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A review by amyvl93
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thought this was a lot of fun. Rodham is a fictionalised memoir of Hillary Rodham, who - when Bill Clinton proposed for a third time - said no. Curtis Sittenfeld then explores what could have happened to this version of Hillary Rodham, what would her life have looked like if her public identity was not wholly attached to a man?
As a reader, you spend all of the novel in Hillary's head. As a person to spend time with, she is funny, sharp and deeply ambitious. If you want a novel that doesn't show someone's flaws this is not for you - Hillary takes action in this book that are not the 'nice' or maybe even 'right' thing to do, but are actions that progress her goals and it was pretty refreshing to read about unashamedly ambitious women. Sittenfeld doesn't make her a perfect person - she is still a Hillary we recognise and her blind spots (e.g. race) are still here and unchanged. She also invests time in building Hillary's relationships - you totally understand her and Bill's relationship, and Hillary also has a range of female relationships that Sittenfeld builds complex and real-feeling bonds.
Part of the fun of the novel is how Sittenfeld plays with the narratives we know and tweaks them slightly - so I wouldn't want to give too much away but there are some great wink wink moments. However, one of the things that Rodham gets right is that whilst some things are different, a lot of the responses to a woman running for a position of power feel very real.
There were aspects of the novel that lagged a little, and the 2015 section felt a little too neat for me - but overall, I really enjoyed this.
As a reader, you spend all of the novel in Hillary's head. As a person to spend time with, she is funny, sharp and deeply ambitious. If you want a novel that doesn't show someone's flaws this is not for you - Hillary takes action in this book that are not the 'nice' or maybe even 'right' thing to do, but are actions that progress her goals and it was pretty refreshing to read about unashamedly ambitious women. Sittenfeld doesn't make her a perfect person - she is still a Hillary we recognise and her blind spots (e.g. race) are still here and unchanged. She also invests time in building Hillary's relationships - you totally understand her and Bill's relationship, and Hillary also has a range of female relationships that Sittenfeld builds complex and real-feeling bonds.
Part of the fun of the novel is how Sittenfeld plays with the narratives we know and tweaks them slightly - so I wouldn't want to give too much away but there are some great wink wink moments. However, one of the things that Rodham gets right is that whilst some things are different, a lot of the responses to a woman running for a position of power feel very real.
There were aspects of the novel that lagged a little, and the 2015 section felt a little too neat for me - but overall, I really enjoyed this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexism
Minor: Infidelity and Racism