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The General's Women
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Set during the chaotic years of World War II, The General's Women tells the story of the conflicted relationship between General Dwight Eisenhower and Kay Summersby, his Irish driver/aide, and the impact of that relationship on Mamie Eisenhower and her life in Washington during the war. Told from three alternating points of view (Kay's, Ike's, and Mamie's), the novel chart
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Paperback
Published
March 7th 2017
by Persevero Press
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Start your review of The General's Women

I wanted to read this book ever since I read that Susan Wittig Albert was writing a book about Dwight Eisenhower and Kay Summersby. I have previously read Loving Eleanor and A Wilder Rose by the author and I love how she can write about real life people and making them come alive and I'm happy to say that she has once again managed to do that with The General's Women.
It's not only the people that she manages to portray in an authentic way, Wittig Albert has a knack for writing about the time and ...more
It's not only the people that she manages to portray in an authentic way, Wittig Albert has a knack for writing about the time and ...more

My favorite genre is historical fiction, I love that I can learn history without all the dry facts that tend to bog down history books. This book written by Susan Wittig Albert was an exceptional read. I hate to admit that I have not read any books by this author, but I now have her on my radar.
This story about Eisenhower and Kay Summersby is told in three voices, Ike, Kay and Mamie. These three different perspectives adds diversity and context to the story. Susan's account of the war zone, staf ...more
This story about Eisenhower and Kay Summersby is told in three voices, Ike, Kay and Mamie. These three different perspectives adds diversity and context to the story. Susan's account of the war zone, staf ...more

Told from three points of view this is a well researched book of the relationships between Eisenhower and his wife and Eisenhower and his driver/lover. It is right on the edge of non-fiction with all the facts, people and historical events that are so elegantly told in this book. I have to admit that I am a bit of a history buff and this book totally fit that need without some of the dryness you read in a lot of non-fiction or the unbelievability to see in some historical fiction. I was slightly
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Susan Wittig Albert’s books are always a pleasure to read and I had really enjoyed A Wilder Rose a few years back, which was about the writing of the Little House books. The General’s Women sounded interesting to me, since it featured the two loves of General Eisenhower and I love war time stories, which is the setting, so I dove in once I received my complimentary review copy in the mail.
Susan, of course, conducts such an enormous amount of research for her books and with this one it was obviou ...more
Susan, of course, conducts such an enormous amount of research for her books and with this one it was obviou ...more

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Independent Book Publishers Association(BPA) for the ARC of "The General's Women" by Susan Wittig Albert, for my honest review. "The genre of "The General's Women" is historical fiction.
The author writes about General Dwight Eisenhower during the timeline of World War Two when American entered the war, with England, and Europe. I find that the author describes General Dwight Eisenhower as dedicated, hardworking, an organizer, and a planner. The General is ...more
The author writes about General Dwight Eisenhower during the timeline of World War Two when American entered the war, with England, and Europe. I find that the author describes General Dwight Eisenhower as dedicated, hardworking, an organizer, and a planner. The General is ...more

The General's Women is a very readable introduction to the lives and careers of Kay Summersby and Mamie Eisenhower, and through them to the wartime experiences of many women. Susan Wittig Albert did her research; her descriptions of London and Tangiers are believable and rich with detail.
If this book had been sold as a biography I probably would have rated it higher. Unfortunately, it was not factual enough to be labeled biography and not quite entertaining enough to make a good novel. The voice ...more
If this book had been sold as a biography I probably would have rated it higher. Unfortunately, it was not factual enough to be labeled biography and not quite entertaining enough to make a good novel. The voice ...more

Since I have this longing to have been a uniformed WAC in the center of things in Europe during WWII, reading this book helped me to live out that fantasy. Then add the fantasy of an intense romance with the guy in charge of EVERYTHING--and we are over the top.
Notable to me is the way the General had his "family" during the War, so similar to the way Washington had his family during the Revolution. Martha, of course, wisely made sure she was often part of that family. Mamie, in contrast, stayed ...more
Notable to me is the way the General had his "family" during the War, so similar to the way Washington had his family during the Revolution. Martha, of course, wisely made sure she was often part of that family. Mamie, in contrast, stayed ...more

