"Lady Clementine is the ferocious story of the ambitious woman beside Winston Churchill, the story of a partner who did not flinch through the sweeping darkness of war, and who would not surrender to expectations or to enemies." This is the description of the book. It is fascinating to learn that, like many world leaders, the woman behind the man is a great influence on everything. It is fun to read this as a novel, even though a lot of the facts are true. I highly recommend this book. It is a gripping read about a person who I did not know but now admire greatly.

Lady Clementine looks at the life of Clementine Churchill, Winston Churchill’s wife during both World Wars. Clementine makes a fascinating subject for the novel – she is ambitious for her husband and builds a true partnership with him. She stands with her husband at every turn and this novel does her great justice. Those that enjoy learning more about powerful women in history will enjoy the book.
I have enjoyed Marie Benedick’s novels in the past about interesting women from all walks of life. This one is one of my favorite – it was fun to read about Clementine’s wide reaching influence over Winston Churchill’s policies and decision making. Her strengths and flaws were explored and made her very strong.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmarks and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review the book.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book posits that Clementine Churchill was more focused on being her husband's right-hand in government over being a mother, and I'm not sure if we are meant to judge her for that or not. I liked this book, but I found it a bit uneven at times. Also, if Clementine is supposed to be our heroine, I found her self-centered and not always likable, but then again, most of us are like that, so maybe the goal was to humanize her.🤷‍♀️
I did like the fact that the book explores what it means to be a mother when your goal is to be something else as well. Men are always allowed to be fathers AND... but women at that time, and even now really, were not allowed the same option. Also, I was happy that her depression was discussed, although the response was limited because at the time there was not as much understanding of the disease as there is now.

As I was finishing this book, I received an ARC for The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson, and the combination of these two books added another layer to each. There were many of the same people of course, but the focus of Splendid was Winston, and Clementine, although mentioned often, was relegated to a ceremonial role or was "in her room with a bad cold" or something.

Overall, if you like historical fiction about WWII and the Churchills, you should like this book.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would, but I imagine it would be great for people who don't know much about Mrs. Winston Churchill and are wanting to learn more.

This author was highly recommended to me by a friend so I was not surprised how much I loved this book. I was immediately drawn into Clementine's story and her relationship with Winston. Their relationship was complex and the narrative was told in such a way that it did not feel like historical fiction. I must admit that I knew little about Clementine before I started this book, and can tell that the author did a lot of research into the relationship between the Churchill's and their families, the history of England during their years together and the World Wars. I am definitely a fan of Ms. Benedict's writing and can't wait to read more of her books.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Unfortunately I didn't get around reading this book title before the publication date. My apologies for this!

I'm not a great fan of historical fiction, but I am fascinated by Lady Clementine, especially after watching the film THREE times (loved Kristen Scott Thomas as Clementine). BUT I cannot read a fictionalized life thereof which is written in the first person present tense. I greatly appreciate the ARC, but this stylistic choice takes me right out of the narrative.

#partner #netgalley | Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict | I have to admit, I’ve become so tired of the generic WWII novel, which has been circling about for more than a few years now. When I saw this book my initial reaction was - oh no not another one. What an unexpected surprise to find this was a completely new viewpoint on not just WWI and WWII, but also what it is like to live married to the formidable personality of Winston Churchill.

I knew absolutely nothing about Clementine Churchill, and honestly, I had no idea Winston Churchill even had a wife and family (with 5 kids!). Marie Benedict’s version of Clementine grows up from an ambitious young woman to a lost, stressed mother (wow could I relate at times), to a fierce advocate for British women throughout the country. Her story was delicately told, helping one understand the breaks she took from her children in a gentle way, and the unbelievable pressures she endured throughout her life. I’m so surprised and honestly disappointed I knew nothing about her before this book. But that happens so often to women throughout history. I need to pay better attention moving forward.

I loved this book and am so happy to find an author who writes about strong women whose stories are rarely known. Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for a chance to read this ARC. I’m really looking forward to reading Marie Benedict’s backlist.
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I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't as engrossing as I thought it would be. Lady Clementine Churchill was definitely "the power behind the throne"; she acted as her husband's sounding board and really threw herself into his political career. She was an advocate for women during WWII and encouraged women to take jobs that would normally be considered for men only.
Unfortunately, she had a hard time being a mother and it affected her children in negative and tragic ways.

I recommend this book for historical fiction readers.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about the woman behind the man, Winston Churchill. What a story! Though it's fictional, I enjoyed "getting to know" this woman in this way. It's easy to forget that others were involved in a famous or prominent person's life. In this story, Clementine Churchill took every step with her husband and this book showed so many aspects of the relationship between the duo: marriage, politics, and even the endurance necessary to achieve their perspective goals. I enjoyed this one.

I was excited to read this book after reading Clementine by Sonia Purcell. I found Marie Benedict’s portrayal of Mrs. Churchill to be very unconvincing. I found to be very self-centered and paranoid. I also did not believe that she was the mastermind in the Churchilll family. Lady Churchill was an interesting figure, but she did not make any accomplishments that Marie Benedict’s credits her. This was a fun novel, but was misleading. I advise readers to read the biography of Clementine first before reading this novel.

Marie Benedict seems to be gathering, one by one, some of the strongest women who ever lived to tell their stories. Lady Clementine (rhymes with Josephine) is her latest historical fiction that tells the story of the woman behind the man, in this case, Winston Churchill.

Clemmie was more than just a wife. She was her husband’s partner in all ways. The burden of her job as supportive wife came at a high cost: her nerves were often shattered, and she could not be the mother she wanted to be when having to fulfill the needs of her husband, most especially during two world wars.

