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, SPECTATOR and TLS
'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
What listeners say about Kingmaker
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- Mark Kelly
- 08-11-2024
Barbra Cartland of History
An interesting subject whose life intersects with many of the great historical figures of the 20th century in England and America. Not sure about the sources of some of the intimate details but the theme of the world’s greatest courtesan needs some salaciousness.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Robyn
- 29-10-2024
How the other half live
This starts out as a well-written biography but ends sounding more like a hagiography. For me, Pamela became increasingly boring and unlikeable until, an a hour or so from the end I just couldn't go on. Pamela's early life and war years in London were a good topic for a biography, but after Pamela moved to the US the book became mostly about US politics and Pamela seemed to morph from a goodtime girl who charmed and slept her way to the top to a saint who had saved Britain in WWII and rescued the DNC, after which she stepped into a plum diplomat's job in Paris regardless of the fact that she had zero quaifications or experience. It sounded as though Brealy had, like so many in Pamela's circle, become an acolyte - not a good perspective for a biographer. Louise Brealy does a fine job as narrator, pleasant voice and excellent in English and French.
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