Review of 'The President's Wife' by Anna Stuart

Review of 'The President's Wife' by Anna Stuart

Release date: Sept 23, 2025

Publisher: Bookouture

REVIEW

First off, this was a heavily researched novel and it shows as it is rich with historical references. Anna Stuart has a real talent for pulling women from the footnotes of the past and putting the spotlight on their lives. We get to experience their sacrifices, challenges and victories through detailed word artistry. Anna constructs perfectly appropriate settings of the WW2 era allowing us to be transported where we feel, see and experience the highs and lows. To walk alongside those who were vital history makers, helps us understand and appreciate their choices and actions during tumultuous times. In this case we are carried on the wings of words to the life of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt—with the main focus being on Eleanor before, during and after her position as a President’s wife. She had some impressive accomplishments.

Although we get plenty of information on Franklin, what we learn about Eleanor gives us reason to cheer her as she was a remarkable person. As her husband said, she was a ‘wonderful, driven, caring woman with her eyes on the worries of the world.’ Sadly some of her inner turmoil was attributed to her husband. Through hardships and Franklin’s infidelity, though, she built an emotional ‘raft’ that kept her from drowning in her hurts. It propelled her into a positive direction, rather than a destructive one. She was a woman with purpose, with her own projects and ideas and even her own set of friends. There are so many brilliant and truthful lines that come from her mouth that I could list many here but suffice it to say, she was a positive force even in her husband’s life and career. Eleanor was passionate about her beliefs and views and this attribute becomes the fire that fuels her outstanding missions. Despite her personal frustrations with her marriage, she handled the topic of rights and war with power and achieved admirable accomplishments.

My mind was fresh with images of the Pearl Harbour bombing mentioned in The President’s Wife as I had just read another novel that also included horrific scenes of the same event. In both accounts, I was moved by how much these women and men endured. To imagine how they handled it with such courage and resilience, brought tears to my eyes. When the American troops broke through enemy (Japanese) lines to free prisoners, there was much cheering. Interestingly, both novels conveyed similar observations by the main characters. One thing that was mentioned in common was chocolate. In The President’s Wife, while flying home with several ferry pilots in the belly of a bomber who are sharing bourbon, biscuits and chocolate, Eleanor remembers a young boy in the London bombings who told her about the Americans arriving with chocolate. The same item was mentioned in the other WW2 novel. It appears that chocolate was a comfort from home. Bringing moments of happiness during chaos. The handing out of these sweet treats, represented something important: it offered freedom from fear and ushered in hope and relief. Besides representing something emotionally vital, chocolate also helped give the troops and prisoners energy.

The President’s Wife addresses many issues. One is the focus on physical disabilities and how it does not reflect a person’s mental capabilities. Franklin certainly proved that. Strength of a leader does not have to be in his / her legs but can come from other resources within a person: their mind and ability to solve dilemmas quickly and efficiently. This certainly is an attribute worthy of admiration.

Eleanor was an incredible force as she offered Franklin support and advice. At times she made him think outside the box. One day she mentions a phrase from the writer Thoreau that ‘Nothing is so much to be feared as fear.’ Franklin is moved by this thought and in turn incorporates this phrase in his inaugural address. His spin on the comment is well remembered: ‘Nothing to fear but fear itself’.

This is an amazing novel packed full of exceptional descriptions and revealing dialogue that make you stop and think. It was not easy for those in difficult positions during the war. Yet President Roosevelt and his wife moved the world with their intriguing ideas and viable solutions. Their responses to the challenges they faced made them defining figures in American history. Another impressive delivery by Anna Stuart. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the review copy.