****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
After we disposed of King George III and Queen Charlotte in the American Revolution, America had only one other royal family and they were the Roosevelts. Mr. Mann does a fine job in providing a very well written, highly readable, gossipy and entertaining account of the lives and feuds of this remarkable family. Unlike other authors who have focused on the enormous historical and political contributions that the Roosevelts, particularly Theodore, FDR and Eleanor, made to their country, Mr. Mann focuses on the intimate details of their lives while not overlooking important historical events. Because of this they emerge as truly flesh and blood characters and their stories are often very poignant.Even though Mr. Mann obviously has great affection for the family members, especially Eleanor, he has a light touch and leaves the reader to make up his or her own mind. Also, he does not hesitate to draw attention to character flaws in the family members including the saintly Eleanor who President Truman correctly described as the First Lady of the World. Another achievement is that Mr. Mann provides sufficient details about the lesser members of the family so that they emerge as distinct characters and escape from the giant shadow cast by the three most eminent family members.Thus the black sheep of the family including Theodore’s brother Elliott, Taddy (FDR’s nephew), Hall (Eleanor’s brother) and Kermit (Theodore’s son) all receive due attention. The venomous and malicious character and conduct of Theodore’s daughter, Alice Longworth Roosevelt (“Princess Alice”), are well described and we learn (in my case for the first time) the poignant story of the family outcast, Elliott Roosevelt Mann. He was Eleanor’s half-brother whom she could never bring herself to meet because of the stain attached to his illegitimate birth. Theodore’s eldest son Ted is sympathetically portrayed as a true war hero. His tragedy was that he could never live up to his extraordinary father’s expectations. The imperious and dominating character of FDR's mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, is well described as is the somewhat distant and aloof character of Edith Roosevelt, Theodore's beloved wife.I have not enjoyed a book so much in a long time. I highly recommend this book to any reader interested in American history and particularly to those who have a special interest in this extraordinary American family.
