Kingmaker
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Kingmaker
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Narrated by:
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Louise Brealey
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By:
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Sonia Purnell
About this listen
A 2024 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST, FINANCIAL TIMES, GUARDIAN, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, SPECTATOR, LONDON STANDARD and OLDIE
'Supremely enjoyable ... With a historian's eye for rigour, a journalist's for detail and a storyteller's for drama' FINANCIAL TIMES
'A page turner that matches her subject in verve and ambition ... Tremendous' IRISH EXAMINER
'A wonderfully racy romp [and] a gripping biography of a brave, ambitious woman' DAILY MAIL
'An incredible story, beautifully told, of a remarkable woman whose political influence spanned Churchill to Clinton. Quite a woman, quite a read' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL
'Superb and fascinating. I can't recommend it more' LADY ANNE GLENCONNER, bestselling author of Lady in Waiting
When Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were scathing - and often downright sexist. Written off as a social climber, her glamorous social life and infamous erotic adventures overshadowed her true legacy. Much of what she did behind the scenes to shape the twentieth century, on both sides of the Atlantic, remained invisible. That is, until now: with a wealth of fresh research, Sonia Purnell unveils for the first time the full, spectacular story of how Harriman left an indelible mark on the world today.
There is practically no-one in twentieth-century politics, culture and fashion whose lives she did not touch. Her influence began at age twenty, when her father-in-law, Winston Churchill, engaged her as a "secret weapon" during World War II, wining, dining and seducing Americans over to the British cause against Hitler. It continued later in the US, where she hand-picked Bill Clinton from obscurity and vaulted him to the presidency. It extended further, over five decades and two continents, influencing figures like the Kennedys, Nelson Mandela, Truman Capote, Gianni Agnelli, Kay Graham, Gloria Steinem and Frank Sinatra.
Written with the novelistic richness and investigative rigour that only Sonia Purnell could bring to this story full of sex, power, yachts, palaces and fabulous clothes, Kingmaker sets out Harriman's rightful place at the heart of recent history.
****
'Rigorous but rollicking' NEW YORK TIMES
'Fascinating and revelatory, written with great aplomb, insight and shrewd analysis. A triumph' WILLIAM BOYD
'As compelling as its subject' TLS
' Riveting and revelatory' THE NEW YORKER
'An alluring new biography' THE ECONOMIST
'Purnell's research is impeccable' SPECTATOR
'Kingmaker is on to something important. Successful women are judged differently than men' AMANDA FOREMAN, GUARDIAN
'Sympathetic, well-researched, busily peopled' OBSERVER BOOK OF THE DAY
'Vivid' NEW STATESMAN©2024 Sonia Purnell (P)2024 Hachette Audio UK
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What listeners say about Kingmaker
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 25-11-24
What an interesting life!
This was a wonderful book, well performed and easy to listen too. Super interesting life and completely underestimated, the insight into Pamela’s life, the relationship with Churchill and behind the scenes of politics, life during the war and diplomacy make this book very worth the read/listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- probert
- 30-09-24
Splendid
Splendid in every way. Not laboured in any way. Beautifully read and narrated with just the right amount of detail.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs Curzon Tussaud
- 22-11-24
Learning about Pamela’s political achievements in later life.
Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman’s life story reads rather more like fiction than fact, and after the romantic adventures of her youth, the solid political achievements of her later life seem almost unbelievable. The narration is good except that it grated on my ear to hear the second “h” enunciated in Churchill.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- debbieg
- 27-09-24
More politics than personal
I found you didn’t get a sense of what she was like from this biography - what she did, achieved, ‘loved’, experienced but not her essence. The Life of the Party, written about 20 years ago was more personal but then the author had known the subject and met many people who knew her too. So excellent on the American politics but at arms length on her. Disappointing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- miss gabriele jesson
- 08-10-24
An incredible story not known widely enough
I enjoyer d discovering the reality behind this story about someone I knew little about. However sometimes the narrative a bit too gushy - the writer is clearly a fan but I’m not sure the story has enough light & shade. Overall though really compelling!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cristina
- 01-12-24
Amazing
I actually shed a tear at the end of this book. I really felt like I knew Pamela and I’ll miss her after spending so long getting to know her through this story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zombie Mum
- 08-11-24
Fascinating story of a misunderstood woman
Never heard of her before but so pleased I got to read/hear her story least she be forgotten and only have known a skewed version of her life story based on previous biographies and news articles. I am grateful to have been made aware of her. Good for her for all she had achieved in her life. Hopefully history will be kinder to her now we know what roles she played in helping to achieve peace.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ms. K. Frank
- 08-10-24
Fascinating! Told well and read well
An intriguing story.. a little disturbing that Winston Churchill used her to further his interests in the war.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alison
- 17-10-24
Very interesting but a bit gushing
I enjoyed the first half (in the uk) much more than the USA era. The background was fascinating. However, Pamela’s ‘war work’ - sleeping with Americans - is portrayed as heroic, which is hilarious. Also she just comes across as a really self absorbed, selfish person. The author gushes about Pam, but I don’t think I’d have liked her.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Avidreader
- 06-11-24
Shame about the narration
A great pity that a well researched and interesting story is narrated by someone who constantly mispronounces both names and places, which is just annoying and should have been corrected. Not a good reading/listening voice, will be avoiding anything else read by Louise Brealey....
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