 |
||||||
| Home >> Book Reviews >> Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker | ||||||
 |
Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker Review
Alice Roosevelt Longworth lived her entire life on the political stage and in the public eye, earning her the nickname “the other Washington monument.” In this new biography—the first in twenty years—Stacy A. Cordery presents a detailed and richly entertaining portrait of the witty and whip- smart daughter of Teddy Roosevelt. “Princess Alice” was a tempestuous teenager. Smoking, gambling, and dressing flamboyantly, she flouted social conventions and opened the door for other women to do the same. Her husband was Speaker of the House Nicholas Longworth but—as Cordery documents for the first time—she had a child with her lover, Senator William Borah of Idaho. Alice’s political acumen was widely respected in Washington. She was a sharp-tongued critic of her cousin FDR’s New Deal programs, and meetings in her drawing room helped to change the course of history, from undermining the League of Nations to boosting Nixon. During the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, her legendary salons were still the center of political ferment. With new insights into Teddy Roosevelt, and for everyone who delights in Washington history and gossip, Alice is a fascinating portrait of a woman who influenced American politics for nearly a century. User Submitted Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker ReviewsSeptember 2, 2008 Go Ask Alice She loved sex and claimed that she always lived by the adage, "Fill what's empty, empty what's full, and scratch where it itches." She made for good copy so reporters flocked around her and gave her the respect they bequeath on certain token freaks, like Quentin Crisp. But Stacy A. Cordery suspects there was more to "Princess Alice" than the woman who had that embroidered pillow that read, :If you have nothing nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me." Indeed she skillfully paints the picture of a woman who lived for politics and whose radical conservatism brought her to alarming places in the 1930s and 1940s, yet in other respects she was ahead of her time socially speaking. Her life wasn't easy in some ways, and yet of course fabulously privileged in others. If she felt scorned and abused by Edith Roosevelt, her stepmother, she sure got her revenge, didn't she, and she got to be "Alice Blue Gown" and twenty times more popular than Edith ever could dream of being. Beautiful and outspoken, she married a congressman from Ohio with a bright future but with severe drinking and cheating problems. Alice was from the American aristocracy, all of whom apparently thought nothing of sleeping around all the time, but when she gave birth to Senator Borah's baby girl, she was really playing with fire, and calling the baby "Paulina," a name which--as Cordery points out--any well-adjusted contemporary would have associated with adultery and illegitimacy, she was really playing up her wild streak to a strange degree. I liked finding out about Borah's secret lover letters and how Cordery decoded them. Talk about vain--Borah would attach reams of publicity material about himself to innocuous notes to Alice, but if you looked closely at the press puffery you'd see he'd lightly circled individual alphabet letters to form a message, which if spelled out over several pages, would say something like, "Oh my dear one I'm hot for you," etc. Alice Roosevelt was extraordinarily well-read and loved Pound, both for his Fascist views and for his modernism. She became one of the circle visiting him at St. Elizabeth's, and made it trendy to do so among the right wingers. Visiting Pound, Cordery reveals, "became a status symbol among some circles--a sort of conservative chic." Alice seems like she went around the bend after Paulina's birth and began ragging on her distant cousins, FDR and Eleanor, exactly like the sort of crank who wrote that book about John Kerry and the swift boats--I guess after FDR's death she sort of felt stricken by shame at her attitude, but in the meantime she had become a local "character," sort of evil, but not really. Cordery tells most of the story straight, though you never do find out what was really up with Paulina and why she decided to do away with herself so young, and sometimes her research (or is it name dropping) stumbles--identifying John Dos Passos as a poet, for example. Otherwise you'll learn something about compassion while reading this book, when tracing your own responses to an infuriating, ultimately poignant woman's life. June 14, 2008 excellent read for lovers of American history or biographies I have read several biographies over the years of nearly President of 20th century, and so the name of Alice Roosevelt Longworth commonly came up in these books (of Presidents starting with her father Pres. T. Roosevelt). She was usually mentioned, in reference to post-WWII years, in terms such as "the grande dame of Washington, " however I had no idea what a fascinating life she led. This very readable book provides an intimate look into her life, despite the limitations of the ultra-discrete manners of the post-Edwardian era in which she came of age, which must make the research into her letters frustrating. Nevertheless, we are let into such secrets as her husbands adulterous groin and the true father of "their" child. Given my great admiration of her cousin Eleanor and my prior reading of nearly haigiographic books on her and FDR, before reading "Alice" I was all ready to see her as a vindictive, nasty bitch, whining from the sidelines of D.C. on just about everyone else due to her own bitterness over not getting back into White House after death of her father. This book convinced me otherwise. Yes, she did have a biting, "cutting" wit, but the writer did convince me she never aimed her well-known verbal arrows at anyone weaker than her, or vunerable. Usually her barbs were for those well-entrenched in power and covered in hubris that she's more than willing to help brush off. The fact that most of politicians whom she famously critiqued were Democrats is not covered up, but neither does the writer looks more in depth into what was often her blind partisanship (e.g. Sen. McCarthy...Pres. Nixon, not coincidentally both Republicans.) Lastly, the book is well-researched and footnoted, and the writer is a talented story teller...I imagine she had problem deciding what stories to leave out. February 14, 2008 Uneven... I was very eager to read Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker by Stacy A. Cordery. I enjoy reading about the Roosevelts and Alice was certainly one of the more colorful family members. But I found Alice uneven and a bit of a disappointment. The story of Alice Roosevelt Longworth is fairly well-known. Alice was the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt. When Alice was only two days old, both her mother and grandmother (TR's mother) died within hours of each other. Unable to deal with his grief, TR dumped baby Alice with his sister and escaped out west. Three years later, TR married Edith Kermit Carow and they brought Alice to live with them. Soon, Alice was competing with five half siblings. With her emotionally absent father and her stern step-mother, Alice learned to seek attention by rebelling. When her father succeeded to the White House in 1901, Alice became "the first female celebrity of the twentieth century." The press couldn't get enough of the first daughter and nicknamed her Princess Alice. Her father once said "I can either run the country or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both." Alice eventually married Ohio congressman Nicholas Longworth. With her keen intelligence, sharp wit, natural curiosity and political astuteness, Alice remained a mover and a shaker for her 96 years. Her DC house was a gathering place for powerful people. I thought that Cordery did a good job of covering the political aspects of Alice's life. Unfortunately, I felt that the details of her personal life were lacking. I reached page 200 and realized that there wasn't much that I hadn't read in other sources. There wasn't that much about her interaction with her siblings. Her daughter, Paulina, is largely glossed over. Alice had an affair with Senator William Borah and he was allegedly the father of Paulina. But after lots of pages, he seems to just drop away from the story. What really happened to their relationship? Also, I'm a stickler for details. Was there a funeral for Alice? If so, where was it held? Where is she buried? Her father's death receives only one paragraph. For a book that is advertised as "the first full biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth," there are major holes. I enjoyed reading Alice, but I was just expecting more. February 11, 2008 Hard to like the book when the subject is such a brat (and I cleaned that up). As Teddy Roosevelt's oldest child, Alice was introduced to the lifestyles of the rich and politically well-connected early on in her life. She never got over living in the White House. To read her correspondence on the subject, it was forever hers. Alice was a diva. She was the original "it's all about me" celebutant. Very few people ever denied her, and when they did, woe be unto them. She was married to the Speaker of the House, had a child by a distinguished senator from Idaho and held political sway over the inner circles of Washington, D.C. until her death in 1980. Stacy Cordery's new biography is voluminous, coming in at 608 pages, not including the references and bibliography. Cordery has done a thorough and sincere job, but even her meticulous efforts can't make "Princess Alice," as she was called, a likable creature. She may have been admirable from afar, but up close and personal, she was selfish, self-centered and hated sharing the spotlight with anyone. February 9, 2008 Alice: Alice Roosevelt In this biography author Stacy Cordery succeeeds in making her subject come alive. Alice Roosevelt was the pop star of her day just 100 years ago and was the center of attention in Washington DC from the time her father was in the White House until her death almost 80 years later. Using primary sources, Alice's letters and diaries gave the writer the opportunity to paint a vivid portrait in words. This book is recommended for anyone interested in women's history or in political drama. February 8, 2008 Fine biography of the Not So Good Woman of Washington, DC Excellent, thoroughly researched biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt. If you suspect that things in Washington must have been different and better a century ago, this book is the cure. Great picture of the early 20th century in Washington, and the big social & political players, including Alice, who wielded considerable social and political power but never held office. Different and interesting views of Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt, as seen by a cousin. The description of Alice's famously cruel "Eleanor imitation" (performed for the humiliated Eleanor at least once)is worth the price of the book. January 23, 2008 Alice Does Washington The author of this book has chosen her subject well for it would be almost impossible to write a dull biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Born two days before her mother's death Alice was her father's child in every sense of the word and was far more like her intrepid father than any of his other children. Unfortunately a lot of her outlandish behavior may have been a cry for attention from her father because he was not close to his eldest child until well into his presidency. Teddy just never really managed to deal with the loss of his wife and shortly after Alice's birth he left for an extended stay out west leaving the baby in the care of his sister. For most of her early life that left Alice feeling like she had to do things to grab her father's attention and she became quite skilled at it. Slowly but surely however her father came to see just how intelligent and observant she was and he began to lean on her as an advisor and as a good will ambassador to the world and when he sent her on a fact-finding tour of Asia she charmed the entire Eastern world. Alice had a White House wedding when she wed Ohio congressman Nick Longworth and she was sure that she would return to the White House either as first daughter when her father retook the office or as first lady when Nick became president but all of those dreams were just that. Nick did become speaker of the house but alcoholism ended all hope of a Longworth presidency. Long after his death however Alice ruled on as the queen of DC society and as one of the shrewdest political operators in the city. Alice was probably the most intelligent person that the Roosevelt clan ever produced and that is saying something. This is a nice and overdue biography of Alice Longworth and in places it is a superb biography. Mrs. Cordery does a magnificent job of dealing with Alice's youth and teen years but after that the story sags a little. That's not to say that