As always, DKG tells it like a story AND marshals the historical facts, synthesizing a great and illuminating read that easily holds your interest. FDR, Eleanor, Churchill, Stalin, and all the other players come to life as they participate in the great events of the time. Goodwin captures the flaws and the missteps as well as the heroic and brilliant actions. ( )

A well described history of Franklin D Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt. An interesting view of the time of the second world war from the American point of view.

I really appreciated the details of our run up to WWII.
I was surprised at the level of anti-Semitism in the country.
I hadn't understood the full depth of the situation England was in, and their desperate need for help. I had not understood the magnitude of the loss at Dunkirk.
I was amazed at the productivity of the US manufacturing machine, once Roosevelt was able to to get it cranked up.
I was amazed at the depth of the isolationist feeling in the USA, and how delicately FDR had to handle to movement toward war preparation.
I was surprised at the level of support we provided Russia (who also needed help on the Eastern front). A tidbit: Stalin refused to fly!
The Japanese soldier's commitment to their casue (or theri emperor) was incredible.
I was surprised and disappointed in the inability of so many of our national leaders (both business and govt) to see the implications of the German war machine.
I was surprised at the depth of the engagement of Eleanor in the matters of social justice and civil rights.
An excellent read.
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I read this book at the recommendation of a friend who thinks I am too harsh on FDR's legacy. That harshness, sadly, began in early 1973 when I read While Six Million Died: A Chronicle of American Apathy, by Arthur D. Morse, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/302834.Arthur_D_Morse. It developed further when I read 1944: FDR and the Year That Changed History, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23492830-1944, by Jay Winik. FDR and the Jews, by Richard Breitman and Allan J. Lichtman, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16691938-fdr-and-the-jews, tempered this view somewhat, but not much.

My friend believes this should temper my views further.The book is definitely worthwhile as a good picture of that period in history and an effort to paint FDR in a good light. To quote someone, when you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. The writing in the book as in most of Goodwin's work, is excellent, and is her analysis. And despite her efforts to build up FDR and find some fault with Eleanor, Eleanor deservedly comes out better. Eleanor cast the model for a modern First Lady. FDR was, at best, a charismatic leader who largely effectuated decisions made by others or forced by circumstances. Truman, by contrast, was a decision-maker.

It's hard not to rate a book based on one's liking for the people who are the subject of the book, so I will give the book a "4". I felt the book focused too much on unknowable sexual and personal issues. The book is solidly worth reading and I highly recommend it.

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Really liked it. I can see why it won the Pulitzer. You feel like you really understand the Roosevelts' personalities & philosophies and how they led the country through WWII. ( )