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Yukari Watanabe's Reviews > Rodham
Rodham
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One day after finishing this book, my anger against it increased. My feeling was upgraded from "dislike" to "detest". Therefore, 1 star instead of 2.
I had been fascinated by Bill Clinton since he was elected to be US president in 1992. I read many books about him and wished I would meet him one day to see if his charm was real. It finally happened in 2016 at a Hillary event. Hillary was with Bill and Chelsea and I met all of them. Hillary took a selfie with me. What surprised me the most was that Hillary was a better speaker and had more charisma than Bill by that time.
I'm sure many of us who voted for Hillary in 2008(primary) and 2016 wonder "what if"s. One of them is Hillary and Bill's marriage. I read this novel hoping Hillary gets better life in the alternate universe.
Unfortunately, it was a letdown. If she had decided not to marry Bill, she would've moved on completely. Hillary in this novel sounds too insecure about her looks or her value as a woman(and as a person). I don't think she is like that at all. Sittenfeld doesn't seem to understand who Hillary is. It's quite an insult for Hillary and readers like me. I don't think Sittenfeld really understood why women decide to stay with their boyfriends or husbands who are obviously bad for them. I hate the way Sittenfeld cheapened Hillary's character and her struggle.
I had been fascinated by Bill Clinton since he was elected to be US president in 1992. I read many books about him and wished I would meet him one day to see if his charm was real. It finally happened in 2016 at a Hillary event. Hillary was with Bill and Chelsea and I met all of them. Hillary took a selfie with me. What surprised me the most was that Hillary was a better speaker and had more charisma than Bill by that time.
I'm sure many of us who voted for Hillary in 2008(primary) and 2016 wonder "what if"s. One of them is Hillary and Bill's marriage. I read this novel hoping Hillary gets better life in the alternate universe.
Unfortunately, it was a letdown. If she had decided not to marry Bill, she would've moved on completely. Hillary in this novel sounds too insecure about her looks or her value as a woman(and as a person). I don't think she is like that at all. Sittenfeld doesn't seem to understand who Hillary is. It's quite an insult for Hillary and readers like me. I don't think Sittenfeld really understood why women decide to stay with their boyfriends or husbands who are obviously bad for them. I hate the way Sittenfeld cheapened Hillary's character and her struggle.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
May 22, 2020
– Shelved
May 22, 2020
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Finished Reading
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Judith Siller-Levy
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rated it 1 star
Jul 23, 2020 03:29AM
I was going to write a review but after reading yours I realize that you said everything pretty much that I would’ve said. I was trying to think if there was anything at all that could’ve redeemed this “normal� and that would’ve been to perhaps change their names just slightly, They are by turning this more into a satire.
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Judith Siller-Levy wrote: "I was going to write a review but after reading yours I realize that you said everything pretty much that I would’ve said. I was trying to think if there was anything at all that could’ve redeemed ..."Thank you for your comment. I agree with you! Sittenfeld shouldn't use the real people for her novel. Instead, she could've written a novel like PRIMARY COLORS by Joe Klein Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics . SIttenfeld and the publisher wanted to sell the book more than being morally sound.
wow. i could not disagree more with your take on this book! i thought it was a VERY real look at how she might feel about things, based on the views of a typical woman of our generation!
Hi Jan, Hillary is NOT a typical woman of our/your generation. And, I didn't read this novel to learn how a typical woman of the generation would feel. That's the point. Sittenfeld didn't even interview people who knew Hillary well.
Thank you for putting into words what I hated about this book.
Janelle wrote: "Thank you for putting into words what I hated about this book."Hi Janelle, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who felt the same way!
