, in which she painted a picture of an ordinary American girl –a thinly-disguised Laura Bush -who found herself married to a President. It was longlisted for the Orange Prize, as was her debut novel Prep. Her other books are Man of My Dreams, Sisterland (a Richard & Judy Book Club pick), Eligible, and the acclaimed short story collection You Think It, I’ll Say It. Her books are translated into 30 languages. She lives with her family in the American Mid-West.

You can follow Curtis here: Twitter  

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Curtis Sittenfeld, Doubleday and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

Check out the rest of the tour!

 

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