By?Hazel Rowley
Farrar, Straus and Giroux,$27.00,345 pages
Although there is extensive literature on the lives of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, there is very little writing dedicated to their marriage. Perhaps the reason for that is because the term ?marriage,? for them, is something of an exaggeration. They were a couple on paper, yes; but in practice, at least conventionally speaking, not so much. This book, entirely dedicated to their marriage, is not an attempt to make a romance where one did not exist. Hazel Rowley researched her subject well and keeps her novel honest.
Franklin and Eleanor begins with a detailed overview of their respective childhoods, then turns to their meeting, marriage, and Franklin?s original affair. As the years go on and they grow apart, both because of extramarital relationships and because of overwhelming political responsibility, there is less to say about them as a couple. It would be easy here for Rowley to get off track and write about their separate lives instead of their union, but she does not. Instead, she chronicles how they kept up their unique half-marriage through letters and distant affection.
It?s a well written account of the unorthodox marriage between these two cousins, and it is definitely worth reading.
Reviewed by?Kayli Crosby
anna hazare duke nukem forever review neil armstrong christina aguilera rasputin sherpa usta
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.