I got bogged down in this one. Some biographies are easy to read, but this one seemed to drag on. I might not have been the correct audience for this one.

I'm not sure that "mysterious" is the right adjective to describe Pat Nixon. Pat Nixon: The Untold Story was published almost 40 years ago. Also, unless my math is off, I don't think Heath Hardage Lee is old enough to have conducted all of the interviews with Pat Nixon's friends herself. (I may be at a disadvantage here, having listened to the audiobook, which does not have a bibliography.) That means that pretty much the entirety of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady was culled from existing sources. Maybe "mysterious" in that Pat didn't really like the whole country being up in her private business. Maybe "mysterious" in that what so many believed about her "plastic Pat" persona was untrue. Certainly not "mysterious" in terms of being difficult or impossible to understand, explain, or identify. You just had to take the time to look at the already available sources.

I won't quibble any more over the title. Heath Hardage Lee did a fine job of expanding Julie Nixon Eisenhower's earlier work with the benefit of being a neutral party (i.e., not a member of the family). Also, any new release will re-focus a long absent spotlight. Without getting too political, it really is amazing to read, in 2024, about the 1972 Republican Convention in contrast to today.

Jane Oppenheimer's narration was excellent. Her tone of voice was absolutely perfect for the subject material: warm and maturely feminine, a classy voice.

Now, my two quibbles. One is the inescapable: Dick's failings. I'm not just talking about Watergate, either. I've read The Mafia's President: Nixon and the Mob, and I kept waiting for Heath Hardage Lee to make some allusion to what Pat knew/suspected. Maybe the historical record is void to the point where Heath Hardage Lee didn't feel comfortable bringing it up. But, come on, you don't go from the "we're no richer than anyone else" Checkers speech to redecorating a swanky New York co-op in just a handful of years without pausing to double-check where the money is coming from!

"Dick, honey," Pat calls from the other room.

"Yes, darling?"

"Are you sure we can afford this?"

Dick coughs, mumbling slightly, "yes-- yes. We're good."

Pat pauses. Silent, her eyes move as she makes the mental calculations. "Well," she answers briskly, "all righty, then!"

Surely, something at least akin to this must have gone down. With Watergate, Heath Hardage Lee states that Pat had learned not to press Dick too much on certain issues, to just quietly accept that he had it all under control on his end. I'm certain that her knowledge of his Mafia ties was at least similar. It was worthy of a passing reference at least is all I'm saying.

My second quibble is more personal. It pertains to the widely circulated rumor that Pat drank greater than her usual amounts of alcohol during Watergate. So there is ample evidence that she didn't-- that's super! Bully for her! But, speaking on behalf of the millions of Americans with alcohol use disorder, there would be no shame if she had. In fact, Heath Hardage Lee's pounding insistence of Pat's sobriety, along with such comments about how Pat didn't need "crutches," is actually detrimental to the health of those with alcohol use disorder. I would like to take a moment to reference the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's work. Please familiarize yourself with Stigma: Overcoming a Pervasive Barrier to Optimal Care https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-prof... It would've been far kinder to simply state something along the lines of "There were widely circulated rumors that Pat drank greater than her usual amounts of alcohol during Watergate. There is ample evidence that these rumors are simply that." Based on what I learned about Pat from The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady, I don't think she would want anyone to feel bad about themselves to the point where they delay healthcare.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.

I would rate this 4.5 out of 5 stars

I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book.

Summary: This book is a biographical work examining the life of Pat Nixon. It details her early childhood and romance with Richard Nixon, while also looking at her impact as First Lady.

Thoughts: Political biographies are difficult to write without getting weighed down in discussing the political viewpoints of the subject. Hardage Lee did a great job discussing Pat Nixon from a holistic and nuanced angle. I particularly appreciated that although she was married to a man who held a powerful position she was always the central focus of the work. Before reading this book I knew absolutely nothing about Pat Nixon and Hardage Lee provided an intimate portrait by vividly portraying the life of the subject without value judgments which I particularly liked.

My favourite part of this book was the description of Pat and Richard's romance and marriage. I always find it particularly interesting how the women of influential men come into their lives and it was fascinating to read that Pat was highly opinionated and that it was Richard who pursued her. I do wish that there had been a little more discussion regarding the impact on their marriage after Watergate. Hardage Lee does discuss this period in the book and mentions the emotional impact that the events had on them as individuals, but it felt like a bit of detail was missing about the impact it had on their marriage.

I also enjoyed the anecdotes from her friends throughout the book. They helped to highlight who she was outside of what the political press framed her to be and provided context for many of the events throughout her life. Particularly her early life when she was helping to take care of her family and then when she was finally able to attend school.

