BookBrowse Reviews American Princess by Stephanie Marie Thornton

BookBrowse:

This charming piece of historical fiction explores the (often scandalous) life of Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth.

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American Princess was extremely popular with First Impression reviewers, receiving an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars.

What it's about:
In Stephanie Marie Thornton's historical novel American Princess, Theodore Roosevelt's first daughter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, reminisces about her life. Roosevelt was a woman who made front page news. Trying to capture her Father's attention, Alice smoked and drank in public, rode in cars with boys and played poker. Once she even jumped in a pool with her clothes on. At a time when women could not vote and were urged to stay in the background, Alice attracted notice. She married congressman Nicholas Longworth, and the marriage was unhappy, but divorce was out of the question - even for her (Milda S).

Our First Impression reviewers enjoyed learning about a character from American history that is not so well-known:
Prior to reading American Princess, I had just a little knowledge about Alice Roosevelt. After reading this fascinating book, I felt that I had to learn more about her (Ariel F). I knew very little about Alice, although I had heard of her. This book was very informative about the history of "the other Washington Monument," which is what she was called in her later years (Ruth O). Alice Roosevelt was a witness to, and sometimes a participant in major historical events, yet the details of her life were largely unknown to this reader. My interest in reading her life story never waned (Shirley L).

Many readers were impressed with the author's ability to render Alice Roosevelt with depth:
What's remarkable here is how Thornton so thoroughly adopts Alice's inimitable voice so that we can't help but be swept up in the tide of history that is most singularly hers (Rory A). I loved the stories of the Roosevelt family dynamics, of the difficulties Alice had in making good friends, and of the sad relationship she had with her husband. This book was good enough to read twice, which I intend to do (Theresa P). We can actually feel Alice maturing in her thoughts as we read - although not always in her actions. This page-turner is well-written and researched (Milda S).

This three-dimensional portrayal included Alice's faults:
I will confess to not particularly liking Alice Roosevelt. I questioned her choices, first for marrying for political and strategic motives, and then for staying with her philandering husband for those same reasons. She justified her own deceit with a married man, all in the desire to preserve position...Hard as I tried, I found myself viewing Alice Roosevelt Longworth critically— only in her last decades did I feel compassion for her and some admiration (Marie D). Her actions often infuriated me (Ruth O). She was controversial in many ways, and I'm not sure whether I would have liked to be her friend. In her search for lasting love, she made some bad choices, but was always true to herself and her pride in her family. I'm glad to know so much about this amazing woman (Anne C).

The reviewers were particularly keen to recommend American Princess
This historical fiction was a joy to read. I found American Princess to be both educational and interesting (Ariel F). Thornton makes excellent use of the historical situations and persons from Alice Roosevelt Longworth's life. The fiction part of the story is realistic while keeping true to the historical record (Mary S). A thoroughly fascinating read that I recommend to all, particularly to fans of good historical fiction (Shirley L). I enjoyed reading about that time in history and gaining some insight into the political climate back then (Sue J).

It was singled out as a good choice for book clubs:
It would be a wonderful choice for a book club—a good story with good historical background and believable characterizations (Theresa P). Book clubs will find much to discuss while examining—among other timely topics—the role of the press in shaping our opinions of public figures (Darra W).

There were also some mild criticisms:
I would not expect this book to win any major awards for literary style or originality. I was not inclined to reread sentences or passages for the sheer beauty of the words. (Shirley L). My only criticism is it was a bit too long (Sue J).

However, even these qualms did not spoil the reading experience:
It's a remarkable work from a remarkable time in our country, and despite some of it seeming to go on quite long, this is a fascinating glance at part of our nation's history (Rory A).

This review first ran in the March 20, 2019 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.