In hopes of producing an heir before going off to war, Winston Churchill's son decides to marry. He proposes to several young ladies. Pamela Digby, a naive 20 year old agrees. He husband is not great but the family she becomes a part of is, as Pamela Churchill she is introduced to a world of politics and influence. This is the beginning of her path to becoming Pamela Churchill Harriman, Washington hostess, power broker and French ambassador. It is a fascinating life story.

This was a fascinating and well-written book about a very interesting woman. I enjoyed it very much, and I think our patrons will, too.

This important reexamination of Pamela Harriman's life focuses less on the sensational and more on the invaluable contributions she made both during World War II in England and decades later as a leader in the Democratic party. While other accounts focus on her beauty and sexual exploits, this account acknowledges those but also illustrates the limited options available to most women of her era, especially the impoverished nobility in which she grew up.

While her first marriage to Randolph Churchill was disastrous, she became very close her in-laws, Winston and Clementine Churchill, and an invaluable advisor to the former. Anyone who seeks to slut-shame Pamela Churchill should acknowledge that none other than her father-in-law and prime minister of England whored her out.

All that aside, Pamela Harriman eventually honed her seduction skills to be far more than sexual. Her support of the Democratic party in the 1980s and 1990s produced at least two presidents--Bill Clinton, who appointed her ambassador of France (the position she held when she died) and Joe Biden, who she allowed to use her personal plane so he could attend her evening salons and still return to his children at night. And her contributions to establishing peace in the complex Balkans cannot be overstated. This is a must-read for anyone interested in mid-twentieth century history. #Kingmaker #NetGalley

Sonia Purnell's "Kingmaker" chronicles the complex and often controversial life of Pamela Churchill Harriman, a woman who rose from relative obscurity to become one of the most influential power players of the 20th century. For anyone familiar with Purnell’s previous works, including "A Woman of No Importance," her talent for bringing historical figures to life is evident once again in this deeply researched biography.

Pamela Harriman has often been remembered for her glamorous social life, string of high-profile lovers, and ability to manipulate power through charm and wit. But as Purnell points out, her contributions went far beyond mere social climbing. Behind closed doors, Pamela used her intelligence and political instincts to influence world events from World War II to the Clinton administration.

Purnell’s portrayal of Harriman strikes a delicate balance. On the one hand, she acknowledges the tabloid-worthy elements of Harriman’s life—her liaisons with diplomats and politicians and her lavish lifestyle funded by wealthy men. But Purnell goes deeper, uncovering how Harriman transformed herself from a privileged but directionless young woman into a true political force. Through her World War II efforts to sway American sentiment for the British cause, or her later hand in revitalizing the Democratic Party, Harriman’s behind-the-scenes impact is undeniable. At the same time, Purnell doesn’t excuse Harriman's reputation for burning bridges with family and friends once they had outlived their usefulness. The author also critically examines Harriman’s relationships with her son and her many stepchildren, most of whom felt abandoned or betrayed by her.

One of the most compelling aspects of "Kingmaker" is its examination of the sexist undertones in how history has treated Harriman. As the book highlights, men in similar positions of power have rarely been judged so harshly for their romantic exploits. Harriman’s sexual freedom, however, was often used to discredit her, rather than acknowledging her sharp political acumen. Ultimately, the book reclaims Harriman’s legacy as much more than a mere socialite. It's a compelling look at a flawed yet powerful woman whose influence spanned continents and decades. If you’re interested in political history or the untold stories of influential women, this biography is definitely worth your time.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

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A thorough historical look at an extraordinary woman's life. This biography really gave a good look (despite humble comments from the author that her research was limited by COVID restrictions) that seemed fair and balanced and is a journey through history from World War II to the Balkan war. This book was a great take on an indomitable woman who was able to make great contributions even with the gender restrictions of her time. Thoroughly engaging.

I was given an advance reading copy (arc) of this book by NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. Pamela Digby Churchill Harriman was groomed to be a rich man's wife. Unfortunately, for her she picked Randolph Churchill, the ne'er-do-well son of Winston. To ensure her place in the family, she had a son also named Winston. She ingratiated herself into the Churchill family and became one of their favorites. According to author Sonia Purnell, Harriman went on to sleep with a number of men in power as England found herself at war with Germany. Harriman then reported back to the elder Churchill with any secrets spilled in the boudoir. Supposedly, she did all of this for her country, but I find that hard to believe. Harriman often lived beyond her means and relied on rich men like Gianna Ignalli, principal shareholder of Fiat, to pay for her lavish lifestyle. After she married, Averill Harriman, she moved to Washington, D.C. where she became quite influential with U.S. politicians. Purnell went so far as to claim that Pamela Harriman single-handedly saved the Democratic Party--something else I find hard to believe. Intelligent, but not likeable, it seemed the 'friends' she made were only after the limelight she provided. Her own son was not close to her, but much like her, he also lived beyond his means and relied on his mother for financial support. The book was interesting, but the author put her on a pedestal and I found little to like about Pamela Harriman..

