Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict
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With the publication of Lady Clementine (Sourcebooks Landmark), Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman in the Room, (read our review here) provides readers a story so beautifully written and filled with historical fact and colorful fiction it becomes almost impossible to put down until the very last page.
The story opens on September 12, 1908, the wedding day of Clementine Hozier to Winston Churchill.
As told in the first person, Benedict explores the life and times of one of the most intelligent, courageous and powerful women of the 20th century — Clementine (rhymes with Josephine) Churchill, a remarkable woman in her own right and definitely one of the most important in British history.
Clementine Ogilvy Hozier took her first breath on April Fool’s Day 1885, born to a woman who engaged in a life of sexual indiscretions, leading most to believe that Clementine was most likely fathered by her mother’s sister’s husband. Though born into a blue-blooded lineage as the granddaughter of a Scottish earl, Clementine lived an underprivileged, unstable and loveless childhood with a mother of questionable means.
In a time when women were to be seen and not heard and expected to forgo education in favor of finding a proper suitor with money, Clementine let it be known this bored her. She didn’t want luxuries; she wanted to make a difference.
The night she met Winston Churchill changed her life, as well as his, and probably the course of history as she helped guide him through two world wars — the former almost cost him his entire career and reputation; the latter made him an international hero. It’s no surprise that during their 57 years of marriage, her most important role was that of wife and confidante to her husband, even as she struggled at being a mother to her children. And though she loved them, she leaves their rearing to others, as her own mother had done years ago.
In her thoughtful research, Benedict lets it be known that Clementine was iconic in her own right. Her keen interest in political matters — in particular, women’s right to vote and the Liberal party’s social and humanitarian issues — she was stymied by her era’s exclusions on women’s blatant involvement in the political realm. When she married Winston, she plunged into his political world in a manner that was unprecedented for the time; in asserting her own power — even if it derived from Winston’s — she wielded it for the good of the British people in wartime and for women in general.
As her beloved brother, Bill, walked her down the aisle on her wedding day, Clementine studies her intended and thinks, “this is my home, the one for which I have searched my entire life.” Those feeling for Winston Churchill, and his for her, would not change during the entire time of their marriage. And Clementine would always remain the emotional rock behind one of the world’s greatest statesman. Together as one they were ready to take on the challenges of life.
Lady Clementine should be read by anyone interested in history and the important role one woman played at the side of her husband.
Lady Clementine is now available for purchase.
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