Nearly everyone has an opinion of Hillary Clinton. Some love her, some admire her, some think she’s truly evil and corrupt. But no matter how polarizing a figure she is, there’s no denying the world’s interest in the Clinton family.
In 1971, Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham met at Yale Law School. She’s a highly intellectual activist; he’s already planning a political future. He's flirtatious and magnetic, she was once told by a boy that she had a crush on that he thought of her as a guy. They’re drawn to each other passionately, and for Hillary, this relationship leaves her undone in ways she never expected.
In real life, Bill proposed to Hillary several times, and she ultimately said yes. But Rodham imagines a different scenario—in the book, Sittenfeld explores what might have happened if Hillary ultimately said no to Bill’s proposal. What does the trajectory of her life look like? What happens to Bill?
The book follows Hillary through 2016 and charts a very interesting personal and political path. She and Bill encounter each other through the years, and there’s no denying the pull they feel for one another. But is it possible to have everything you want all at the same time?
This was a fascinating read. Sittenfeld did a great job imagining Hillary as a woman and a politician, and how those two roles both mesh and clash. The life she created for Hillary was both admirable and bleak, and the “what-if” scenario was utterly compelling.
There are some steamy sex scenes which made me uncomfortable, because it was like reading about your parents having sex. But other than that, I’m a fan of Sittenfeld’s writing, and in Rodham, she has created a powerful character from a powerful woman.
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