What a life Pamela Harriman had! I had heard of her as a sort of “character” in other people’s stories, such as Truman Capote, but didn’t really know much about her. I find it extraordinary how a very young woman could have played such a central role in the politics of World War II. In a time when women were very much of secondary importance, she found a way to use her youth, beauty and charm (and sexual openness) to become a very powerful individual. And this continued on throughout her life. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Viking and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I have read several other books in which Pamela Churchill Harriman was a character- both non fiction- Life of the Party, Haywire, and fiction, The Swans of Fifth Avenue and Answered Prayers, for example. I did not have a clear picture of her, but the picture I did have was not pretty- grasping, overly ambitious, and of loose morals. This book is a more well rounded picture of the woman, who wanted to make a difference in the political scene of her world. She is neither saint nor sinner, but somewhere in between. It gives more background to her activities in the US in the 80's and 90's, when she became a prominent member of the Democratic Party, and of President Clinton's inner circle. Ms. Purnell doews not stint on Pamela's background, and colorful past, but ties to put it into perspective as to the times ( World war 2), and circumstances(Winston Churchill , Prime Minister and Pamela's father in law, needed information , and needed help persuading America to enter the war). The book gives an in depth look at this woman, who was more than a party girl, or a rich man's mistress. She was smart and , in another time, could have been the Queen, rather than the Kingmaker.I really enjoyed ready this book, as it gave a new look at a topic.

I'd like to open this review with a stipulation. Men and women are not treated equally, especially in earlier times, when it comes to sexual conquests. Much of what I write from here can be rebutted with, "But what about the man in this situation?" Totally valid, but this is a biography of Pamela Harriman and she is the focus of the review. Inequity in attitudes of sexual exploits is hereby stipulated so let's get on with the review!

Kingmaker by Sonia Purnell is the biography of Pamela Harriman. If there is one thing everyone can agree on, it is that Harriman lived a hell of a life. You may call it a bad life, a good life, or somewhere in between, but she lived a lot. She was the daughter of an English baron, daughter-in-law of Winston Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill (I'm going to call him Winston the Younger for simplicity), and US ambassador to France. These are all facts and basically everything else is a lot murkier.

Ultimately, Purnell's treatment fell flat for me because of one major reason. Purnell far too often took the rosier view of Pamela in most cases and exaggerated her contributions in some egregious cases. Specifically, Purnell at one points seem to suggest that a picture of Pamela and Winston the younger had a major effect on whether Lend-Lease in World War II would move ahead. This is not an isolated incident and the reader is led to believe Harriman might be one of Churchill's most important assets in World War II. This is not in any way to question Purnell's work factually. Instead, I am merely questioning the level of causality in her conclusions. It probably did not help that much of her work in this book is shaded by new sources which are predominantly from Harriman herself in previously unavailable papers and interviews. Everyone is the hero of their own story.

Unfortunately, this made me wary of Purnell's judgement in the rest of the book as wave after wave of people who hate Harriman with a passion are dismissed or downplayed. She cut off friends and family as soon as they were no longer useful, she used people for money, and she actively would destroy marriages with zero compunction and regard for who would be hurt.

Here's the thing, I would still love to read a book about a person like this! However, I want the author to be as objective as possible. For example, I find FDR to be reprehensible as a person. He used people and discarded them with no remorse to a level only a sociopath could understand. However, as a politician he was masterful and books about that side of him always sell. I think a book which focused on how Pamela used soft power while acknowledging her myriad of personal failings would still be an excellent read without having to exaggerate her importance.

To give Purnell credit, she seems to figure this out towards the middle of the book. For example, Purnell is more willing to point out Harriman's failings as a mother without qualification. (Side note: It needs to be stated that Winston the Younger's father, Randolph Churchill SUUUUCKED.) My problem with the middle section of the narrative is that it began to read like a gossip column because Harriman's life was basically relationship to relationship. Seemingly all of these would end with a cadre of stepchildren who detested her for various reasons. Lawsuits would later abound.

By the time of Harriman's blossoming as a full-blown political power player in American politics, I found myself detached. I don't know how much her PamPAC actually accomplished, but I didn't fully trust Purnell not to inflate her importance. (Tangent: I was young when PamPAC was a thing so I wasn't immersed in politics. However, I vividly remember my father yelling every Sunday at the people on The McLaughlin Group and I never heard Harriman's name. Does that prove anything? Absolutely not. But it popped in my head and I wanted to share it because I thought you might like it.)

