I wanted to read this book ever since I read that Susan Wittig Albert was writing a book about Dwight Eisenhower and Kay Summersby. I have previously read Loving Eleanor and A Wilder Rose by the author and I love how she can write about real life people and making them come alive and I'm happy to say that she has once again managed to do that with The General's Women.

It's not only the people that she manages to portray in an authentic way, Wittig Albert has a knack for writing about the time and milieu that makes it feel like you are both learning more about the period at the same time you are enjoying the story. In The General's Women is the focus heavy on WW2 and I loved reading this book because not only did I get a vivid description of the people of the time, but I also got to follow the war from a close perspective as Kay Summersby followed Ike to North Africa.

This book is not heavy on the romance. Sure there are special moments between Ike and Key in the book, but it's not a saccharine kind of romance. I mean Key was not at all pleased when she first had to drive Ike, he was only a two-star general and Ike in return was displeased with her being late to pick him up with the car (all because she had to eat). But, then as the story progressed one could see how they started to warm up to each other. I like that Wittig Albert also included Mamie's POV, and I found it interesting to learn more about her, her devotion to Ike and her jealousy towards women in his life.

The General's Women is an engrossing book to read and I loved reading about Dwight Eisenhower and Kay Summersby. I think the best romance stories are the ones that are real and I do have a weakness for doomed romances.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

Susan Wittig Albert seems to have moved from her herbal mysteries to historical fiction and appears to be doing a good job in this new genre. I downloaded this audio book after reading Ike & Kay because it appeared that this book was going to give the reader a fuller picture not only of Eisenhower’s relationship with Kay Somersby, but also with his wife, Mamie.

Although it’s never been definitively proven whether or not Ike consummated his relationship with Kay, the author clearly believes that he did, and so do I. It’s inconceivable that a man of Eisenhower’s rank and global stature would be impotent (and yes, yes, I know this is possible. I just don’t believe it.). He’s portrayed as a warm and caring man who eventually made his choice of career/ambition over what, perhaps, were the true feelings in his heart.

Kay is not naïve, but falls into the all too familiar trap of choosing to believe what is being promised however unrealistic those promises seem to people less smitten with love.

Mamie is a very silly woman. She’s the spoiled daughter of wealthy parents who never grew up and chooses to languish as a semi-invalid because she is “delicate.” She’s like a 19th century character who is always unwell, but in the end, ends up outliving all the other main players.

This book makes me want to venture into the non-fiction shelves at the library and read about what made these people really tick. ( )

The story of Kay Summersby's relationship with General Dwight Eisenhower during World War II has been something often whispered about, but rarely spoken of openly, so it is nice to see Susan Wittig Albert treat her subject with both compassion and affection.

Kay Summersby was coming off a very bad marriage when she was assigned to be the driver for the new American general who was quickly moving up in rank and who was destined to be the Supreme Commander for the Allied forces in the European theater. Eisenhower comes to rely on her driving skills, her cool head in the midst of danger, her quick wit and her good looks. The close quarters of the general's command staff, coupled the pressures of wartime, and the inevitable happened.

While the author is sympathetic to Ike and Summersby, she does not have much sympathy for the hapless Mamie waiting at home. She is portrayed as a vain, selfish, and not too bright woman who would have been dumped if not for the command staff at the Pentagon intervening.

Well researched and written in a breezy style, this was a fun (and informative) read. ( )

The latest historical fiction novel by Susan Wittig Albert, The General's Women focuses on the triangle of World War II General Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower while overseas, his wife Mamie back home in the States, and Ike's British volunteer driver and aide, Kay Summersby.

The story is told from all three characters' viewpoints. Mamie comes off the worst of the three, sounding like a rather vapid, jealous belle. But then, she was a low-key Army wife and First Lady.

Albert's portrayal of Ike and Kay and their romance is far more interesting, and it's obvious she has done a lot of research. In a "biographical epilogue," she switches to third-person nonfiction, documenting Kay's postwar life, complete with endnotes. There's also an author's note, highlighting the differences between the novel, the "official" record, and Summersby's two memoirs. This note also has endnotes, and there is a further reading section. How the romance was hidden, after the fact, is almost more interesting than reading about the romance itself.

© Amanda Pape - 2017

[I purchased this book from the author.] ( )

This book was sent to me by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) via NetGalley. Thank you.

The General’s Women is the story of General Dwight Eisenhower’s love affair with his chauffeur Kay Summersby during the height of World War Two. The other woman was his wife Mamie. This is a thoughtful, unsensational novel which examines the stress Ike was under as he led the Allied forces and how Kay helped him cope. The sexual aspect of their affair was secondary to the deep empathy they felt for each other because of the events each had to live through.

Before becoming Ike’s driver in London, Kay drove an ambulance during the worst periods of the Blitz. She had to deal with transporting the severely injured and dying patients to hospitals so she understood his feelings about sending young men to their deaths. She also understood that Ike needed an escape valve and short intervals when he could unwind and try to recharge before the next decision had to be made. So it was Kay who realized that the pomp of the other commanders was not Ike’s style. He disliked his living quarters in the mansions of the nobility so Kay found the small cottage not far from Allied Headquarters where he and his personal staff, including Kay, could retreat for the weekends and play cards, ride horses, and generally unwind. She steadied him.

Mamie was living stateside. She could have, but did not, join her husband in England. She had been diagnosed with a heart problem and used this reason to remain in America. Here she had her coteries of friends who could support her. The author is critical of the future First Lady stressing her overindulgences. Mamie slept until noon, never cooked or kept house, and used her delicate health to avoid flying or traveling with her husband. She was not interested in his day-to-day activities and emphatically told him that the “generaling” stopped at the front door and she would have no discussion of his work in the house. Later, when Ike was President she visited him in the Oval Office less than ten times in eight years. Ironically, she outlived both her husband and the other woman

The Eisenhower/Summersby relationship was doomed. In another time, Ike could have divorced Mamie and married the woman he cared for. But not in the 1940’s or even the 1950’s.

Albert presents a very sympathetic view of the main characters. There are no villains, just people trying to find some balance in chaos. These were mature adults (Kay was in her mid thirties and Ike seventeen years older). It was an interlude that had to end and it did. Ike went back to Mamie and Kay married. They had little contact after the war and only now, seventy years after the end of their affair, can it be viewed without judgment. ( )