Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
22nd out of 110 books
—
100 voters
Eleanor and Franklin
Eleanor and Franklin is one of the most highly acclaimed biographies written in recent times. Its author, Joseph Lash, won the Pulitzer and National Book Award in biography, as well as the Francis Parkman Prize of the Society of American Historians. Its focus is Eleanor Roosevelt and her complex relationship with FDR. Based on her personal papers and ranging from her birth...more
Paperback
Published
January 1st 1973
by Signet
(first published 1971)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,227)
"Eleanor & Franklin" is an awesome achievement of interview, research and writing. Joseph Lash produced a tome which ever will be valued by scholars and historians. I think I have never read all of this giant book but I have read some chapters/parts two times, or three times.
Standing in front of Mt. Fuji and being disappointed. I have had that experience. My reaction to, "Eleanor & Franklin," is similar. Here is a Mt. Fuji of historical literature but I still do not know the actual inte...more
Standing in front of Mt. Fuji and being disappointed. I have had that experience. My reaction to, "Eleanor & Franklin," is similar. Here is a Mt. Fuji of historical literature but I still do not know the actual inte...more
Eleanor and Franklin cronicles the evolution of Eleanor Roosevelt from an insecure girl and young woman into a woman who would impact the lives of many, many people. When visiting US installations during WWII, more than once she heard soldiers cry out "Hey, there's Eleanor!" She radiated warmth and compassion with a down-to-earth style that made people feel like she belonged to them in some way. In many ways she did belong to them. She lived her life in service of others because she truly cared...more
More of an exhaustive history than an interpretive biography, it is nonetheless worth the effort. I picked it up to prepare for an upcoming weekend in Hyde Park, and the length - 900 pages in paperback! - means that I'll still be reading when I return. There's so much fascinating detail here about two figures so towering that it pulls you through the mechanical pace and academic tone. Still, I feel the same way I did when I somehow managed to outlast Robert Caro in the Power Broker: it's a pity...more
I could not put this book down, you hear so much of the Franklin Presidency and now you learn so much of Eleanor. It has letters that she and Franklin wrote to each other. I love books that put you in the life of the character almost on a day to day basis. In the beginning of her life you would have never expected Eleanor to be such an important part of the presidency; which I don't know if that was bad or good. It was a corporate marriage as I would call it. My next goal is to read what her lif...more
This was a nice, readable biography, primarily of Elaenor Roosevelt. Ok, I'll admit I didn't quite finish it, but I got almost to the war. I was half way through the book when I realized it ended at Franklins death, which I found rather stunning and disappointing since she did so much after he died. I chose this biography because it had won the Pulitzer and was presumably reasonably accurate and well written, and because it was written by a family friend. I wasn't in the mood for a sensationaly,...more
Eleanor Roosevelt was a mystery to me before this book--I just knew she was a go-getter first lady who helped shape our country. I didn't know she was Theodore Roosevelt's niece (she is Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt), she married her 2nd cousin, she was an orphan, she had a very difficult childhood, she was an insecure child, young bride and mother, she was bullied by her mother-in-law, and Franklin wasn't the ideal husband and she had absolutely no desire to be in the spotlight. Yet, through it a...more
Dec 17, 2008
RunRachelRun
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biographies,
politics
My copy of "Eleanor & Franklin" is much better looking than this thumbnail. I say that because I admit that I have not bought books because the cover art was so repelling. I wouldn't have bought this book if it looked like the thumbnail. That said, if you come across this book, swallow hard and buy it. It's wonderful.
Jan 02, 2010
Sus
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Sus by:
dad
Shelves:
gave-up-might-get-back-to-it
HOORAY! I FOUND THIS BOOK under the seat of my car! It wasn't even my children's fault! (Ahem.)
***
July 21, 2009 Update:
Book MISSING! I mean, where does a book go? I haven't seen it for weeks, nay, months! and would really like to get beyond the first chapter on this one... at this rate I may never never know anything about the Roosevelts.
