James Brough captures the spirit and charm of Alice Roosevelt Longworth "Princess Alice", the closest thing to American royalty the country had seen in its previous 130 + years. As the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, cousin to both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and wife of long-standing Speaker of the House Nicholas Longworth, hers is a unique life spent close to the people and events that shaped the twentieth century. She was a world famous celebrity due to her father, her looks and her wild antics well before celebrity became commonplace in America.
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Admittedly spoiled and strong willed, she was initially raised by her fraternal aunt Anna following her mother's death in 1884. Reunited with her father upon his second marriage and eventually living in the White House along with 4 brothers and a sister. Her childhood was difficult due to a strained relationship with her step mother. Alice married an Ohio Congressman but the match was not a happy one. Her life in Washington kept her close to the politics and politicians she had grown up surrounded by.
She had a biting wit and would enjoy making shockingly candid statements to the press. Her influence and political insights were coveted by every president to hold office from the early part of the century up to the time of her death in 1980 at age 96.
Brough's work is candid and seems to be without bias. He offers a well researched look at one of history's true original personalities.
The review of this Book prepared by David Fletcher
