Rodham
Curtis Sittenfeld
From the New York Times bestselling author of American Wife and Eligible, a novel that imagines a deeply compelling what-might-have-been: What if Hillary Rodham hadn’t married Bill Clinton. In 1971, Hillary Rodham is a young woman full of promise: Life magazine has covered her Wellesley commencement speech, she’s attending Yale Law School, and she’s on the forefront of student activism and the women’s rights movement. And then she meets Bill Clinton. more
417 pages, Hardcover
First published Random House
3.83
Rating
43843
Ratings
5793
Reviews
Curtis Sittenfeld
20 books 7973 followers
Curtis Sittenfeld is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including Rodham, Eligible, Prep, American Wife, and Sisterland, as well as the collection You Think It, I'll Say It. Her books have been translated into thirty languages. In addition, her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post Magazine, Esquire, and The Best American Short Stories, for which she has also been the guest editor. Her nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, and Vanity Fair, and on public radio's This American Life.Community reviews
I am a fan of Sittenfeld's work and loved her short story collection and American Wife so I looked forward to this alternate history of Hillary Clinton's life if she hadn't married Bill. A lot works in this retelling. I certainly believed her interpretation of an ambitious and self-possessed Hillary Rodham. The depth of the narrative impressed me. It is quite different from American Wife which surprised me. more
Blew my saxophone. An inspired, stunningly poignant—yes, even a little dirty—creative re-imagining of what the Clintons are and what they could be in an alternate universe. Funny—and eerie—to think how choosing a different path (not marrying Bill) might have resulted in major surprises and similarities to reality. Highlights include sexually charged political innuendo between Bill and Hill in their college days, a nude saxophone performance, and delicious characterization of Bill as a self-described “horny bastard” who can’t resist a “savory honeypot. ”Meanwhile, Hillary is seen as a figure who largely gives up earthly delights in favor of pursuing her political mission. more
Okay, it was interesting, creative, extremely thought provoking and we have a skillful, talented author on the board but hmmm… I think this concept didn’t work for me. I always loved “what if” based story-lines: opens to alternated realities and parallel universes. What if we choose the other path, what if we do the quite opposite thing and rethink our life choices, how will be the consequences. Will be happier, wealthier, healthier, more successful or will we live in regrets, suffer from resentments, depression. I think semi-autobiography merges with fiction and some kind of retelling, it may be a little confusing. more
I read Rodham some weeks ago and am of a few different minds about it, because I think you can read this book three different ways: first, as a piece of mainstream fan fiction (because that's exactly what it is); second, as a character study of a woman whose public-facing self is, at this point, a warped amalgamation of various projections; and lastly, as an artifact of what I would call the period of national trauma following the 2016 election. In the first aspect, as a piece of fan fiction, I actually think the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the book is surprisingly successful (Kudos on AO3, although the Hillary/Bill smut might scar you). As a character portrait, and an exploration of the tension between Hillary's private and public selves, this novel is competent but uninspired. There's a flatness to Sittenfeld's Hillary that she's never quite able to flesh out, and it only gets worse as the book goes on. And in the final aspect, as a broader kind of post-2016 social-political commentary, I think this book is pretty useless. more
“When the Saints Go Marching On”. 🎶Did Hillary sacrifice her professional future, being with Bill. Not in this fictional tale. I love Curtis Sittenfeld’s books. HUGE FAN. more
THIS is the reality, the actual story, all serious Hillary fans wanted, maybe still want. As Americans watch the news everyday and get that winsome look in their eyes, they still think – if only Hillary was at the helm. Read this while you are in isolation and lose yourself for a few hours or days. You will not regret your mindful vacation. Curtis takes us back to 1971 when Hillary was a top student at Wellesley and gave her renowned commencement speech. more
Thank you, Random House, for the gifted early ecopy. I also purchased a physical copy for my shelf. I’m so excited to finally share my thoughts with you on this book. It’s one I looked forward to all summer long, and I literally enjoyed every sentence. This was my first book from Curtis Sittenfeld, and I found her writing flawless. more
