interesting story. very well written. Loved the cover and this is what drew me to it. Great historical fiction makes you lose all sense of time and space. I did while reading this

A read for those who like biographical fiction. I expected to like this novel more than I did, as I can respect the research that goes into biographical novels, but the characters didn't resonate with me. I seemed to be reading very much on the surface and was a book easily put down.

I am a sucker for a good war-time romance, and this book moved seamlessly between historical fiction and romance. I enjoyed the intermingling of famous historical characters and historical events, at times it read just like non-fiction. Overall, well done.

I received a free copy of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book as a novel. The novel has a great deal of dialogue and interactions that seemed unlikely, but it was a fun read. The historical aspects of the book were interesting.

James MacManus’ “Ike and Kay” tells the fictionalized story of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and his Irish driver-turned-lover, Kay Summersby, following the relationship from late 1942, when Eisenhower arrived in London, to post-war America.

Readers who enjoy stories told through the perspective of a strong female heroine will like this book, since it unfolds entirely through Kay’s perspective. But at times, it tilts into romance-novel territory, with the star-struck, but independent, Kay carried along by the events surrounding her hero.

Despite making Kay the book’s focus, MacManus never fully develops her character. Although he provides some back story – marriages, family ties – the reader never gets a sense of what drives Kay’s actions. Although she admires Eisenhower, she never expresses any passion for him, beyond appreciating the way he includes her in his inner circle. When he secures her commission in the American Women’s Army Corps – and then her American citizenship – both come as a surprise, since she never expresses any desire for these things to happen almost until they are upon her. What prompted those decisions?

Her actions toward the end of the book go unexplored, too. How did Kay go from an independent, wordly woman at the beginning of the war to someone who travels around the world for pointless confrontations with a former lover? While MacMannus may have been reporting what actually happened, more character development would have helped.

Eisenhower is even more of a ghost. While we learn that he was genial, stressed, and hard-working, he comes off as so emotionally remote, it’s hard to understand why Kay would have been attracted to him. Apart from one or two incidents where he demonstrates his caring for Kay and his troops, he moves through the novel completely shut off and unchanged.

The book also has some big factual and continuity errors. For instance, there’s a reference to Ike being “married with two grown-up sons,” even though the book discusses the death of Ike’s older son as a toddler in 1921. It also overlooks the fact that Eisenhower’s surviving son, John, served for a time as an aide to his father in Europe after D-Day, when he presumably would have crossed paths with Kay.

Other little errors slipped through, too. At one point, it mentions that Ike “had not done brilliantly at college or at the West Point Military Academy.” In fact, West Point was Eisenhower’s college, and it is called the U.S. Military Academy.

(I’m hoping that these reflect the fact that I read a review copy thanks to Netgalley, rather than the final published version.)

Setting all this aside, though, “Ike and Kay” is an engaging, easy book. Between MacManus’ light touch with dialogue and the dynamic situation in wartime London, the story moves along at a rapid clip. It makes an enjoyable summer read.

I received a free copy of this e-book (via NetGalley) and its publisher, Duckworth, in exchange for an honest review.

This is fiction based on fact. It is a story during WWII with Dwight Eisenhower, “Ike”, and his driver, Kay Summersby, who develop a close relationship. Ike includes Kay when he is relocated throughout the war. He also makes promises of citizenship and promotions. Many WWII big names (such as Roosevelt, Patton, MacArthur, Bradley, Montgomery) are dropped in the story displaying the research conducted. It is an interesting story especially if a reader is not familiar with these two individuals. As with every love story, there is heartbreak.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a love story with historical fiction.

Historical fiction based on true events, for the most part. Whether Ike and Kay indeed have a romantic relationship is and always will be up for speculation. I did enjoy the easy-reading of WWII history in this book.

When Kay Summersby is assigned as a driver for General Eisenhower, the two quickly develop a report and eventually an affair. Despite his marriage to Mamie, Ike flaunts their relationship. This book felt very nostalgic. It continually skipped back in time to tell the reader something else about the couple. This took away from the story, rather than adding to it. This book felt slow and rambling and just didn't work. Overall, a bust.

I received a free copy of this e-book (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

This novel took me ages to read, which is telling. The book is written in a (not particularly good) non-fiction style, with dialog thrown in. As a consequence, none of the characters really took shape. By the end, I pretty much despised Kay. The book is rife with historical inaccuracies and embellishments, which were quite annoying to me. The author also couldn't seem to make up his mind about what kind of dog Telek was. He was a Scottie, even though the author repeatedly referred to him as a West Highland Terrier.

Historians argue to this day whether or not Eisenhower actually wanted divorce his wife in order to marry Kay, so I hope readers do not blindly accept the version of events given here.

The one thing that historical fiction does is take well known people and make them human, with all the imperfections, flaws and issues that affect the rest of us.

That is what I think the author attempted to do with the wartime relationship between Eisenhower and Kay Summersby. I felt the writing was a little wooden and it sometimes read like a nonfiction book. By the end I saw it as another girl done wrong story, just told from an authentic point of view.