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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved this biography of Pamela Harriman—daughter-in-law of Churchill, courtesan of powerful men on both sides of the Atlantic, political powerhouse in her own right, and eventual US Ambassador to France. This checked so many boxes for me… ✅ Formidable woman protagonist ✅ 20th century American history ✅ Gossipy nonfiction ✅ Balance of privilege and struggle. Highly recommend!

I was turned on to this during wishlist talks for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction this year. Before this I had never heard of Pamela Churchill Harriman. What a fascinating woman she was! From a fat frumpy teen running around the Mitfords to the wife of Winston Churchill's son, to socialite and finally to a US democratic fixer. Told with an obviously great amount of research this story is captivating, Pam was a complex woman. 👇

I found this book on lists of hopefuls for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction long list. and honestly so glad I did. If you want to dip your toes into who Pamela Churchill Harriman was there is an excellent New Yorker article about the book. I personally had never heard of her before -
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/09/23/kingmaker-sonia-purnell-book-revie...

“Pamela, who lived and died in the twentieth century, believed that a superpower that did not protect the vulnerable was not worthy of the name."
She died during Clinton's term and I cannot help but wonder what she would think of us today.
Pamela is one of the few old school political people who enjoyed favor with both sides of he aisle, but she seemed to always (after her teens) have a firm moral compass.

Photo -Pamela 1995 from britannica.com

One of my favorite things about my neighborhood is spring, we have over a thousand cherry blossom trees and it makes my daily neighborhood walks a total pleasure.

Listening to the tagged, at the point where Pamela is making friends with Kick Kennedy and trying to stay clear of the gross Ambassador Kennedy. Would have loved to have seen him go through #MeToo