Status
Available
Publication
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 416 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. History. Women's Studies. Nonfiction. HTML: The untold story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and of the conference's fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II. Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days. Kathleen Harriman was a champion skier, war correspondent, and daughter of U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman. Sarah Churchill, an actress-turned-RAF officer, was devoted to her brilliant father, who depended on her astute political mind. Roosevelt's only daughter, Anna, chosen instead of her mother Eleanor to accompany the president to Yalta, arrived there as keeper of her father's most damaging secrets. Situated in the political maelstrom that marked the transition to a post- war world, The Daughters of Yalta is a remarkable story of fathers and daughters whose relationships were tested and strengthened by the history they witnessed and the future they crafted together. Narrated by Christine Rendel.… (more)
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User reviews
LibraryThing member gbelik
I've read books about the Yalta Conference before, but this has a different viewpoint, less focused on policy and more on the logistics of the conference and the personal stories of the three daughters who accompanied their famous fathers to the event.
LibraryThing member maryreinert
Thoroughly enjoyed this very readable and interesting story of the daughters of the leaders involved in the Yalta Conference near the end of WWII. Kathleen Harriman, the daughter of the Ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman; Sarah Churchill, the daughter of Winston Churchill; and Anna
I learned so much about the war, about the compromise necessary to get things done, and the personal sacrifice and commitment of leaders who are so often quickly criticized by those on the outside. It was a refreshing read that makes one wonder how our current times will go down in history.
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Roosevelt, the daughter of FDR all accompany their fathers to this monumental conference and act as their personal assistants. Along with Joseph Stalin these men laid out much of the future, for better or worse, of international diplomacy following the war.I learned so much about the war, about the compromise necessary to get things done, and the personal sacrifice and commitment of leaders who are so often quickly criticized by those on the outside. It was a refreshing read that makes one wonder how our current times will go down in history.
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LibraryThing member kayanelson
My history education is sadly lacking so I found this book to be very interesting. In truth, this book had 2 storylines—the event of the Yalta meetings and how the daughters came to be there. Anna Roosevelt, Sarah Churchill and Kathy Harriman were daughters of powerful men. They craved their
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fathers’ love and attention. So they reveled in their roles at Yalta. The book was very well researched and I truly enjoyed it and learned a lot. Show Less
LibraryThing member etxgardener
An interesting story about the daughters of Averell Harriman, FDR and Winston Churchill who accompanied their fathers to the Yalta conference in 1945. There are great insights into just what was actually going on at this conference where, depending on your point of view, FDR successfully negotiated
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for the establishment of the United Nations, or Stalin successfully got the unwitting allies to let him take over Eastern Europe. A good look at behind the scenes politics. Show Less
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, the Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War, Catherine Grace Katz, author; Christine Rendel, narrator.
Three young women of diverse personalities, unaware of their future place in history, make their mark on it as they serve their prominent fathers
What might have been a long and detailed, tedious tome, is instead an illuminating reveal about the human side of politics at the close of World War II. Enhanced by an expert narrator that seemed to know exactly which word to stress and at what point to pause, these women and their effect on the meeting at Yalta, are exposed tenderly and honestly. All of their imperfections, errors in judgment and problematic decisions and choices are on the page for all readers to see, coupled with their compassion, dedication and integrity, as they endeavored to aid their fathers during their lifetimes.
Although the history of the monumental meeting in Yalta was waiting to be written, these three women knew they were attending something momentous. The meeting, in a place chosen to satisfy Stalin, was destined to be consequential, prescient and portentous. It was surrounded by tragedy and betrayal, fear and discomfort, secrets and lies. No one could have predicted the ultimate outcome or its effect on the future of the world. Still, many offered input that was often ignored, to the detriment of the final outcome. Although the author described the time of the memoir as between a world war and a cold war, often I thought it should be described as “between the bed sheets”, as the affairs of so many of the people mentioned multiplied with the passage of time. Often, there was little regard for the effect of their behavior on others. Satisfying their needs seemed to be front and center.
The book describes the experiences of these women and the toll it took on their lives, whether or not they were quite willing to contribute to the efforts of their father and their country. Their family’s history is exposed. Their marriages sometimes failed, their husbands suffered from the effects of their military service, some of their lives ended prematurely by their own hands, and some from unfortunate illness, some sought solace from alcohol. They were quite human, like all the rest of us. On the other hand, the daughters enjoyed their involvement with their fathers’ careers and the opportunities others only dreamed of.
As the history unfolds, the eloquence of certain leaders, the deceptive behavior of some as they betrayed each other, the lies to save face and protect reputations, the mistakes in their judgment due to arrogance and a lack of hubris, the weakness of some vs. the strength of others, shows how capricious was the nature of their decisions that ultimately changed the course of history as countries rose and fell depending on their decisions.
FDR’s fear of losing the Soviet’s cooperation, and his need to satisfy Russia’s Stalin, altered the map of the world. Perhaps it was his health that informed his errors in judgment, we will never really know, but he chose to trust a man unworthy of his trust and to betray the one man who trusted him implicitly, Churchill. FDR agreed to hold the conference in a place not ready for prime time, which caused disruption, inconvenience and a great deal of discomfort to all who attended, but the Russian leader. FDR did not want to offend Russia, Churchill wanted to maintain democracy in Europe, Stalin did not reveal his true intentions and betrayed the others. The needs of Churchill were ignored, FDR’s health was put on the back burner, all to satisfy the Russian bear.
