Rodham

A Novel

By: Curtis Sittenfeld

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of American Wife and Eligible . . . He proposed. She said no. And it changed her life forever.

“A deviously clever what if.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“Immersive, escapist.”—Good Morning America
“Ingenious.”—The New York Times

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New Yorker • NPR • The Washington Post • Marie Claire • Cosmopolitan (UK) • Town & Country • New York Post

In 1971, Hillary Rodham is a young woman full of promise: Life magazine has covered her Wellesley commencement speech, she’s attending Yale Law School, and she’s on the forefront of student activism and the women’s rights movement. And then she meets Bill Clinton. A handsome, charismatic southerner and fellow law student, Bill is already planning his political career. In each other, the two find a profound intellectual, emotional, and physical connection that neither has previously experienced.

In the real world, Hillary followed Bill back to Arkansas, and he proposed several times; although she said no more than once, as we all know, she eventually accepted and became Hillary Clinton.

But in Curtis Sittenfeld’s powerfully imagined tour-de-force of fiction, Hillary takes a different road. Feeling doubt about the prospective marriage, she endures their devastating breakup and leaves Arkansas. Over the next four decades, she blazes her own trail—one that unfolds in public as well as in private, that involves crossing paths again (and again) with Bill Clinton, that raises questions about the tradeoffs all of us must make in building a life.

Brilliantly weaving a riveting fictional tale into actual historical events, Curtis Sittenfeld delivers an uncannily astute and witty story for our times. In exploring the loneliness, moral ambivalence, and iron determination that characterize the quest for political power, as well as both the exhilaration and painful compromises demanded of female ambition in a world still run mostly by men, Rodham is a singular and unforgettable novel.

Spellbinding!

Imaginative alternative universe where so much is different and so much is the same. Love the way she characterizes the Clintons and other historical figures. A must listen! Superb performance by the narrator.

Imagination is impressive not the delivery

Overall I was impressed by Sittenfeld's imagination. It could have been much more enjoyable to follow, had I opted for the print book. Sequences of different events, jumping from one year to next made it a somewhat difficult audiobook to seamlessly continue. I think I got the ending I would have preferred in real life, that is why I say I was and am impressed with how much thought Sittenfeld has put into this work. Her background research was also solid and the book did allude (or more directly address) some of the real-life events that still might have/would have happened in the world of fiction. I would recommend giving this book a try, but preferentially a paper version.

Narration was off

I agree with the other comments that the narrator didn’t work well with the story. I enjoyed this alternative history though it made me sad. Bill Clinton is portrayed as quite a monster! Don’t regret this in spite of the poor narration.

Fascinating!

I LOVED this book! Historical alternative universe, plus insightful 👏👍The author helped us imagine a different outcome working with the same facts! EXCELLENT!

Revisionist history in the best way

Pants suit nation fan fiction - but so fun and also thought provoking. One small change, one decision, opens up an entirely different path.