From Marie Benedict, the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room! An incredible novel that focuses on one of the people with the most influence during World War I and World War II: Clementine Churchill.
In 1909, Clementine steps off a train with her new husband, Winston. An angry woman emerges from the crowd to attack, shoving him in the direction of an oncoming train. … him in the direction of an oncoming train. Just before he stumbles, Clementine grabs him by his suit jacket. This will not be the last time Clementine Churchill will save her husband.
Lady Clementine is the ferocious story of the ambitious woman beside Winston Churchill, the story of a partner who did not flinch through the sweeping darkness of war, and who would not surrender to expectations or to enemies.
The perfect book for fans of:
Recommended by People, USA Today, Glamour, POPSUGAR, Library Journal, and more!
Other Bestselling Historical Fiction from Marie Benedict:
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
The Only Woman in the Room
Carnegie’s Maid
The Other Einstein
more
Benedict is a true master at weaving the threads of the past into a compelling story for today. Here is the fictionalized account of the person who was the unequivocal wind beneath Winston Churchill’s wings – a woman whose impact on the world-shaper that was WW2 has been begging to be told. A remarkable story of remarkable woman.
Clementine Churchill was a remarkable woman living in remarkable times. Marie Benedict does full justice to both in this highly entertaining book.
The atmospheric prose of Marie Benedict draws me in every single time. Lady Clementine’s powerful and spirited story is both compelling and immersive. Benedict fully inhabits the measured and intelligent voice of Clementine Churchill. Entranced throughout, I discovered the secrets behind a familiar story I thought I knew. Deftly moving from the early nineteen hundreds through World War II, Benedict skillfully paints a vivid picture of the times and life of Clementine, the remarkable woman who was the steady force beside Winston Churchill.
In her latest novel, Lady Clementine, Marie Benedict has gifted us all with another thoughtful and illuminating behind-the-scenes look at one of history’s most unusual and extraordinary women. Benedict stuns readers with a glorious assortment of Clementine Churchill’s most personal secrets: her scandalous childhood, her unexpected role as a social outsider, her maternal insecurities, and the daily struggles she faces to smooth her husband’s political blunders and to keep up with his relentless demands for guidance and attention. With a historian’s eye and a writer’s heart, Benedict provides an unforgettable glimpse into the private world of a brilliant woman whose impact and influence on world events deserves to be acknowledged.
This is at least my third book by Benedict. She writes historical fiction that focuses on the women behind famous men. (Mary Lincoln and Hedy Lamar, The Only Woman in the Room) While I don’t know a lot about the real Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine, I enjoyed reading this book. Churchill would have been hard to live with, but so was she according to Benedict. It is written in the first person; it sounds like Clementine had at least as much to do with Churchill’s success as the man himself. I’m not sure I buy that, but I enjoyed the book.
I loved Lady Clementine! A strong, intelligent, real heroine! She created the definition to “the woman behind the man”! Lady Clementine is shown to be as strong and formidable of a character as her husband, Winston Churchill.
I love historical fiction. It draws me in and causes me to start doing a little research and reading more about the “real” people behind the characters in the books. These books by this author should be read by students! They stimulate that love and interest in life-long learning that keeps us going and going or rather learning and learning!
More of everything you love from Marie Benedict! The deeply researched tale of a kick-ass historical woman who deserves to step into the spotlight. If you loved THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, put this on your TBR ASAP.
I loved Carnegie’s Maid and was excited to receive an ARC of Lady Clementine. Marie Benedict did not disappoint. The book was a little slow at first but picked up quickly. Benedict did a great job showing how Clementine was a good helpmate to and for her husband while showing her weaknesses as a mother. I think this will make a good bookclub choice and provide for good discussion. This book was well-researched and I learned a lot. My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC in exchange for an honest review,
As author Marie Benedict notes, if you look at those famous war photos of husband Winston Churchill (1873-1965) he is ALWAYS alone. It is fascinating to think that his wife Clementine may have actually been there, lurking just outside that camera shot.
So I want to congratulate Ms Benedict for bringing to light an interesting woman who did so much for her country. However, that doesn’t mean to say there weren’t any problems with this novel.
To begin with, it not well-paced, especially in the beginning. As one reader has noted, it does seem as it Clementine is always smoothing her skirt before something interesting happens, or touching her wedding dress, or describing the lace decorating her blouse. Details such as this are NOT meant to interrupt the narrative flow, but to enhance the drama. Unfortunately they INTERRUPT IT, which has the effect of exasperating the reader.
Like other readers, I also had a problem with the credibility of this account. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool feminist, the daughter of another dyed-in-the-wool feminist, so I am all for women getting the credit for their ideas. But even I had trouble believing this narrative, told from the point of view of Clementine, who takes credit for EVERYTHING Winston did. That just doesn’t seem plausible.
Then there is Clementine’s mother-guilt over her three eldest children: Diana (who died of suicide), Randolph (difficult from the word “go” with his tantrums) and Sarah (who had a tendency to get arrested). Clementine’s relationship with these three children does NOT show her in a good light and I think this novel would have been so much richer if only it had started in her childhood. From what little I was able to glean, Clementine had a chaotic childhood herself. Her mother was famous for her numerous lovers, and Clementine herself must have realized quite young that she was NOT Sir Henry Hozier’s daughter, but illegitimate, a daughter of an unknown father. Then she experienced the trauma of losing a beloved elder sister when she was just 15 years old.
All this emotional upheaval helps to explain not only her temper (she was an angry person) but also her dismal relationship with Diana, Randolph and Sarah. It took the death of her fourth child Marigold in 1921 (at the age of two) to shock her out of her self-absorption, so that when her youngest, Mary, came along in 1922, she at least had the good sense to employ a nanny who was a distant relative, and would prove a reliable parent for Mary, rather than the procession of nurses, nannies & governesses that her elder children had to endure. What a pity Ms. Benedict did not explore Clementine’s emotional history more thoroughly.
