Synopses & Reviews
For the first time in paperback, the highly acclaimed, remarkably intimate, and surprisingly revealing secret diary of the woman who spent more private time with FDR than any other person during his years in the White house. At once a love story and a major contribution to history, it offers dramatic new insights into FDR—both the man and the president.
• Bestselling Author - Geoffrey C. Ward is an award-winning biographer of FDR and the bestselling coauthor of many books with Ken Burns, including The Civil War and Baseball.
• Widely acclaimed: “A fascinating, very personal view of the man and his life” (USA TODAY). “A remarkable portrait” (The Washington Post). “A new mirror on Roosevelt” (The New York Times). “engrossing” (The New York Review of Books).
• Intimate portrait of a president: FDR trusted Margaret “Daisy” Suckley completely—she was allowed to photograph him in his wheelchair, was privy to wartime secrets, and documented his failing health in great detail.
• Major contribution to history: Daisy’s diary offers unique insights into FDR’s relationship with Winston Churchill and other wartime leaders, his decision to run for an unprecedented fourth term, and his hopes for the postwar world.
Review
"A remarkable portrait of FDR and the personal crises he faced during his presidency....Offers invaluable insights into FDR the man and the leader." -- andlt;iandgt;The Washington Post Book Worldandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"A fascinating, very personal view of the man and his life." -- andlt;iandgt;USA Todayandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Engrossing.... Ward has made FDR's story something no one else has managed to do." -- Gore Vidal, andlt;iandgt;The New York Review of Booksandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"A serious contribution to history." -- Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Synopsis
At once a love story and major contribution to history, "Closest Companion" offers a remarkable portrait of FDR and the personal crises he faced during his presidency . . . [and provides] invaluable insights into the man and the leader.
Synopsis
Closest Companion is the highly acclaimed and surprisingly engrossing secret diary of Margaret Daisy Suckley, Franklin Roosevelt's sixth cousin, who spent more private time with FDR during his years in the White House than any other person. Expertly edited by the eminent historian and bestselling author Geoffrey C. Ward, the diary begins on FDR's inauguration day in January 1933 and ends on the day Roosevelt died in April 1945. Including thirty-eight letters that FDR wrote to Daisy, this volume is a significant contribution to history, offering unique and intimate details of FDR's relationship with Winston Churchill and other wartime leaders, his decision to run for an unprecedented fourth term, his deteriorating health, and his hopes for the postwar world. But at bottom, Closest Companion is a love story like no other, one that provides dramatic new insights into the character and private life of one of America's greatest presidents.
About the Author
Geoffrey C. Ward is the bestselling author of two books about FDRand#8212;Before the Trumpet and A First-Class Temperamentand#8212;and the coauthor (with Ken Burns) of The War, The Civil War, Jazz, and Baseball. The former editor of American Heritage magazine, he is the winner of many awards, including the Parkman Prize for history and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He lives in New York.