FRANKLIN AND LUCY President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherfurd, and Other Remarkable Women in HIs LIfe

Len Cariou begins his reading in a headlong rush as if racing through the parts of Roosevelt history many of us are familiar with--FDR's controlling mother, Eleanor's childhood and early adulthood, their early marriage. Cariou's pacing slows with the account of FDR's relationships with Lucy Mercer Rutherford, his wife's social secretary, with whom he had an affair; Missy LeHand, his own secretary; and Daisy Suckley, his distant cousin. The relationships had an effect on the complex marriage of Eleanor and FDR, as well as the woman Eleanor eventually became. The text and narration are improved by quotes from personal letters. For these, Cariou uses upper-class accents and a falsetto pitch for female voices. The result provides variety to the delivery and is not at all awkward. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2008]