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Title details for Franklin and Lucy by Joseph E. Persico - Available

Franklin and Lucy

President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherfurd, and the Other Remarkable Women in His Life

by Joseph E. Persico
Ted Barker
Audiobook
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“Just when you thought you knew everything about Franklin D. Roosevelt, think again. Joseph E. Persico [is] one of America’s finest historians. . . . You can’t properly understand FDR the man without reading this landmark study.”—Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University 
“Persico’s exploration of FDR’s emotional life is fascinating.”—USA Today
In Franklin and Lucy, acclaimed author and historian Joseph E. Persico explores FDR’s romance with Lucy Rutherfurd. Persico’s provocative conclusions about their relationship are informed by a revealing range of sources, including never-before-published letters and documents from Lucy Rutherfurd’s estate that attest to the intensity of the affair, which lasted much longer than was previously acknowledged.FDR’s connection with Lucy also creates an opportunity for Persico to take a more penetrating look at the other women in FDR’s life. We come to see more clearly how FDR’s infidelity contributed to Eleanor Roosevelt’s eventual transformation from a repressed Victorian to perhaps the greatest American woman of her century; how FDR’s strong-willed mother helped to strengthen his resolve in overcoming personal and public adversity; and how both paramours and platonic friends completed the world that FDR inhabited. In focusing on Lucy Rutherfurd and the other women who mattered to Roosevelt, Persico renders the most intimate portrait yet of an enigmatic giant of American history.
Praise for Franklin and Lucy
“Persico is judicious in his treatment of these sensitive matters. . . . He understands that Lucy Mercer helped FDR awaken his capacity for love and compassion, and thus helped him become the man to whom the nation will be eternally in debt.”—The Washington Post Book World
“A stylish and well-written book filled with interesting characters, marital dramas and spylike subterfuge.”—Chicago Tribune

“A powerful narrative that rarely fails to pull you along to the next chapter.”—Louisville Courier-Journal
“Utterly absorbing.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 29, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781415950036
      • File size: 495357 KB
      • Duration: 17:11:59

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      FRANKLIN AND LUCY offers a window onto Franklin Delano Roosevelt's relationships with the women in his life. Behind his public role as a heroic presidential figure, Roosevelt was a very human, and thus a flawed, son, husband, and father. The behind-the-scenes glimpses of these well-known people and events offer enough drama, excitement, and historical detail to give this biography broad audience appeal. Ted Barker wisely allows the story to take center stage. His presentation is smooth and straightforward, clearly articulated, and paced to allow the listener to focus on the intriguing content. Thanks to Barker's competence as a narrator, Persico's fascinating examination of yet another dimension of FDR's life is enhanced through audio. M.O.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Len Cariou begins his reading in a headlong rush as if racing through the parts of Roosevelt history many of us are familiar with--FDR's controlling mother, Eleanor's childhood and early adulthood, their early marriage. Cariou's pacing slows with the account of FDR's relationships with Lucy Mercer Rutherford, his wife's social secretary, with whom he had an affair; Missy LeHand, his own secretary; and Daisy Suckley, his distant cousin. The relationships had an effect on the complex marriage of Eleanor and FDR, as well as the woman Eleanor eventually became. The text and narration are improved by quotes from personal letters. For these, Cariou uses upper-class accents and a falsetto pitch for female voices. The result provides variety to the delivery and is not at all awkward. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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