Becoming Madam Secretary, Stephanie Dray
Becoming Madam Secretary, Stephanie Dray
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Becoming Madam Secretary

Author: Stephanie Dray

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Unabridged: 17 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 03/12/2024


Synopsis

She took on titans, battled generals, and changed the world as we know it…

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating and dramatic novel about an American heroine Frances Perkins.

Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference.

When she’s not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell’s Kitchen, Frances throws herself into the social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists, and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with whom she falls deeply in love.

But when Frances meets a young lawyer named Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a tea dance, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. She thinks he’s a rich, arrogant dilettante who gets by on a handsome face and a famous name. He thinks she’s a priggish bluestocking and insufferable do-gooder. Neither knows it yet, but over the next twenty years, they will form a historic partnership that will carry them both to the White House.

Frances is destined to rise in a political world dominated by men, facing down the Great Depression as FDR’s most trusted lieutenant—even as she struggles to balance the demands of a public career with marriage and motherhood. And when vicious political attacks mount and personal tragedies threaten to derail her ambitions, she must decide what she’s willing to do—and what she’s willing to sacrifice—to save a nation.

About The Author

Stephanie Dray is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into many languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. She lives in Maryland with her husband, cats, and history books.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Catherine on May 17, 2024

**Many thanks to Berkley and Stephanie Dray for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley! Now available as of 3.12!** "Being a woman has only bothered me in climbing trees." - Frances Perkins It is this frank and fearless nature that sets Frances Perkins apart...and from the moment she arrives in Ne......more

Goodreads review by Mallory on March 13, 2024

While historical fiction isn’t the first genre I typically go for I do enjoy it a lot, and I especially love stories like that this that take a piece of history that is not typically focused on. I will admit I didn’t know Frances Perkins or all that she did to change America. While I knew we didn’t......more

Goodreads review by Literary on August 17, 2023

The author is one of my go-to histfic writers and her latest immersive novel is one of my favs so far this year. The life of Frances Perkins, US Secretary of Labor from 1933-1945, and the first woman to hold a federal cabinet position, is especially compelling as Dray pays loving attention to charac......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie (Bookfever) on January 30, 2024

Becoming Madam Secretary is a historical fiction about Frances Perkins. Before starting this book I had absolutely no idea who she was (which is not too weird since I'm Belgian and don't know a whole lot about the United State's early 20th century history) but knowing that Stephanie Dray wrote it I......more

Goodreads review by Ink_Drinker on March 12, 2024

*Stephanie Dray weaves a captivating narrative, bringing to life the indomitable spirit of Frances Perkins. *The novel immerses you into the tumultuous era of early 20th-century America. Dray’s meticulous research and vivid writing transport you to the tenements of Hell’s Kitchen, the bohemian circl......more


Quotes

"Becoming Madam Secretary is a proud anthem to a forgotten founding mother. . . . Stephanie Dray's love and respect for this American heroine shines from every page, as does her impeccable research. Unputdownable!"—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Briar Club

“Stephanie Dray is one of my absolute favorite authors of historical fiction, and her new novel Becoming Madam Secretary shows why. . . . Dray‘s unique skill is telling the big picture of Frances’s life, while at the same time making her a completely relatable wife in a difficult marriage and a working mother when that phrase was unheard of. I couldn’t stop turning the pages in this novel, which is both an inspiration and a triumph!”—Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of Loyalty

"Stephanie Dray takes readers on an enthralling journey as Frances Perkins rises to become the country's most important cabinet member during a crossroads in American history, one with lasting ramifications. Hers is a name we should all know, and this is a novel we should all read."—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling co-author of The First Ladies

“A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at one of America's most courageous trailblazers for women.”Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Golden Doves

“Dray’s three-dimensional portrayal of Perkins’s life and times is both astonishing and infuriating in the best of ways, a gripping tale of a woman who refused to back down. Powerful and timely.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectacular

“With the tenderly poignant writing and impeccable research that her readers have come to expect and love, Dray has delivered a fresh and sweeping work of biographical fiction that readers will surely devour. This is an inspiring, illuminating and important book by Dray—I was blown away.”—Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post

“Stephanie Dray brings Frances Perkins, and everyone around her, so alive you feel she will walk off the page. With an indomitable heroine for our times, Becoming Madam Secretary is destined to be a classic of historical fiction.”—Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea

"There is no finer writer of women in American history than Stephanie Dray. . . . This is a novel for every viewer who watched The West Wing and wished it had once been a book. Simply outstanding."—Michelle Moran, bestselling author of Rebel Queen

"Dray delivers an insightful fictional biography of Frances Perkins . . . historical fiction fans won’t want to miss this."—Publishers Weekly

“Highly recommended for all historical-fiction collections.”—Booklist

“Not only informative but a true joy to read.”—The Chicago Book Review

Becoming Madam Secretary, powerfully told and rich with historical detail, is a nuanced portrait of a brilliant woman and her triumphs in the face of staggering challenges.”Shelf Awareness