"The General's Women" is the story of Dwight D. Eisenhower, world class general (and later President of the United States) and his relationship and subsequent affair with his driver at the height of World War II, Kay Summersby. This is a fascinating story that I don't think that I have ever heard before. I feel like most of what I know about Eisenhower is very much limited to his military career and his career as President, as well as his life in Gettysburg after retirement (I grew up about 30 m
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This book was SO interesting. I enjoy all of Susan Wittig Albert's books and this was really a good read. I never had heard this story, but I'm glad I saw it at the library. I brought it home, my hubby saw and picked it up and read it in 3 days....he will tell you eh doesn't like to read.....right.
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Changed my rating from four stars to three when I remembered the many days when I did not pick up this book about Eisenhower's marriage to Mamie and relationship with Kay Summersby, his driver during World War II. Despite her extensive research, Susan Wittig Albert has written a novel rather than a work of nonfiction. I found myself frustrated by not knowing which parts were fiction and which were fact.
Yes, many of the details about locations and dates are fact, and the conversations are probabl ...more
Yes, many of the details about locations and dates are fact, and the conversations are probabl ...more

I have been reading Susan Wittig Albert books for many years with great enjoyment. I love her mystery series, but these historical biographical novels are quickly becoming favorites as well. She clearly puts a lot of research into her books, and writes with a style that is easy to read and understand. She takes a situation that might not be something we would be interested in reading about and turns it into something great. The General's Women is about Eisenhower, and I was glad she didn't go st
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Maybe it just wasn't the right time for me to read this book. I just didn't care for all the details and found myself skimming the pages to get to the end.
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This was a book which combined the best of many genres. History in great descriptive detail and then the person behind the great character - his life, loves and the women he fell in love with.
General Ike Eisenhower was a character. Leading from the front, he was successful combining the Allied forces with American troops to halt the German Nazi tide in Europe. Success came to him slowly. Very slowly. For sixteen years he languished almost forgotten and then the rise and the promotions came very ...more
General Ike Eisenhower was a character. Leading from the front, he was successful combining the Allied forces with American troops to halt the German Nazi tide in Europe. Success came to him slowly. Very slowly. For sixteen years he languished almost forgotten and then the rise and the promotions came very ...more

Gripping book, kept me reading every time I picked it up. Brings parts of the last 3 years of WW2 European & north African campaigns to the foreground, as well as General Eisenhower's rise to command. Since it all happened before I was born, I haven't read(or recently read) that kind of detail about it.
The relationship with Kay Sommersby was new to me, & while this is historical fiction, reading Wittig Albert's historical notes (the last 30 or so pages of the book) provide some good foundation ...more
The relationship with Kay Sommersby was new to me, & while this is historical fiction, reading Wittig Albert's historical notes (the last 30 or so pages of the book) provide some good foundation ...more

This is a fictionalized account of the relationship between Dwight Eisenhower, his wife, Mamie and his driver, Kay Summersby. Thoroughly researched and very believable, the intimate and intense love affair that occurred during the second World War and the choices that Eisenhower and others made for him that lead to the White House. Of interest is the cover up of the story that Kay tries to tell before her death and what is intimated in other people's memoirs, such as Truman's and Bradley's. At t
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True the author of historical novels has license with the material they write about. I appreciated the material at the end of the book which listed what was true and what was not. That helped me understand it better. It was a good book. I just wish that the ending has been different. Kay Summersby would have made a hell of a first lady!!

Aug 19, 2018
Janet Hartman
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
Anyone who wants to learn more about Eisenhower
Slow moving from a plot standpoint. The author notes at the back were the best part, clarifying which parts were fact and which parts were not.
This was an interesting counterpoint to a book published by the Eisenhower foundation years ago which insisted the relationship was never consummated and therefor there was nothing wrong about it.
This was an interesting counterpoint to a book published by the Eisenhower foundation years ago which insisted the relationship was never consummated and therefor there was nothing wrong about it.

