It’s been a long winter, and I am ready to start my “spring reading” which means I will compile a new list of the most intriguing new books to read. As I read through this list, I will post about the books I want to recommend (usually this isn’t all of them although I had great luck with my winter reading list!!). And today I am happy to write that I can already recommend a book from my spring list:
American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt
This is historical fiction by Stephanie Marie Thornton as the subtitle implies about a first daughter starting in 1901. I did not know anything about the oldest daughter of Teddy Roosevelt before reading this book. Apparently she obtained celebratory status with the press reporting her every move (many of these moves being rebellious) and even had the color “Alice Blue” named after her.
Alice was the only child of Theodore and his first wife who died in childbirth. For the first part of her life Alice was not close to her father; the book implies he couldn’t deal with how much she reminded him of his deceased wife.
Actually during the first half of the book, I was not sure I would be recommending it because I found her character annoying (it is written in the first person). But – and I don’t know if this is the true case or not – she became much more mature and interesting as the years (book) went on and as she grows closer to her father.
I knew then – perhaps I had known for years – that my father was the sun that I orbited. I’d married…but even still, he was only a distant star in comparison.
alice speaking in ‘American princess’ by stephanie marie thornton
The book goes through her father’s presidency, the aftermath, and her marriage as she managed to remain in the spotlight, as a socialite and political influencer, until her death in 1980.
My overall impression of the book – though it was a slow read and I actually buzzed through this other book in the meantime – is that it is worth reading for its entertaining insight into this time period and this American presidential history.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
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