the story gets dull or slows down once Alice is married but there are some glaring holes that just can't be ignored. For instance there is good evidence that Sen. William Borah was the father of her daughter but the evidence is not concrete or if it is the author fails to make it sound concrete. Still she proceeds with the story as if this theory is fact and while I don't doubt that it is I would like more concrete proof. Also lacking is much detail at all of Alice's relationship with her daughter. The daughter is seldom even mentioned and toward the end of the book the granddaughter gets more space than the daughter ever did. Alice may have been a bad mother or she may have been a wonderful mother but one can't tell by reading this book. One just never does get a really intimate feel for Alice in this book especially after she reaches adulthood. Overall this is a good biography and if the above-mentioned holes were filled in it would be very good. The writing is generally good although I did have to go back and re-read a sentence here and there to catch what the author was trying to say. There is a lot of new information to be found here and the author has researched her subject pretty well but I never really felt like the author completely caught the essence of her subject. January 21, 2008 Alice: often irreverent, never dull This full-length biography of Theodore Roosevelt's oldest child is simply terrific. Delving into the personal Alice, author Stacy Cordery looks at all angles of the "First Daughter" and what she comes up with is pure fascination. Alice Roosevelt Longworth was as intriguing an individual as I had always thought and Cordery's book fleshes out that dynamism. When one thinks of the long life Alice had and her connection to power, it's hard to imagine that her life could be replicated in any way today. She knew all of the presidents from Benjamin Harrison to Gerald Ford and was friends with many of them. Her dinner parties and teas were legend but it was her political influence...and there was lots of it...that Alice wielded and that the author so nicely captures. It would have been fun to meet Alice and to attend one of her functions, but it would have been always beneficial, I'm sure, to be ON her side, if not BY her side. Many of Alice Roosevelt Longworth's quips are famous but one that appears toward the end of the book struck me particularly. She frequently said that "the secret of eternal youth is arrested development". Alice certainly knew what she was talking about and how it applied to her own self. Yet it is Cordery's offering of the personal Alice that makes this book so good..... the shy president's daughter who dared to be different, her struggles with alcoholic members of her family, (including her husband) and the delight she took in the company of other well-known people...these are the marks that make Alice's life so engaging vis-a-vis her position of fame. I highly recommend "Alice" and commend the author for the depth and scope of her work. It's a wonderful read covering a life of almost a century and the many people who were brought into her sphere. Alice was indeed "sui generis". January 10, 2008 Malevolent looking cover photo; malevolent woman ALICE is a well-researched, well-intentioned biography of a minor American political/society figure; Theodore Roosevelt's oldest and longest-lived child. Ms. Cordery seems to admire Alice very much, but reading this biography, for all its good points (solid research, and basically well-written) did not make me admire or like her. I have always found Alice Longworth (from other books I have read about her) to be a repulsive sort of person. This impression was only reinforced by this full biography, despite Ms. Cordery's emphasis on Alice's stoicism, her intelligence, and force of character. But despite Alice's intelligence, her wide reading and breadth of mind, and the advantages of her position as TR's daughter, her political opinions were, for the most part, very biased and narrow-minded and reflected only her overall unpleasant, emotionally immature character. And, instead of having the strength to stand up to Society's mores and call it quits with her alcoholic, persistently unfaithful husband, she made the kind of deal with the devil that ended up killing off even more of her humanity. For the hope of winning the White House, she stayed in a dead marriage. Which all came to ashes, anyway, because Nick Longworth died as Speaker of the House. It's probably safe to say that Alice's character was formed by her childhood, which was a minefield: withheld affection; a wall of silence and confusion about her mother's life and death, and the arrivals of more children, whose presence probably drained even the small attentions and affection that Alice received from TR and her stepmother, Edith Roosevelt. But, even this realization does not make me sympathize with Alice. Eleanor Roosevelt and Winston Churchill (just by way of two examples) did not have easy childhoods surrounded by constant parental nuture and love, and yet, they both developed into something much better than malevolent gadflys. Yes, they both still had inner demons, but there was something better in their characters which allowed them to rise above the rough beginning, and ACCOMPLISH. Alice, for all her advantages, seemed stuck in immaturity, stubbornness and an "all about me" policy, for the rest of her life. It's hard for me to "rate" a well-written biography about a person I find so completely unsympathetic. Three solid stars for the author's efforts, but Alice, the person, remains a mere 'one star'. January 7, 2008 Alice Roosevelt The timing of the release of this book was excellent. I had just finished a book on Teddy Roosevelt and had wondered if there had been anything written on his daughter, Alice. I could not imagine that this woman had disappeared from history after the defeat of Teddy. And as the book tells in great detail, she did not. I had no idea that she had continued to be such a political force. The book was well researched and well written. If you cannot get enough of Roosevelt history then this book is a must. It not only tells the story of Alice but give the Roosevelt Aficionado new insights into the relationship of Teddy Roosevelt and his children. Overall a great read. jft For more Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker reviews click here.
|
|||||
 |
|
|
||||
| Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertising | Contact Us | ||||||
| ©2005 Book Savers, All rights reserved. | ||||||
and Preschoolers