Whew, this is a long review for me. Let's end here. Purnell is a good writer and my dislike of this book comes down to the choice of perspective rather than ability. Purnell's previous book, A Woman of No Importance, is on my shelf and I am not dissuaded at all from reading that eventually. Pamela Harriman was hypocritically criticized for her sexual exploits. That doesn't mean she should be excused for her personal failings, though.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Viking Books.)

Kingmaker is a phenomenal historical book taking a look at a women who may not be talked about enough. Much like her book A Women of No Importance, Sonia Purnell allows readers to experience the story of an influential women who impacted world events and leaders.

Pamela Churchill Harriman had her hands in everything from WWII espionage to American presidential campaigns. Known for her sexual adventures, this glamorous socialite was behind the scenes pulling strings. I found Pamela to be an interesting and intriguing lady. I did grow a bit tired of the book repeatedly telling me how important she was. This was a bit off-putting and took away from her legacy. I think showing me Pamela’s life was enough, let me draw my own conclusions. Due to this criticism, 3 out of 5 stars.

I found this biography of Pamela Harriman to be a much more serious treatment than 1994's The Life of the Party, which was an unfair yellow-journalism type book. Every bit of gossip and scandal about the subject was included with not enough depth to be taken seriously. Kingmaker sets out to be detailed and fair. Pamela Harriman had a lot of flaws which primarily stemmed (I think) from a lack of love and support from her parents. Their only goal for her was to marry a wealthy man with a good pedigree. As a child and teen, Pamela was chunky...which was fatal for a debutante, in addition to her mother refusing to buy her anything with any style whatsoever. Failing to succeed as a deb, she married Randolph Churchill, Clementine's and Winston's son. Randolph was an absolute train wreck, an alcoholic who offended everyone he met, and who said openly he only married Pamela to give the Churchill family a son to carry on their genes. Needless to say, the marriage ended badly, and Pamela later married Leland Hayward, a very famous and successful Broadway and film producer. Through the Churchill family she gained political and social friends and contacts; marrying Hayward opened doors to innumerable celebrities connected with show business. Lastly, she married the extremely wealthy politician/diplomat, Averell Harriman who was significantly older than she was.
The primary accomplishment of this book is to tell the story of a woman who well-born to a duke and duchess but who had to scramble to create an interesting and powerful life by maximizing her intelligence and skills with people. She was reportedly helpful to Winston Churchill in behind-the-scenes diplomacy during WWII.
This book is long but for good reason...length is needed to do Pamela Harriman justice. I found the writing to be mostly graceful and the author certainly covered all the important bases.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I have recently read this book on Pamela Harriman and a book on Pat Nixon. I also just started a book on Carolyn Bessette. It strikes me that there is a common theme among these three books. All of the authors are looking to redeem maligned long dead female figures in the fresh light of the metoo movement. I believe this book is the most successful in the attempt because Pamela Harriman did the most work outside of the confines of her marriage. Like the other two books, I did feel that some of the praise was forced.

I wanted to read this book because I read Brooke Hayward's book, "Haywire" a long time ago. I really enjoyed it. At that time, I had never read of someone living the sort of lifestyle Averell Harriman and his wife had. I was fascinated by the maids, the mansion, and mainly the parties where invited guests would sleep over for several nights. Brooke Hayward hated her one time stepmother. I always doubted that anyone could be as horrible as the way Brooke portrayed Pamela. I wanted to read another side.

I discovered that Pamela was a person who enjoyed acquisition. She possessed jewelry, money, houses and many well known men. Many of these men were married to other women. Surprisingly, I found reading about Pam's life after she finally married Averell more interesting than her exploits during World War II. For me, the book was at it's most interesting when she finally got to marry Averell and promote his politics and herself, eventually becoming Ambassador to France under Bill Clinton.

Was Pamela as bad as her stepdaughter made her out to be? Even though this author is far more sympathetic to Pamela Digby, Churchill, Hayward, Harriman, there is much in the book that confirms her greed. I have no idea if Brooke's assessment is correct but, I think it would've been a hoot to have been invited over to have tea at the mansion or embassy with Pamela.

I want to thank author Sonia Purnell, publisher Penguin Viking, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC this new biography. I attest my review is original and unbiased.

Kingmaker is the biography of Pamela Churchill Harriman, a woman of modest beginnings who rose to prominence and stature as an astute politician, courtesan, and woman of intrigue before her quick and untimely death in 1997 while serving as Ambassador to France. Author Purnell has done an amazing job in gathering facts and research to tell her story.

Pamela Churchill Harriman came of age during the advent of World War II, and was not interested in becoming a housewife or mother. She wanted to be at the center of politics and power, and she used her skills, beauty, and her sexuality to ultimately achieve her desires. As the author details, Harriman had countless lovers who showered her with money and possessions.