Hear ye, hear ye: I've found what'll no doubt be one of the most polarizing books of the year and what I can only describe as a muuuuch darker and more political version of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Maybe In Another Life mixed with a little bit of the TV show Veep. The second I heard of Rodham's impending publication, it sent me down a bit of an existential crisis: Do we really need (or even truly want) a fictionalized account of Hillary Clinton's life without Bill Clinton as her spouse. Does it even matter. Especially when there are so many other books that can and should be published. One thing can't be doubted: Curtis Sittenfeld makes some incredibly deft and poignant remarks about modern womanhood and what it means to be a woman with ambition; I felt many of the struggles she described viscerally. more
In these Dark Ages of the Reign of Trump, Curtis Sittenfeld’s “Rodham” descends like an avenging angel. Here, in the pages of this alternate history about Hillary Rodham Clinton, is the story not of “What Happened” but of “What Could Have Happened. ” This isn’t just fiction as fantasy; it’s fiction as therapy for that majority of Americans who voted for Clinton in 2016 and are now sick and unemployed under the current calamitous administration. It takes a village to create a demon, and that tireless work has produced the extraordinary boogeywoman that is Clinton, the conniving, corrupt, murderous, senile, pedophiliac, money-grubbing, cookie-hating, email-abusing harridan who terrifies Fox News commentators. Indeed, as the subject of thousands of wing nut conspiracies, Clinton may already be the most fictionalized person in modern political history. more
[4. 5] Rodham is not for everyone - but I loved it. If you dislike Hillary, I don't recommend spending 417 pages with her. Boldly and brilliantly, Sittenfeld reimagines Hillary's life so well, that going forward it will be hard for me to reconcile her actual life with the one in this novel. Especially in the beginning, it is jarring to be inside Hillary's head (and bed). more
The narrator was perfect for this book. Although I was sure if this book would interest me or hold my interest, I was absolutely engaged throughout and felt like no part or sentence was superfluous. more
★★★ /5This was a really interesting book. I enjoyed the writing style, it was really easy to comprehend. The story at the beginning was engaging and quick, but around the halfway point, it really slowed down and dragged a little bit. The characters were well rounded and interesting to read about, but character development was a little bit inconsistent. more
*NO spoilers in this review - and I suggest that if you already know you are very interested in reading this, you avoid reading other reviews beforehand and learning anything about what happens in the book. I’ve never issued such a “warning” before, but this strategy really allowed me a strong emotional payoff, especially in the end. I’ve been surprised lately by how much plot detail is revealed in so many reviews of so many books. *Curtis Sittenfeld is maybe more of a performance artist than a writer. A great writer, also, sure. more
You know, when I first heard of this book, I wanted nothing more than pure wish fulfillment, a Tarantino-style rewriting of history to close our eyes to the horror that is our actual reality. But as I read more and more of Rodham, especially given the massive unrest and movement around police brutality and racism in the U. S. , none of it felt right. I wasn't satisfied, and I did not wish I could live in this fantasy world. more
One day after finishing this book, my anger against it increased. My feeling was upgraded from "dislike" to "detest". Therefore, 1 star instead of 2. I had been fascinated by Bill Clinton since he was elected to be US president in 1992. I read many books about him and wished I would meet him one day to see if his charm was real. more
Not quite a 2. Read to the 2/3 point. Pedestrian, adolescent, and beyond dull. If this hadn’t been written by a well-known author about a well-known political figure, it would never have been published. Yet another waste of good trees. more
4. 5 stars. Rodham is a fascinating and thought-provoking look at what could have been, at least filtered through Curtis Sittenfeld's mind. Nearly everyone has an opinion of Hillary Clinton. Some love her, some admire her, some think she’s truly evil and corrupt. more
What if Hillary and Bill Clinton had never married. In this fictionalized account of her life post-Bill (they date in law school and break up due to his infidelity and satyromania), Hillary Rodham becomes a senator representing Illinois, runs against Bill Clinton (a politician-turned-tech god. ) for President of the United States in 2016, and wins with the endorsement of Donald J. Trump. What. more
