Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced copy of The Ambassador in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Random House Audio
Published: August 3, 2021
Summary:
Acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald reveals the truth about Joseph P. Kennedy’s deeply controversial tenure as Ambassador to Great Britain on the eve of World War II.
On February 18, 1938, Joseph P. Kennedy was sworn in as US Ambassador to the Court of St. James. To say his appointment to the most prestigious and strategic diplomatic post in the world shocked the Establishment was an understatement: known for his profound Irish roots and staunch Catholicism, not to mention his “plain-spoken” opinions and womanizing, he was a curious choice as Europe hurtled toward war.
Initially welcomed by the British, in less than two short years Kennedy was loathed by the White House, the State Department and the British Government. Believing firmly that Fascism was the inevitable wave of the future, he consistently misrepresented official US foreign policy internationally as well as direct instructions from FDR himself. The Americans were the first to disown him and the British and the Nazis used Kennedy to their own ends.
Through meticulous research and many newly available sources, Ronald confirms in impressive detail what has long been believed by many: that Kennedy was a Fascist sympathizer and an anti-Semite whose only loyalty was to his family’s advancement. She also reveals the ambitions of the Kennedy dynasty during this period abroad, as they sought to enter the world of high society London and establish themselves as America’s first family. Thorough and utterly readable, The Ambassador explores a darker side of the Kennedy patriarch in an account sure to generate attention and controversy.
My thoughts:
I love reading about the Kennedy’s and so of course I had to request this one. I just find them to be so fascinating, as individuals and collectively as a family. I’ve read many books that generally tend to focus on the family as a whole, so I love when I can find books that focus solely on one family member. It is my goal to read about each and every Kennedy member and this one was quite an interesting look at JFK’s father, one I hadn’t really read much about yet.
I knew Joseph P. Kennedy was ambitious, but I didn’t realize just how full of himself he really was. And to that effect, he tended to turn people off just by the way he came across. He was all about the social status that came with this position of Ambassadorship rather than what the position really meant. Of course, he was only given this role to get him out of American politics for the time being – before he wanted his son to be president, he eyed the role for himself. I’m not sure I knew that!
I’m not really one for reading political books but I found this to be so fascinating. This book was so well written and while it took me a while to get through it, I’m still really glad I did read it. I definitely will be checking out what else this author has written – I like her writing style!
Audio thoughts:
I started out reading this one but then switched to audio and found that the combination worked much better. I tend to find when I read nonfiction that audio works much better for me and that was definitely the case here, but having the print copy on hand is a must so that I can refer to anything that I need to go back to or mark up because I want to revisit something. The narrator, Victor Bevine, did a great job with this audiobook and I am glad I made the switch.