I would recommend this book to any history lover or anyone with an interest in important female political figures. It is well-written and incredibly interesting.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and War

I went into this book blind. I knew nothing about Pat Nixon, nor much about her husband and his presidency. I vaguely know about Watergate and Nixon’s famous quote, but that is the end of my knowledge regarding the Nixons. I felt this book would give me some good history and help deepen my knowledge about the Nixons.

This book was well written and provided detailed insight into the former First Lady. I truly enjoyed this insightful book that helped me learn more about Pat Nixon. The narrator was perfect for this book, as I felt she delivered the story in a way that made me feel connected to the history that I was learning.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

A MUST READ!

The only thing I’m mad about is not knowing a thing about her sooner. What an incredible woman. I’m still floored by all the firsts that revolved around this former First Lady.

She was a working class girl who grew into a woman with continued working class values. She was a woman for the middle class. She opened herself up to different cultures and she treated the White House as history to be shared with its countrymen and women and children.

I found her relationship with her husband to be a fortunate one for the times. He fully embraced her views and supported her having a platform, encouraged it even. I honestly always saw Pres. Nixon as the clown and snake he’s always been portrayed as to me but this really humanized him as a devoted husband, father and proud citizen who was involved in a major mistake and his biggest regret? That his wife didn’t get the proper send off she should have for all she did during his term prior to his resignation. It seems he forever felt so much guilt for this.

If you’re someone thinking over the qualities you’d like in a leader, read all about Pat in this incredible novel. I’m just in awe…

Absolutely fantastic!!

I never really gave much thought to Pat Nixon [shame on me; lesson learned] beyond how sad I was for her that she was married to Richard Nixon [someone else I have also done a huge disservice to and will seek to correct that when possible] and that she had to deal with the scandal seemingly alone. Beyond that, she was just someone in history; how much I have missed in ignoring this amazing woman and her truly amazing, interesting, DEVOTED life [it was so interesting to see just how much she loved Richard and how she realized he was only human and how easy it was to stand by him and support him and love him throughout it all]. Never have I been so glad to have gotten the opportunity to read a book that has taught me [once again] how wrong it is to assume ANYTHING about ANYONE and how much there is to learn about the people we THINK we know.

Told from Pat's childhood on, this is a deeply researched [the acknowledgements at the end show just how much went into the research [the people this author got to speak to is nothing short of amazing] and writing of this book - I am still very much in awe], extremely detailed deep-dice into what was Pat Ryan Nixon's life and it quite the ride. I was never bored, never distracted, and always sad when it was time to move on to another book [this happens when you read 4 books at once LOL]. Mrs. Nixon's life was so rich in experiences and life lessons and I was amazed over and over again by what I learned about her and her life before *AND* after the White House [the work that she did IN the White House is an eye-opening part of the book and I was constantly in awe of all the amazing things she accomplished and established; there were things I thought had always been in place and learned that it was truly Mrs. Nixon's work instead].

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good biography [you'll be in luck because this is a GREAT biography] or history, or just love learning about amazing, strong women and their place in our rich history.

Jane Oppenheimer is a new-to-me narrator, but I certainly hope this isn't the last time I get to listen to her narration. She does an excellent job narrating this book and made a brilliant read even more enjoyable. I highly recommend listening to this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Heath Hardage Lee, Jane Oppenheimer - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing both the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

I alternated between the audiobook and the hardcover and thoroughly enjoyed both. This is a well written and extensively researched portrait of a woman who was at times misrepresented and misunderstood. She had a quite challenging childhood and managed to achieve a great deal through hard work and sheer force of will. I was very interested to learn of the impact she had on getting more women appointed to high positions in the federal government and her insight and ability in various matters of foreign diplomacy. The narrator was a very good fit for this book, which is not always the case with lengthy works of nonfiction.

I went into this book not knowing anything about Pat Nixon and having very little knowledge of the Nixon presidential era other than Watergate and the notorious “I am not a crook” statement. I was interested to learn about the former First Lady and let me just say that this book does a fabulous job of not only providing a well written and detailed account of Pat Nixon throughout her life, but of her influence in her husband’s politics. It also opened my eyes to the many pieces of Nixon’s presidency that I was not previously aware.

A woman before her time - a first wave feminist, forced to work and care for her family as a young woman, shaping her worldview and progressive perspectives. As a wife, she dove head first into supporting her husband’s military and political careers and raising their children, putting herself last and giving her all to the campaigning, support, and the FLOTUS projects - hers related to various charitable organizations.

This book is well written, well organized, and very informative. It gave me insight into a much larger piece of political history than I had expected. The narrator does a wonderful job as well (though I had to listen at a minimum of 2x speed, which is probably a me problem…)

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heath Hardage Lee’s The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon delves into the life of America’s most private public person Thelma Catherine “Pat” Nixon. While she possessed a unique personality and impressive record of accomplishments, her priorities were her daughters and her duty to her country. In The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon Hardage Lee reexamines the least known and most misunderstood first lady in American history and solves the mystery by restoring Pat to her rightful place as a strong woman contending for women’s rights at the core of American power and influence. A masterpiece!