Her first marriage, to Randolph Churchill, the son of the Prime Minister, put her in to the inner circle of the Churchill family, where by all accounts she was adored by Winston and his wife Clementine. Churchill used Pamela as a sounding board on some of the biggest decisions facing Great Britain at the beginning and throughout WWII. Randolph Churchill was an alcoholic, a womanizer, and a lousy husband. While they had one son together it was not enough to hold a marriage together and they eventually divorced.

From there the "Kingmaker" as she is called by the author proceeded to have numerous affairs/relationships with many famous men--some in entertainment (Frank Sinatra), some in politics (Averill Harriman, among others). She continued to hone her political skills. She amassed wealth and trust as a woman of substance who knew things and the right people you needed to know to solve problems.

Years later Pamela married Averill Harriman after the death of his first wife, Moving to the United States, she began a crusade to help the democratic party work to regain control of Congress and eventually the White House. PamPAC was created as a big money political action committee, and she lobbied and cajoled donors to raise millions of dollars to help secure several important senate races in the 1990 midterm elections. By 1992 she was a force behind getting Bill Clinton nominated and eventually elected as President.

It took a while but for her efforts Clinton awarded her the ambassadorship to France. She worked tirelessly in the role, outdoing what many took as simply a ceremonial role. She played a vital role in helping to bring the US and NATO in to the Bosnia-Serbian conflict in the early 1990s to end the genocide of ethnic cleansing.

Harriman's life was both amazing and tragic. By the end she was almost bankrupt due to bad investments and a set of poor financial and legal advisors. She was estranged from Harriman's children by his first marriage and often in conflict over the estate. The author speculates that stress is what eventually killed her when she suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage while swimming laps in a Paris pool.

The book is rich in detail, and history lovers will enjoy this book. I had heard of Harriman, but did not know or understand the important political roles she played on both sides of the Atlantic. Today there are many women in politics in all sorts of positions and responsibilities. No doubt Pamela Churchill Harriman paved the way for many of them to follow.

Kingmaker shines a new light on the story of Pamela Churchill Harriman and the times she lived through. Harriman has always been a tangential figure in other books I've read related to Churchill and the history of Britain and the United States during and after the Second World War. Sonia Purnell does a good job bringing Harriman to the forefront and keeping me engaged throughout the story about her vital role in various international and domestic negotiations. I wasn't as captivated by the author's writing style as other readers. Still, I enjoyed learning about the specifics of Harriman's life and her incredible influence on these important historical events. My complete enjoyment of this book might be lessened because I have read several books lately with a similar theme - a woman was behind it all.

I am a devotee of all things Pamela Harriman. I enjoyed reading this book, and the way it enlightened me about often neglected aspects of her accomplishments. The early part of the book was a wonderful journey into Pamela’s life and loves. I always find it amazing to see all her connections. Yes, she had multiple lovers, but each was influential in a broad sphere. Pamela herself served as a conduit between multiple 20th century leaders.

This unschooled English woman became internationally known for her lovers and wealth, but I admire the author for presenting a nuanced view of Pamela as an early internationalist.

From Randolph Churchill to Averill Harriman her lovers and husbands provide a backdrop that parallels most world events for 60 years. So, I enjoyed this book tremendously, but the author details all the political machinations of Pamela and her influence on America., which was not what I expected and honestly too much for me to absorb since I didn’t read this as a scholar.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read, review and learn from this detailed account of tge life of one of tge most extraordinary women of the century.

Kingmaker by Sonia Purnell is a much needed corrective to misogynistic treatment of Pamela Churchill Harriman's contributions to her father-in-law Winston Churchill and his circle during World War II as well as her many later positions in service of the United States government. The book is well researched and can be read as a primer on 20th-century history. Harriman used her particular tools of charisma, intelligence and sex appeal to help shape world events. Prior to Purnell's book, her accomplishments have been denigrated as those of a woman with loose moral standards and as having little or no real world consequences. Finally, we are able to see a woman acquire and wield power with finesse, determination and joy.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Group Viking for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is well-written and Pamela quite fascinating. I have read several biographies of Churchill and she always plays a tangential but intriguing part. Her pivotal involvement in world affairs - as an advisor to Churchill, go-between with US, and seemingly vital role in getting the US to support the allies in WWII, as the Ambassador to France - demonstrate her important official and unofficial international leadership positions. She was also a courtesan and loved men of wealth and power. The question of whether she was using them for her personal or professional ends is still unclear to me. She definitely was both loved and hated by those around her...family and friends/acquaintances.

Kingmaker casts new light on the story of Pamela Churchill, as well as about the times she lived through. I came away from this book with a greater understanding of the interconnectedness of people, beliefs, and events. Sonia Purnell was able to write this biography in a way that brought the specifics of an individual life into the greater lens of the societies and people she influenced. Kingmaker is both a deeply personal story and a social history of both Britain and the United States during and after the Second World War.