Alice Roosevelt was a woman who didn't let anything stop her. The
daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt, Alice was only two days old
when her mother, Alice Hathaway, passed away. Alice was raised by her
aunt until her father married Edith Kermit. Teddy and Edith had five
additional children, Ted Jr., Ethel, Kermit, Quentin, and Archibald.
When Teddy became president, Alice's nickname became Princess
Alice, and she wore the title well. Alice loved to go to parties and of
course be the center of attention. Alice wanted to find true friends, but
sadly she was often betrayed. Alice met Nick Longworth, at the time
was the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the two were
seen together plenty of times. When Secretary of War William Howard
Taft goes to China, Teddy asks Alice to accompany him, and Alice was
happy to do so. Low and behold, Nick Longworth was also going, and
while on this trip overseas, they fall in love. When they return to
Washington, Nick asks for Alice's hand in marriage.
But once they are married, things aren't easy for Alice and Nick. Nick
was often drinking and even cheating on his wife, and Alice was unable
to get pregnant. Lost in her marriage, Alice falls in love with William
Borah, who is also caught in an unhappy marriage. They hide their love
for several years until Alice gets pregnant. To save face, they lie about
the true identity of who the father is of their daughter, Paulina.
Alice faced many tragedies in her life - her father passes away, her
brother Teddy Jr unsuccessfully runs for office (losing to their fifth
cousin and future president, FDR). So much happens to Alice, and AMERICAN PRINCESS showcases how
this strong woman navigated her interesting life.
I don't even know where to start on this novel by Stephanie Marie
Thornton. Through a captivating story, I learned so much about Alice
Roosevelt, a woman I never knew anything about. Here was a woman
who wanted nothing more than her father's attention, which is hard to
do when he's the president of the United States. While Alice had such
spirit, because of the time period, she had to take a back seat to a lot
of what was going on. I received a history lesson through AMERICAN PRINCESS. This is a great
historical fiction novel - pick it up!
Alice may be the president's daughter, but she's nobody's
darling. As bold as her signature color Alice Blue, the
gum-chewing, cigarette-smoking, poker-playing First Daughter
discovers that the only way for a woman to stand out in
Washington is to make waves--oceans of them. With the canny
sophistication of the savviest politician on the Hill, Alice
uses her celebrity to her advantage, testing the limits of
her power and the seductive thrill of political entanglements.
But Washington, DC is rife with heartaches and betrayals,
and when Alice falls hard for a smooth-talking congressman
it will take everything this rebel has to emerge triumphant
and claim her place as an American icon. As Alice soldiers
through the devastation of two world wars and brazens out a
cutting feud with her famous Roosevelt cousins, it's no
wonder everyone in the capital refers to her as the Other
Washington Monument--and Alice intends to outlast them all.