The American adventuress A novel of Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill

Jennie Jerome, mother of Winston Churchill, is perhaps the first of the Gilded Age "dollar princesses," daughters of rich American families who married British nobility, trading wealth for titles and allowing the British aristocracy to shore up crumbling finances and ancestral estates. Gortner's new woman-focused biographical novel, following First Actress (2020), paints a sympathetic portrait of a complicated woman. Love rather than more mercenary concerns leads Lord Randolph Churchill to instantly propose to Jennie, though both families must be brought round to agree to the precipitous match. Marriage is not what Jennie envisioned, and aristocratic maneuvering, financial strain, infidelities, absenteeism as a mother, and multiple marriages to younger men ensue. While Winston, the Boer War, and WWI all arise towards the end of the novel, this is largely a frothy tale of a bold woman seeking fulfillment of her desires, unwilling to be hampered by social convention. As Jennie says, "Life is not always what one wants it to be, but to make the best of it as it is, is the only way to be happy."

In his latest biographical historical fiction novel, veteran author Gortner (Mademoiselle Chanel; The Romanov Empress) tells the story of vivacious and charismatic Jennie Jerome, the American heiress who became Lady Randolph-Churchill by marrying into the British aristocracy in 1874. The novel follows Jennie as she mothers two boys (including Winston Churchill, whose political career she helps to shape) and undertakes noteworthy philanthropic and artistic projects like chartering and traveling with a hospital ship during the Second Boer War. She also scandalizes British society by having an affair with the Prince of Wales, by marrying two much younger men after her first husband's death, and by divorcing her second husband at a time when divorce was still controversial. The huge amount of ground Gortner has to cover in just under 400 pages unfortunately means that some characters in this tale are underdeveloped, especially Jennie's second and third husbands, and the book's rushed and abrupt ending is a bit jarring. VERDICT On the whole, this well-researched novel is a solid introduction to the life of a spirited woman determined to challenge the mores of her time. It should hold strong appeal both for fans of Gortner's previous novels and for readers looking for Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age read-alikes.--Mara Bandy Fass