Lastly, this book relies far too much on the external tension of the historical facts, rather than having its own internal arc of tension. The book only really gathers momentum when the Second World War begins. Before that, it has a start-stop quality of snapshots of “important” scenes, such as Winston’s Proposal, the Wedding Day, the Birth of Each Child, the Move to the Admiralty (when Winston became First Lord in 1911.) Ms Benedict dutifully ploughs through each event whether it is inherently interesting or not, and there is no dramatic tension to knit these events together.
So even though I am grateful for learning about such a fascinating woman, I am going to take two stars off for the various problems enumerated above. Three stars.
There was nothing to like about this book. I got the impression that without this woman the war would have been lost. It is a wonder that such an enormous ego would fit in such a small space.
Excellent review of British history and the contribution of Clementine and Winston to world events. Thoroughly enjoyed this well written book.
I ended up skimming it:
Loved learning more about the Churchills. A good read.
This is not just a novel of Clementine Churchill and the British Prime Minister during WWII but well-researched information about a time period leading up to America’s entering the war.
I have never read or studied anything about Clementine Churchill, Winston Churchill’s wife. While I was looking forward to learning about Lady Clementine, I was not drawn in enough to be invested in the story. I was impressed with Clementine and the strong and forward-thinking woman that she was.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Fictionalized story of Winston Churchill’s wife, Clementine. The story takes you from their first meeting, early marriage, the first World War and through the second world war; and all about Winston’s ups and downs in politics and her unwavering support of him. This is a really good book.
This author was highly recommended to me by a friend so I was not surprised how much I loved this book. I was immediately drawn into Clementine’s story and her relationship with Winston. Their relationship was complex and the narrative was told in such a way that it did not feel like historical fiction. I must admit that I knew little about Clementine before I started this book, and can tell that the author did a lot of research into the relationship between the Churchill’s and their families, the history of England during their years together and the World Wars. I am definitely a fan of Ms. Benedict’s writing and can’t wait to read more of her books.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Book Review: Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict (2020) 5 Stars ***** Acclaimed, Well-Researched Historical Fiction
We first meet Clementine Hozier in 1908 in London, England when she is about to marry Winston Churchill. “I think about the bishop’s description of my future—as a hidden force for good
upon my important husband. Is that all anyone expects my life to be? I may be only twenty-three years old to Winston’s thirty-four, without the education, accomplishments, or nobility of my intended, but my life will not serve solely as the invisible prop for my husband.” Cat, as she is affectionately called by Pug, have an interdependent, loving relationship throughout their marriage. While Pug supplies the caché and the opportunities for social and political crusades, Pug’s beloved Clemmie is the wind beneath Winston’s wings. Clear-thinking, focused, adept at charming listeners and presenting arguments, Lady Clementine always remembers to take care of the little people who may be suffering, sees to it that their burdens are lifted but always with compassion, respects confidences, bites her tongue when expedient, and by doing so, raises the esteem in which her husband is held. You see, Winston Churchill was not always a star. His politics were generally at odds with the powers that were. He lacked charm, attractiveness and wealth, was high-strung, got knocked around as a political pariah, and was bereft of public relations strategies that came so easily to his wife.
Lady Clementine literally and figuratively saved her husband’s life numerous times. His path to glory was a hard one, and his Clemmie was there to help him forge on to fulfill the destiny so clearly foreseen by Lord Asquith. “I know it will seem small consolation at the moment, but I promise you this, Clementine. I will protect Winston as best I can so that—in the future—he can play the role to which he was born.”
Winston Churchill foresaw the horrors of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin years before they were unleashed in full force upon the world. Prime Minister Chamberlain of England and members of British Parliament along with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the United States, ignored these impending threats, and followed policies of appeasement as they were blind-sided by the realities of the world situation. Only after Germany, Italy and Russia had forcefully invaded a number of European and north African countries and Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, did Great Britain and the United States view the world with their eyes wide open.
As much as Lady Clementine understood and most often welcomed her role in her husband’s life and in history, this is not to say she often found it overwhelming. Her husband’s neediness, demands for constant attention, affection, and praise, refusal to act without her advice on even the smallest matters, all served to subjugate her into the role of alter ego. Her own needs were most often neglected. She suffered a number of miscarriages and the death of their two-year-old daughter. Her relationships with her four still living children were strained, as they were left with nannies and other caretakers while she traipsed around the world, most often at the behest of her husband. While she thrived on her independence and power to influence, Lady Clementine lost the balance between home and family and her function as emissary for her husband and country. Like most women today, a choice often has to be made to leave one or the other behind, or to moderately succeed, rather than excel, with both.
As one who served her country and her husband well, Lady Clementine expresses the dissonance of her life, “The sun sets in swaths of shimmering gold against the sharp line of the horizon where sky meets land, as it descends, I feel an unfamiliar tranquility descend upon me as well. All the strain and struggle that have comprised my life—my lonely and strange childhood, the wild swings of my unusual marriage, my struggle with motherhood, my compunction to constantly prove myself worthy, the tumult of two wars, even my pervasive sense of otherness—seem to fall away. In the vacuum of calm, I see with unexpected clarity that, without my unique hardships and failings, particularly with my children, I could not have become the Clementine who forged this path through politics and history, and without me, my husband could not have become the Winston who helped deliver peace to this broken world.”
Well-written with beautiful, evocative language, this book is an excellent choice for readers who love history, strong women characters, excellent examples for college courses in women’s studies, and realistic love stories that take us away from the mundane into the world of the movers and shakers of the world.
Too much about Winston. She was a remarkable lady.
The “back of the house” view of Churchill. Loved it.