Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

*Spoilers in review* I preordered this book and really looked forward to it, but ultimately it was very disappointing. The first half of the novel, which mirrors Hillary Rodham Clinton’s actual life is fun to read- it was enjoyable to see her feelings about parts of her life imagined, and I enjoyed it for the same reason I like shows like The Crown. It’s always interesting to imagine how people who have lead notable lives feel about it. The second half of the novel is a giant mess. In rewriting Clinton’s history, Sittenfield has her make decisions completely at odds with who she is as a person. Erasing Carol Moseley Braun? Having Bill Clinton run against her for president and lead crowds in misogynistic chants forcing her to seek help from... Donald Trump? It’s so poorly thought through and doesn’t make logical sense when you consider how misogyny, racism, and other forms of oppression actually work. I put the book down angry that I’d wasted my time and my money on a book that missed the entire point of Clinton’s legacy of building coalitions of people with a goal of making things better, of making the impossible possible. I’d recommend skipping this if you’re reading it to escape into a better world. This one’s worse.