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Title details for Kingmaker by Sonia Purnell - Wait list

Kingmaker

Pamela Harriman's Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue

by Sonia Purnell
Louise Brealey
Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
0 of 2 copies available
Wait time: About 24 weeks
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0 of 2 copies available
Wait time: About 24 weeks
From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, an electrifying re-examination of one of the 20th century’s greatest unsung power players
When Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were predictably scathing – and many were downright sexist. Written off as a mere courtesan and social climber, her true legacy was overshadowed by a glamorous social life and her infamous erotic adventures. Much of what she did behind the scenes – on both sides of the Atlantic - remained invisible and secret. That is, until now: with a wealth of fresh research, interviews and newly discovered sources, Sonia Purnell unveils for the first time the full, spectacular story of how she left an indelible mark on the world today.
At age 20 Churchill’s beloved daughter-in-law became a “secret weapon” during World War II, strategically wining, dining, and seducing diplomats and generals to help win over American sentiment (and secrets) to the British cause against Hitler. After the war, she helped to transform Fiat heir Gianni Agnelli into Italy’s ‘uncrowned king’ on the international stage and after moving to the US brought a struggling Democratic party back to life, hand-picking Bill Clinton from obscurity and vaulting him to the presidency.
Picked as Ambassador to France, she deployed her legendary subtle powers to charm world leaders and help efforts to bring peace to Bosnia, playing her part in what was arguably the high-water mark of American global supremacy.
There are few at any time who have operated as close to the center of power over five decades and two continents, and there is practically no one in 20th Century politics, culture, and fashion whose lives she did not touch, including the Kennedys, Truman Capote, Aly Khan, Kay Graham, Gloria Steinem, Ed Murrow, and Frank Sinatra. Written with the novelistic richness and investigative rigor that only Sonia Purnell could bring to this story full of sex, politics, yachts, palaces and fabulous clothes, KINGMAKER re-asserts Harriman’s rightful place at the heart of history.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of Pamela Harriman's life through images.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 17, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593912416
      • File size: 488790 KB
      • Duration: 16:58:18

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Two new audiobooks--THE STALIN AFFAIR and now this full biography--present a fresh, sympathetic view of one of the last century's most intriguing and maligned figures, Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman. She was the daughter-in-law of Winston Churchill, the widow of the astronomically wealthy Averill Harriman, the lover of a legion of powerful men, the patron to a generation of liberal politicians--and arguably, says this author, "the most powerful courtesan in history." Judgments may vary, but what a life beautiful, smart, adventuresome Pamela Digby made for herself. Narrator Louise Brealey's high pitch might sound harsh to some ears, but she keeps up a brisk pace and delivers her narration without frills or melodrama. The result is interesting, to say the least. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      March 1, 2025

      Award-winning journalist Purnell's latest Churchill family biography (following Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill) about English political activist and diplomat Pamela Harriman is triumphantly delivered by narrator Louise Brealey. While Harriman has often been overlooked or dismissed as little more than a courtesan, Purnell reveals her to have been a powerful political actor. Harriman married Winston Churchill's son Randolph when she was 19; overwhelmed by his gambling, drinking, and adulterous affairs, she divorced him six years later. During WWII, she was instrumental in gathering intelligence during state events and dinners and through targeted romantic engagements. In 1959, she married Broadway producer Leland Hayward, who died in 1971. After she lost her third husband, emissary Averell Harriman, to cancer, her worldly experiences gave her the confidence to speak at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in favor of the Mondale-Ferraro ticket. Nearly a decade later, she helped broker an end to the conflict in Bosnia. VERDICT Purnell's relatable biography of a little-understood stateswoman and political influencer is illuminating and remains highly relevant, though nearly three decades have passed since her death. This vigorous account is recommended for fans of Purnell's Clementine.--Sharon Sherman

      Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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