Today, one has to wonder if our leaders are making the same mistakes and have not learned a thing from history. When our enemies smell weakness, our enemies will take advantage if we do not reverse course and show our strength and resolve. Many of those mentioned in the book, apart and aside from Harriman, Churchill and Roosevelt, will be familiar to the reader, like Alger Hiss, Anthony Eden, John Winant, Harry Hopkins and Vyacheslav Molotov, and more, but they will all be revealed more intimately as their relationships, their lifestyles and professions are described.
The book is filled with a vast amount of information, and as the timeline bounced around, it was sometimes repetitious, but the prose used was so beautiful that it was always a pleasure to read.
Three young women of diverse personalities, unaware of their future place in history, make their mark on it as they serve their prominent fathers
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with complete devotion and loyalty, sacrificing a piece of themselves, willingly, in the process. As their personal lives are exposed, the “palace intrigue”, the musical bedrooms, the deceptive politics and the people with whom they engaged, both good and evil, come to life. Although each of the women benefitted from the opportunities offered to them, they were also scarred in some way as they did their best to serve the greater needs of their fathers and their countries. They carried these wounds to their personal and public life into their futures. It was a different time and many of the secrets that were hidden from the light of day, would not have been hidden today with modern technology. Their lives were touched by all of the human frailties, alcoholism, illness, suicide, infidelity, jealousy, disgrace, difficult choices and more, but also by deep respect, passion, love, tremendous opportunity and accomplishments that brought them great joy and satisfaction that was rarely afforded to any woman, no matter their background or how well they were regarded at that time. It was a time when women did not have the power or advantages they have today.What might have been a long and detailed, tedious tome, is instead an illuminating reveal about the human side of politics at the close of World War II. Enhanced by an expert narrator that seemed to know exactly which word to stress and at what point to pause, these women and their effect on the meeting at Yalta, are exposed tenderly and honestly. All of their imperfections, errors in judgment and problematic decisions and choices are on the page for all readers to see, coupled with their compassion, dedication and integrity, as they endeavored to aid their fathers during their lifetimes.
Although the history of the monumental meeting in Yalta was waiting to be written, these three women knew they were attending something momentous. The meeting, in a place chosen to satisfy Stalin, was destined to be consequential, prescient and portentous. It was surrounded by tragedy and betrayal, fear and discomfort, secrets and lies. No one could have predicted the ultimate outcome or its effect on the future of the world. Still, many offered input that was often ignored, to the detriment of the final outcome. Although the author described the time of the memoir as between a world war and a cold war, often I thought it should be described as “between the bed sheets”, as the affairs of so many of the people mentioned multiplied with the passage of time. Often, there was little regard for the effect of their behavior on others. Satisfying their needs seemed to be front and center.
The book describes the experiences of these women and the toll it took on their lives, whether or not they were quite willing to contribute to the efforts of their father and their country. Their family’s history is exposed. Their marriages sometimes failed, their husbands suffered from the effects of their military service, some of their lives ended prematurely by their own hands, and some from unfortunate illness, some sought solace from alcohol. They were quite human, like all the rest of us. On the other hand, the daughters enjoyed their involvement with their fathers’ careers and the opportunities others only dreamed of.
As the history unfolds, the eloquence of certain leaders, the deceptive behavior of some as they betrayed each other, the lies to save face and protect reputations, the mistakes in their judgment due to arrogance and a lack of hubris, the weakness of some vs. the strength of others, shows how capricious was the nature of their decisions that ultimately changed the course of history as countries rose and fell depending on their decisions.
FDR’s fear of losing the Soviet’s cooperation, and his need to satisfy Russia’s Stalin, altered the map of the world. Perhaps it was his health that informed his errors in judgment, we will never really know, but he chose to trust a man unworthy of his trust and to betray the one man who trusted him implicitly, Churchill. FDR agreed to hold the conference in a place not ready for prime time, which caused disruption, inconvenience and a great deal of discomfort to all who attended, but the Russian leader. FDR did not want to offend Russia, Churchill wanted to maintain democracy in Europe, Stalin did not reveal his true intentions and betrayed the others. The needs of Churchill were ignored, FDR’s health was put on the back burner, all to satisfy the Russian bear.
Today, one has to wonder if our leaders are making the same mistakes and have not learned a thing from history. When our enemies smell weakness, our enemies will take advantage if we do not reverse course and show our strength and resolve. Many of those mentioned in the book, apart and aside from Harriman, Churchill and Roosevelt, will be familiar to the reader, like Alger Hiss, Anthony Eden, John Winant, Harry Hopkins and Vyacheslav Molotov, and more, but they will all be revealed more intimately as their relationships, their lifestyles and professions are described.
The book is filled with a vast amount of information, and as the timeline bounced around, it was sometimes repetitious, but the prose used was so beautiful that it was always a pleasure to read.
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
9 inches
ISBN
0358117852 / 9780358117858