WWII story about Eisenhower and his Irish assistant, Kay Summersby. Lots of insight into the daily life of the Supreme Commander, and his "Official Staff Family". Talks about the the British Blitz, the plywood villages set up to distract the Germans, buzz bombs, the stark difference of WWII in America where not much was impacted to the stark deprivation of people living in the war zone. Also mentions that for some "lusting" after a woman is equal to intercourse with a woman.
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An easy to read, exceptionally enjoyable book that engages one from beginning to end.
Susan Wittig Albert does such an excellent job with historical fiction. She imparts a feeling
for the period and provides a great number of very accurate historical facts. This is the story of Dwight Eisenhower, Kay Summersby, and Mamie Eisenhower with others of Eisenhower's women alluded to in the book. While reading the book, I had great sympathy for Kay though the relationship was obviously doomed from the s ...more
Susan Wittig Albert does such an excellent job with historical fiction. She imparts a feeling
for the period and provides a great number of very accurate historical facts. This is the story of Dwight Eisenhower, Kay Summersby, and Mamie Eisenhower with others of Eisenhower's women alluded to in the book. While reading the book, I had great sympathy for Kay though the relationship was obviously doomed from the s ...more

Apr 06, 2017
Lucy Meeker
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
fiction,
history,
war,
world-war-2,
novel,
historical-fiction,
adult-fiction,
american-history,
american-literature
I found the subject matter of this book to be very fascinating. An engaging story with great characters that are captivating and a must-read for any history lover.

I am a big fan of Susan Wittig Albert, and have enjoyed all of her historic fiction books on Laura Ingalls Wilder, Eleanor Roosevelt and now The General's Women. This is a well written, compelling read about the relationship between Dwight Eisenhower, Kay Summersby and Mamie Eisenhower during WWII. You are cheering for Ike and Kay during the war, when he is facing challenge after challenge in defeating Hitler. Kay is his touchstone, who keeps Ike on an even keel, and able to continue leading und
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Reading The General's Women is like using a knife through soft butter, it's effortless and it spreads smoothly. The story is about General Eisenhower and Kay Summersby and their relationship during World War II. Albert's depiction is realistic and poignant. It was a relationship that lived on borrowed time, intense as it happened, but doomed to endure. The author has a very thorough epilogue followed with a synopsis of her research. Albert sheds light on the rocky path of revisions Summersby's t
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Source: Free paperback copy from Susan Wittig Albert.
Rating: Good.
My Thoughts:
The Generals’ Women is a work of fiction. When I began reading the book, I had to remind myself this is a fiction piece. As big of a historical figure as Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is easy to become wrapped up in the story believing this is a biography.
In the past, I’ve read several nonfiction books on Eisenhower as the central figure or as apart of the World War II story. The General’s Women is not a strong military sto ...more
Rating: Good.
My Thoughts:
The Generals’ Women is a work of fiction. When I began reading the book, I had to remind myself this is a fiction piece. As big of a historical figure as Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is easy to become wrapped up in the story believing this is a biography.
In the past, I’ve read several nonfiction books on Eisenhower as the central figure or as apart of the World War II story. The General’s Women is not a strong military sto ...more

Since historical fiction is my chosen genre, I thoroughly endorse and recommend, "The General's Women." Well written, this book interweaves fact and fiction. Susan Wittig Albert does a yeoman's job of including a well-stocked bibliography, actual notes in the back of the book and comments as well in her author's note.
Since I've been reading, "Eisenhower in War and Peace" by Jean Edward Smith, I noticed how much Albert took from his book. With that said, she made sure to include and mention his b ...more
Since I've been reading, "Eisenhower in War and Peace" by Jean Edward Smith, I noticed how much Albert took from his book. With that said, she made sure to include and mention his b ...more

As a lover of both biography and historical fiction, I was incredibly interested to read this account of the love affair between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Kay Summersby. Known the world over as a stoic, modest leader it humanizes the former president in a way that many accounts cannot. The author has clearly worked tirelessly to research not only Mrs. Summersby's life, but also her final days to try and bring as much of the truth to light as possible despite the lengths that history has gone to b
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I vaguely remember Eisenhower as President, but I definitely recall him as an elderly statesman. I've been interested in his relationship with Kay Summersby, his driver during World War II, since I first heard about it, so I was glad to see this book.
The author obviously did a lot of research and, although the book is fiction, facts form the backbone of the novel. She imagines various conversations which are, for the most part, quite plausible. It's also interesting to have three points of view ...more
The author obviously did a lot of research and, although the book is fiction, facts form the backbone of the novel. She imagines various conversations which are, for the most part, quite plausible. It's also interesting to have three points of view ...more
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Susan is the author/co-author of biographical/historical fiction, mysteries, and nonfiction. Now in her 80s and continuing to write, she says that retirement is not (yet) an option. She publishes under her own imprint. Here are her latest books.
A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.
Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring ...more
A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.
Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring ...more
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