She was so ambitious that she might have been the prime minister of England herself had she been born in a different time. Much like American first ladies have their niche while in the White House, Clementine found her own ways to be supportive of her husband’s mission. During WW II, for example, she completely reformed the nasty air raid shelters into something more hygienic and safer for those who needed shelter for as much as 14 hours a day from the bombings.

Marie Benedict’s subjects don’t always interest me, but her writing draws me in each time. While I tire of world war books, I found a different perspective of the war from one who lived through it.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting May 1, 2020.

I’d like to thank Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I had no idea the power and influence that Clementine Churchill had with Winston Churchill and the world until reading this book. This is a well written historical fiction that kept me wanting to get through my work day so I could read more, learn more, about this amazing woman. More good books like this need to be written about women in our history.

Going into this novel, I had read the synopsis so long ago that I really had no clue what it was about. Once I got into it and realized the story followed Winston Churchill's wife I was very intrigued. I love wartime history, and I have watched the Crown on Netflix, but I don't really know much about Winston Churchill aside from his major part in WWII. Taking this angle into the war and this incredibly layered period in history was definitely interesting. I do recommend this for historical fiction fans, though I will say it's a bit dry and more informational rather than the whirlwind romances that you may find in other WWII novels.

I should start off by saying that my 3-star rating is simply that. This was an average book for me, but I wish I had enjoyed it a bit more. I pushed through it by listening to the audiobook, but that's not to say I disliked it really. I enjoyed the educational aspects and the new things I learned about the life of the Churchills through the end of WWII, but I was hoping for a bit more of an exciting story I think. It didn't help that Clementine Churchill was a completely disinterested mother who at times cared more about her husband's career than whether her children ever interacted with her. It's strange to read from the perspective of a woman who is so disconnected from her children.

That said, the things Clementine did while her husband was the face of the British government really are fascinating. I had no idea just how much the wife of the most famous British Prime Minister did behind the scenes with little to no recognition, and that's where I really place the value of this novel. It's not often we get a heroine in a novel who is based on a real, prominent historical figure, a true unsung hero. And it seems Clementine Churchill is just that. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may want to read about it and discover these things for themselves, but I will say I can definitely appreciate her dedication and hard work in such dire circumstances, standing by the British people no matter what hurdles were placed in her way.

Lady Clementine
Marie Benedict
3.5 stars (rounded up)
Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict is the story of Clementine Churchill, the wife of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. This is historical fiction at its finest! I knew nothing about Clementine Churchill before reading Lady Clementine. What a woman! I was impressed throughout this book by Mrs. Churchill’s political mind. She knew how to encourage and support her husband, yet she was in no way inferior to her husband. As this story tells, Mrs. Churchill was a key figure in all of Winston Churchill’s political aspirations, hosting many world leaders through major world events. I would like to read more about Mrs. Churchill to discover how much of this part of the story is historically accurate. I also loved reading about Churchill’s war rooms during WWII as I was able to visit them myself a few years ago. But Ms. Benedict also portrayed Clementine Churchill in an honest way. She perhaps was not the best mother, opting to put the ambitions of her husband, as well as her own needs above those of her children who suffered in various ways because of her decisions.
I enjoyed Lady Clementine. I always love learning about figures from history who I had no knowledge of previously. This was a very comprehensive look into the life of Clementine Churchill, and also provides more insight into Winston as well.
Thank you to the publisher and #Netgalley for the advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a review. #LadyClementine

Marie Benedict's latest book is fantastic! Unlike her famous husband, Clementine Churchill has not been dissected to the nth degree. Clementine was a force to be reckoned with in her own right and I am so glad that Ms. Benedict chose Clementine's life to delve into. What a fascinating and remarkable woman!

I enjoyed The Only Woman in the Room and was excited for the newest novel by Mrs. Benedict. Admittedly, the first third of this book felt a little slow but it becomes much more interesting during the WWII period. I enjoyed learning more about Clementine Churchill and the fascinating impact she had on England and her husband.

Thank you for a digital ARC, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley!

Interesting perspective from another side of history. It's funny so much is written about American first ladies, but not much about the wives of Britain's Prime Ministers. Lady Clementine was eye opening into the women who loved, and endured, Winston Churchill. Although this was slow to get started, I enjoyed the writing style and story!

This was a fascinating historical fiction book about a woman that I was mostly unfamiliar with! I found myself a bit drawn out of the story at times due to Marie Benedict's writing style, but I believe this is a personal issue since I have had similar issues with her past books. That does not, however, take away from her great characterization and intricately drawn lives of her characters and the plot. Definitely a book that I will be recommending to others!

Marie Benedict brings the independent and feisty Clementine Churchill to life in this lovely epic novel. Surprisingly, although Clementine was aristocratic, she came from a very troubled background and she had to work for a living, as well as cope with strange parents and early family tragedies. This probably gave her the strength to become Winston Churchill's 'rock,' and help her handle his constant demands on her and exceedingly dominant personality.



Benedict captures the significance of the historical times, and makes readers aware of quite what an admirable woman Clementine Churchill really was. For example, during the Second World War, she would tour bombed-out sites practically every night, and she made it her mission to make air-raid shelters more comfortable, as well as doing a lot of other war work. I was imagining Kristin Scott-Thomas in the movie about Clementine, instead of Winston, while reading this book!



It's certainly an inspiring and enjoyable book to read during these extremely stressful times. I look forward to reading Marie Benedict's other books.



I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.