That Churchill Woman

My Rating: ★★★★★

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Release Date: January 22, 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

The Paris Wife meets PBS's Victoria in this enthralling novel of the life and loves of Winston Churchill's scandalous American mother, Jennie Jerome.

Jennie Jerome, the American woman who became Lady Churchill, gave birth to one of the most powerful men of the twentieth century. But her story is full of controversy, tragedy, passion, and triumph that's all her own.

In 1874, Jennie marries Lord Randolph Churchill and is swept up in a whirlwind of British politics and party debates. Some years later, she meets a man who will intrigue and tempt her for the rest of her life: Prince Karl Kinsky of Vienna. Their impossible affair only intensifies as her husband's health deteriorates, but Jennie--a woman whose entire life is in the public eye--has to navigate between propriety and desire. A beautiful American disrupting high society across the Atlantic, she must determine where--and to whom--her heart truly belongs.

Posing questions about the difficult choices one must make between love and obligation, this immaculately researched novel breathes new life into Jennie's legacy and the glittering gilded world she inhabited.

My Review ♥️

I'll admit that I do not know a lot about Winston Churchill except knowing that he was Britain's prime minister for awhile and was a brilliant man in his own right, so when I picked up That Churchill Woman I figured I would learn more about where Winston came from, and I learned that and so much more.

Jennie Jerome, or Lady Randolph Churchill, lived a life not of her own choosing. Losing her sister at a very young age, who also happened to be her best friend, then marrying a man with deep, dark secrets; having to put her wants and needs aside to help her husband live out his dream, while trying to be the best mother that she can under the circumstances. Extramarital affairs were commonplace among the wealthy, which allowed Jennie to have her personal needs met, but this took her away from her two young sons, and gave her an unsavory reputation.

Jennie's story is disturbing and heartbreaking. Stephanie Barron did an incredible job of describing every detail, pulling you into that world. There were scenes that were incredibly hard to read due to the graphic nature and unbelievable detail, yet fascinating that these horrific instances could've possibly happened.

Stephanie Barron's years of research shines on every page and gave me a craving to know more about the Churchill family. Deeply thought provoking, this is a book that is hard to put down. The ending was especially gratifying and filled with sweet freedom on numerous levels, which leaves the reader with a sigh of relief.

Though incredibly graphic at times, That Churchill Woman is a story about a woman who shined despite being in almost constant conflict and scandal, and worth knowing more about. She was more than Lady Randolph Churchill. She was Jennie, a woman who did what she could and never gave up.

*Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Get to Know Author Stephanie Barron

Stephanie Barron is a graduate of Princeton and Stanford, where she received her Masters in History as an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow in the Humanities. Her forthcoming novel, THAT CHURCHILL WOMAN (Ballantine, January 22, 2019) traces the turbulent career of Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill's captivating American mother.

Barron is perhaps best known for the critically-acclaimed Jane Austen Mystery Series, in which the intrepid and witty author of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE details her secret detective career in Regency England.

A former intelligence analyst for the CIA, Stephanie--who also writes under the name Francine Mathews--drew on her experience in the field of espionage for such novels as JACK 1939, which The New Yorker described as "the most deliciously high-concept thriller imaginable." She lives and works in Denver, CO.

Connect with Stephanie Barron Online

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*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.