***
I can't seem to make it through a book lately. Either the story is weak or the writing is... or maybe it's just me. So my dad being my dad trotted up to his...more
***
July 21, 2009 Update:
Book MISSING! I mean, where does a book go? I haven't seen it for weeks, nay, months! and would really like to get beyond the first chapter on this one... at this rate I may never never know anything about the Roosevelts.
***
I can't seem to make it through a book lately. Either the story is weak or the writing is... or maybe it's just me. So my dad being my dad trotted up to his...more
view all 3 comments
I read this "double" biography also a couple years ago. It is a very detailed and fascinating look into the lives of two of America's most famous/controversial people. The author does a good job of weaving the two stories together. The thing I found the most FASCINATING was both Roosevelts' initial admiration for Josef Stalin and the way they were so enamored with the whole Communist ideal. Many of the government programs that both promoted during their time in the White House were reflections...more
Friends of the Hilton Head Library. One of many books I have read about these individuals. This one, from Eleanor's papers, provides more information to complete my picture of each of them.
I read the first 200 pages or so, which gave a very detailed account of Eleanor's early life, including how she and Franklin fell in love (and yes, it was love!)
Eleanor was an amazing force, who triumphed over a miserable childhood and disappointing marriage to achieve great things. She is definitely worth reading about.
This particular book is based largely on correspondence. There are too many long quotes from letters for my taste, although I might continue with the book at some point. The par...more
Eleanor was an amazing force, who triumphed over a miserable childhood and disappointing marriage to achieve great things. She is definitely worth reading about.
This particular book is based largely on correspondence. There are too many long quotes from letters for my taste, although I might continue with the book at some point. The par...more
A two volume book. I did not want to read SO MUCH about Eleanor and Franklin, but once I srart a project it must be finished.
I read this a while in college for a history class. It was so interesting to see the dynamics of the Roosevelt's realtionship.
remember reading it with a dictionary while I worked for my Washington bureau chiefs in D.C. next to the White House
a 700 page tome that i look forward taking to bed every night. the details are so delightful.
detailed study of their relationship and the growth of the partnership between them
this book is a great book for all you roosevelt fans out there.
I had to read this in high school and it was a really good sleep aid.
Read this years ago and remember thinking it was schmaltzy.
Sep 21, 2011
Karleen Koen
added it
Wonderfully written....what an extraordinary woman....
I hated to have to give up on this book. Joseph Lash's research is beyond reproach and he's a good writer. It's just not in a style that I am able to read, and I'm finding myself seeking any other thing to do rather than sink into it. It's a good book if you're the right reader for it; sadly I'm not the right reader.
Immensely enjoyable.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I give it three stars because it is very long and sort of confusing/complex. I wish it would have talked more about what happened after FDR died, but then again it was more on Eleanor and Franklin, so I can understand. It was a pretty good book and cholk full of facts.
I actually didn't read the whole thing- I decided it was too long, so I skimmed through it. I think I'll re-check it out and actually read it. Its gotten pretty good reviews.
I actually didn't read the whole thing- I decided it was too long, so I skimmed through it. I think I'll re-check it out and actually read it. Its gotten pretty good reviews.
Written by a close friend of Eleanor's in the 1970s. Candid look at both characters based on Eleanor's private letter collection. Fascinating material, though biographer's writing style and assumption of knowledge (historical, cultural references) on the part of the reader seems very old fashioned.
I first watched the series on television during the 1970's, that was based on this book and I finally got around to reading the book itself. The series whetted my appetite for the Roosevelt era.
Oct 23, 2007
Monica
marked it as for-biography-channel
Picked it up at Hyde Park. What kind of relationship was it? Not a great one from
what I gather from what has been left by history.
what I gather from what has been left by history.
Own 1st edition, showing SBN 393 07459 5, library of congress catalog card no. 72-162667.
This book was inspiring. It gives you a sense of what lives well-lived should be like.
Currently reading... love biographies
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Anyone who thinks must think of the next war as they would of suicide.”
—
22 people liked it
More quotes…
