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emcheym's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book was nothing like what I thought it would be. Based on the cover, the title, and the blurb, I thought this would be a historical fiction. I thought it would be based more on the plot and character interactions. Instead, this book spent a lot of time on vulgar humor, crude language, and sex scenes. I was 18 hours into the book before her husband was finally voted into office as president, and it really skimmed over the whole process of him campaigning and his time in office. This book wasn’t really my cup of tea, and I wouldn’t recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism, Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Racism, Car accident, War, Dementia, and Death of parent
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked this up in a charity shop because I knew I'd enjoyed Curtis Sittenfeld's writing and I didn't realise until I started it that the main character was based on Laura Bush. So while I did really enjoy it, I can't help but think I might have liked it more had I not been thinking about the characters' real life counterparts, which often took me out of the story. It made for a strange reading experience and is the reason I'm not interested in reading Rodham.
I do love Sittenfeld's writing though. It's extremely readable and the story was very compelling, especially in the first three sections. I love The West Wing, so I was expecting to enjoy the final section at The White House the most but actually I felt that part of the story was the least interesting. Overall though it was an enjoyable read.
I do love Sittenfeld's writing though. It's extremely readable and the story was very compelling, especially in the first three sections. I love The West Wing, so I was expecting to enjoy the final section at The White House the most but actually I felt that part of the story was the least interesting. Overall though it was an enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
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