That Churchill Woman

October 8, 2018
This finely researched, sumptuous novel from Barron (The Jane Austen Mysteries) follows the journey of American heiress Jennie Jerome, mother of Winston Churchill. Socialite Jennie marries Lord Randolph Spencer-Churchill at age 20 and almost immediately becomes one of British society’s most talked-about beauties. Despite their shared passion for politics and Jennie’s staunch belief in Randolph’s ability to shape Britain’s future, it’s clear that Randolph’s sexual appetites don’t include Jennie—or any other woman, she begins to fear. In a society where homosexuality and divorce are taboo, and affairs are commonplace, Jennie falls for Charles Kinsky, an Austrian count and diplomat. Far from a fling, Jennie and Charles’s love spans decades and weathers multiple stops and starts. Yet despite its powerful romanticism and eroticism, their relationship is complex and realistic. Barron’s commitment to detail and scope allows for illuminating flashbacks and references to actual family letters, which serve to flesh out Jennie’s story with realism and empathy. Though set in a world of transatlantic Victorian splendor, the story is more concerned with the harrowing aspects of the era—war, social ostracism, classism, and the sad state of public health. Presenting a fiercely intelligent, independent version of Jennie, this satisfying book actively pushes back against her historical reputation as a scandalous woman to great, consuming effect.

November 15, 2018
Jennie Jerome made a place for herself in history, rising through the British aristocracy via marriage and breaking social norms with her vivacious personality, fierce independence, and sexual escapades. And then she had a son, Winston Churchill.Born into an elite New York family, Jennie travels to England in 1873 as a striking 19-year-old and proceeds to attract admiration from men of all stripes. She matches flirtatious chatter easily but is most intrigued by Lord Randolph Spencer-Churchill and his stimulating intellectual conversation. After their impulsive marriage, she rises into high society as Randolph enters Parliament. We first meet the adult Jennie at a function at Sandringham. The men, including the Prince of Wales, vie for the honor of seating her at the table, but handsome Count Charles Kinsky makes sure she sits by him and thus begins a flirtation that morphs into more. Barron paints a picture of a beautiful woman with enough determination and animal magnetism to get what she wants, which is her husband's (and later, her son's) rise in politics...and the affections of men. Through the narrative, readers will see Jennie, watch her every move, and yet, maybe, not care very much. There is a subtle something lacking that leaves readers as spectators of, rather than vicarious participants in, Jennie's life.The story lacks forward momentum other than the passage of time, but the characters are captivating.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2018
Barron, author of the Jane Austen mysteries (Jane and the Waterloo Map, 2016) turns her able hand to biographical fiction in this absorbing volume that captures the life and charm of one of the American heiresses who crossed the Atlantic to catch a titled English husband in the late nineteenth century. Lady Randolph Churchill, n�e Jennie Jerome, was a wealthy and privileged American, her father's indulged favorite, when she married the second son of a duke with a brilliant political career ahead of him. She went on to rise in aristocratic Victorian society, to the delight of some and horror of others, and give birth to future prime minister Winston Churchill, maintaining appearances as a society matron while living a modern and independent life of her own making, complete with passionate liaisons and artistic pursuits. She wrote speeches for her husband, entertained his parliamentary colleagues in her home, and parented his sons while he shaped England and traveled for his health after his political career ended. Recommended for fans of Victorian England, Gilded Age New York, historical fiction populated with real people, and high society.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 15, 2018

Most people know that Winston Churchill's mother, Jennie Jerome, was an American who married a British lord, but there's much more to Lady Randolph Churchill than her talent for painting and that she had a famous son. Historical mystery and suspense author Barron ("Jane Austen Mystery" series; A Flaw in the Blood), who also writes espionage fiction as Francine Mathews, vividly portrays Jennie against the backdrop of the Gilded Age--glamorous aspects and the strict societal mores that constrained the upper classes of the time, especially women. Scandal, notoriety, and passionate affairs may have been the hallmarks of Jennie's life, but this novel shows her as a modern woman before her time: politically in tune, faithful in her own way, and a loving if distant mother. VERDICT Fans of historical fiction based on famous women, such as Paula McLain's The Paris Wife, will enjoy getting the inside story on Lady Randolph Churchill, the smart, politically savvy, independent-minded American mother of the not-yet-famous Winston. Sure to be a book club favorite.--Laurie Cavanaugh, Thayer P.L., Braintree, MA

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.