Having watched Ken Burns series about the Roosevelts I was interested in learning more about Eleanor Roosevelt. I hoped to get an understanding about their very unconventional relationship of living almost separate lives but being devoted to one another, while cementing their place in history during his political career. I can't say that I have any better understanding of her devotion to Franklin to the extent that she appeared to form fond relationships with one or two of the other women in Franklin's life. But, reading Eleanor's words describing how she fit into the world she was born into, especially her life as a child, helped me understand her loyalty to those she cared for and her desire to be an agent for change for women in her time.
The writing isn't compelling, but put into context I believe that this book deserves 4 stars. It delivers on giving the reader an understanding of what Eleanor overcame living in a world in which she was the first to say that her looks and artistic and athletic abilities were lacking to the standards of the day.