I thought The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon was an interesting and well-done biography, though there were certainly aspects of Pat Nixon that remained "mysterious" to me to the end. This is not the fault of the author, but the very fact that Mrs. Nixon was a private woman living through experiences that she wished to keep private. I appreciated learning more about the early part of Mrs. Nixon's life, and especially the early phases of her "courtship" and marriage. The picture that is pained of Richard is definitely a contrast to the way I've always viewed him, and that glimpse into his humanity - indeed, a very tender side - was unexpected and interesting. In terms of narration, this is one that I speeded up to 1.4, but found it quite understandable and not at all irritating at that speed. I can't quite imagine listening to it at 1.0, though.

Enjoyed this read overall, though I'm not sure it fully accomplished what it set out to, which is presumably to demystify this particular former first lady.

It started out strong and I found the initial parts of talking about her early life and how she came to be who she was (a strong, independent woman) interesting, especially for the time in which she grew up. Her part in Nixon's political life pre-president was also illuminating and documented the struggle between the life she preferred and supporting her husband. The book did okay at delving into her life as first lady, but I felt that part was the least effective -- focusing more on her outward activities than a continued look at her internal feelings and conflicts.

I also haven't done much reading on Nixon as yet, so I felt like this was a decent introduction to the president himself though it did feel like a fairly glossy description of him and some of his presidential activities. I wonder if I would feel differently (either positive or negative) about the book if I had more of a background on Nixon's presidency.

Appreciate the opportunity to listen and give feedback!

An educational and in-depth look at a first lady that does not get much attention. I enjoyed listening to this book about her and President Nixon's life through several campaigns, the presidency, and his downfall.

I cannot, for the life of me, understand why the word “mysterious” was used in the title. It’s misleading seeing as how there’s nothing mysterious about this lady.

There are definitely points of interest; Pat Dixon’s contrast with Jackie Kennedy, her adamantly pro-woman stance, her then-innovative approach to being a productive First Lady opposed to performative like Mrs. Eisenhower. However, outside of key moments in history there really was no there there. Without Richard Nixon this book would have been a lot shorter.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley.

The Mysterious Mrs Nixon
By: Heath Hardage Lee
Pub date: August 6, 2024
Publisher: MacMillian Audio
Narrator: Jane Oppenheimer

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This audio is so interesting! With press we know so much about Richard Nixon and his presidency and of course Watergate.

Politics aside, Pat Nixon was a multi-layered woman. She was compassionate, loved, and charmed many foreign leaders while supporting her husband and their family. I enjoyed finding out how they met and Richard courted her and was a true romantic.

One of the many stories told in this novel was her kindness towards Jackie Kennedy. She let Jackie Kennedy and her kids visit the White House with no press. Pat Nixon did not fear much and the courage she displayed was beyond measure in the toughest situations.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for this gifted copy.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book, and MacMillan Audio for the digital audiobook. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I knew nothing about Pat Nixon going into this book, other than the rather strained look on her face I’ve always seen in clips about her husband, Richard Nixon. Since so little was written about her in regards to her husband, little is known about her to my and subsequent generations. I was just a toddler when Nixon left office in disgrace, and Pat Nixon did not make public appearances after that.

I learned a bit about Mrs. Nixon: she was a child of The West, a Hollywood starlet, a woman so sure of herself when Richard Nixon came along, she made him drive her to her dates with other men! She was a good political wife, yet as the years passed, she wasn’t afraid to speak up about issues facing women. She supported the ERA movement, pushed her husband to put a woman on the Supreme Court, and was pro-choice. What does the modern Republican party think of that?

For all I gleaned about Pat Nixon in the book, I still feel a bit like she is still somewhat of a mystery. I applaud the author’s efforts to peel back the layers. The book is strongest in the beginning, and when Richard Nixon’s political career takes off, Pat’s story is a bit lost in the weeds. There are occasional nuggets of information sprinkled throughout Tricky Dick’s time in and out of office that still make the read/listen worthwhile.

I really liked the narrator of the audiobook, Jane Oppenheimer. I would listen to another audiobook with her again.

This book was just an okay read for me. Where it was highly informative it spent a lot of time discussing Richard Nixon's political career and her role in it instead of discussing Pat like I thought that the book would be about. The beginning of the book did in fact discuss Pat and her life but then after she married Richard and he started his political career it then shifted focus to that. I also was confused about her being a pioneer to the women's movement as I did not know that about her and it contradicts the current view of the Republican party. Overall this was just an okay book for me.