My best friend Curtis Sittenfeld (swipe for photographic proof) wrote a book just for me. And if the saxophone scene doesn’t make you squeal with delight and discomfort then we are not the same. A triumph. . more
What can I say about Rodham that hasn’t already been said. What if Hillary hadn’t married Bill. Sittenfeld imagines an alternate life for Hillary, something most of us have at least occasionally considered for ourselves. In this narrative, she is still the same person we’ve come to know over several decades — not perfect, which I appreciated — but makes different choices, forging her own path. I was in kindergarten when Bill Clinton was elected President and Googled a handful of names while reading this story (particularly in the earlier timeframes), in an attempt to determine if the person was real or fictional, and if real, for a little more context about them. more
It's "summer" and it's 2020 and it's a pandemic, so nothing feels quite right. Aren't we all looking for an alternate reality right now. The characterizations here felt right, making this a great escape. I think the less said about this one, the better for future readers. My favorite line came a little more than halfway through: "It's weird you almost married Bill Clinton, because he seems so unworthy of you. more
***SPOILERS HIDDEN***Hillary Clinton would probably like this book. Bill Clinton would definitely hate it. And Donald Trump would be enraged by it. As for me, discounting its hyper-focus on romance, I loved it. Curtis Sittenfeld writes some of the best realistic--emphasis on "real”--fiction I’ve ever read. more
Een meeslepend boek over wat had kunnen zijn als fatsoen en competentie meer een kans hadden in het moderne politieke bedrijf, en hoe ras en gender hierbij nog steeds grote obstakels vormen'Luister' zei hij. 'Je weet dat ik enorm veel respect voor je heb. 'Ik heb in de loop der jaren geleerd dat mensen het vaakst hun respect betuigen wanneer hun gedrag het tegendeel suggereert. In Rodham volgen we het leven van Hillary Rodham en hoe dit verlopen zou zijn als ze niet met Bill Clinton getrouwd is. Het eerste hoofdstuk van het boek gaat over haar universiteitsleven en hoe ze Bill ontmoet heeft. more
Curtis Sittenfeld's engaging novel looks at Hillary Rodham's life through this prism: what if she hadn't married Bill Clinton. In 1971, as Hillary Rodham graduates from Wellesley, she delivers a commencement speech that gains national prominence. She heads to Yale Law school--an intelligent woman, filled with the desire to help those in need. It is there she meets Bill Clinton, a fellow law student. The connection between the two is instant--for the first time, Hillary feels she has found someone who appreciates her both emotionally and physically. more
Two disclaimers: 1) I am a Hillary fangirl. I have been since 1992. 2) I love fanfiction. Turns out, putting the two things together doesn't work for me. I saw this book and I couldn't wait to read it. more
What if Hillary didn’t marry Bill. Spoiler alert Trump would never become president, and I’m just saying makes the book worth it. OK let me preface this review by stating I am not a big Hillary Clinton fan. I am liberal and I would love to see a woman be president, she just rubs me the wrong way. Probably for many reasons brought up in this book. more
I really wanted to like this, because Curtis Sittenfeld, you know. But I was icked out from the earliest pages. Fan fiction about real people, particularly a person that has dominated and continues to dominates headlines, crosses a line that I didn't even know I had drawn. It's also important to emphasize the "fan" in fan fiction. Rodham isn't simply drawing inspiration from Hillary Clinton's life; it's unapologetically rooting for her, making the novel not much more than a wish fulfillment narrative for all the liberal professional women scarred by 2016. more
3. 7This is well researched wish fulfillment, and it’s fun. The early relationship between Hillary & Bill is sexy, and the portrayals of both Bill & Trump are so pitch-perfect, they had me laughing out loud, a lot. Plus, I found the ending very moving. more
My first response upon finishing this book was, "No words. " Followed by, "Wow wow wow. "I have no idea how Curtis Sittenfeld did this. Using real-life speeches and public moments to build a story around is hard enough, but it feels like she got access to Bill and Hillary Clinton that of course she didn't. And yet as I was reading this I felt like I was a voyeur into Hillary's life. more
What an ungodly, awful, trash heap of a book. I almost just want to copy and paste the notes I was keeping while listening to the audiobook and stick them here. They’d be a bit spoilerish but are all you need to know and filled with vomit and eye roll emojis and me saying “Noooo. ”, “SERIOUSLY. ”, and similar. more