The Reagans

出版者:St. Martin's Griffin

作者:Edwards, Anne

页数:420

出版时间:2003-12

价格:86.00元

装帧:Paperback

isbn号码:9780312331177

具体描述

Book Description

Since 1987, when she published Early Reagan: The Rise to Power, Anne Edwards has had extraordinary interest and insight into politics' most intriguing couple. She now draws upon new research-private interviews with President Gerald Ford and members of the Reagans' circle, as well as unprecedented access to the Reagans' personal correspondence-to get to the heart of their marriage. Proving once again that she is 'the queen of biography' (Kirkus Reviews), Edwards reveals electrifying scenes of life in the White House-from Nancy's jealousy of Margaret Thatcher to her disdain for Prince Philip-and uncovers the real story be-hind Ronnie's first realization that he had Alzheimer's disease.

From Publishers Weekly

Even in his 70s, Ronald Reagan would leave sentimental love notes for his wife, Nancy: "For My Mommy Poo... Love Poppa." In her latest book, prolific biographer Edwards (Ever After: Diana and the Life She Led) paints a portrait of the Reagans as completely in love. From the day they married, Nancy devoted her every moment to ensuring her husband's happiness. He, in turn, relied completely on Nancy and trusted her wholly. Those close to the couple admit that Reagan's success in politics would not have occurred without Nancy's constant devotion and involvement. Throughout his governorship of California, his presidency, the assassination attempt, his meetings with Gorbachev-Nancy's sentiments, advice and complaints figured prominently, to the extent that the president of the United States rearranged his schedule according to the advice of Nancy's favorite astrologer. But according to Edwards, this romantic picture came at a price. The Reagans' children yearned for their parents' love and acceptance, but found that the couple's all-encompassing relationship did not include them. While Edwards celebrates the Reagans' achievements, she does not shy away from presenting the darker, grimmer side of their life and does a wonderful job of fully fleshing out the convoluted and tortured emotions that define this famous family. In all, she offers an engaging yet honest look at the human experience played out on the public stage. 32 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.

From Booklist

The subtitle is a bit misleading. Portrait suggests either a crisp photograph or an impressionistic painting. This is neither: all the body parts are in the right places, but what we see is not as sharp as a photo nor as textured as a painting. Veteran celebrity biographer Edwards (Streisand, Hepburn, Garland) offers a by-the-numbers bio that probably won't deliver much new information to anyone who has read previous books about the Reagans; the last chapters do fill in a few details of the couple's life after the former president's diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Despite considerable research, including personal interviews--Maureen Reagan was among the subjects--and time spent at various libraries looking at original sources, Edwards curiously avoids making connections or drawing conclusions from the facts she presents. The Reagans' devotion to each other is, of course, legendary, and most people know that the family-values president's own family was dysfunctional, to say the least. Although readers get the "what" of these relationships (often seasoned with quotes from the principals' own books), not much of a case is made for the "why" except in the most general terms. Why did Reagan let Nancy relegate his older children to second-class citizenship status? Why were the children so estranged from each other? Edwards is a recognizable name in the celebrity-bio business, which may sell the book, but it is a serviceable job at best.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Ilene Cooper

Book Dimension

length: (cm)23.4 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)16.1

用户评价

不得不说，这本书带给我的震撼是巨大的。作者以一种近乎冷峻的客观视角，却又充满了叙事的力量，将里根总统及其夫人的生活和执政时期展现在读者面前。他没有回避那些争议和复杂之处，而是将它们一一呈现，让我们得以更全面地理解这对夫妇的时代。书中对权力运作的描绘，对政治决策背后考量的揭示，都让我感到非常震撼。我尤其印象深刻的是，作者如何将宏大的历史事件与人物的个人生活巧妙地融合在一起，让我们看到，那些影响深远的政策和决策，往往也源自于非常个人的情感和动机。南希·里根在书中的形象，不再是那个单纯的“贤内助”，而是一个在幕后发挥着巨大作用，甚至有时会左右局势的关键人物。她对丈夫事业的投入，对敌人毫不留情的攻击，以及她自己所承受的压力，都让人看到了一个女性在权力中心所扮演的复杂角色。这本书让我对政治的理解，从单纯的意识形态之争，上升到了对人性、权力以及历史偶然性更深刻的认识。

这本书实在是太令人着迷了！从翻开第一页开始，我就被深深地吸引住了，仿佛置身于那个时代，亲历着里根总统夫妇的种种事件。作者的叙述方式非常引人入胜，就像一位老朋友在娓娓道来，却又充满了历史的厚重感。书中对细节的描绘尤为出色，那些日常的对话、会议的场景、甚至是一些细微的情感波动，都被刻画得淋漓尽致，让人感觉如此真实，仿佛触手可及。我尤其欣赏作者对南希·里根的刻画，她不再仅仅是那个“第一夫人”的光环笼罩下的形象，而是展现出了她作为一个普通女性，在面对巨大压力和挑战时的脆弱、坚韧与智慧。那些关于她对丈夫的支持、对家庭的守护，以及她那些不为人知的个人挣扎，都让我对这位女性有了全新的认识。这本书不仅仅是关于政治，更是关于人性的深度挖掘，关于权力对婚姻和家庭的影响，关于历史洪流中个体命运的浮沉。我常常在阅读过程中停下来，思考着书中的人物和事件，他们的选择，他们的动机，以及这些选择对美国历史产生的深远影响。这本书让我对那个时代有了更深刻的理解，也对“第一家庭”这个特殊群体有了更全面的审视。

这是一本让我沉浸其中，久久不能自拔的书。作者的叙事风格非常独特，既有史学家的严谨，又不失文学作品的感染力。他巧妙地将宏大的历史背景与人物的个人命运交织在一起，让我们看到了在那个动荡的年代，里根夫妇是如何 navigating 他们的政治生涯，又是如何在白宫内外扮演着不同的角色。我对书中对细节的描绘尤为赞赏，那些看似微不足道的事件，在作者的笔下却充满了深意，揭示着人物的性格，也影响着历史的走向。南希·里根的形象，在书中得到了非常细腻的刻画。我看到了她作为一位妻子，对丈夫无微不至的关怀；也看到了她作为一位政治伙伴，对丈夫事业的坚定支持；更看到了她作为一位女性，在巨大压力下的坚韧与脆弱。这本书让我有机会从一个全新的角度去审视里根总统及其夫人，去理解他们在那段历史时期所面临的挑战，以及他们所做出的选择。它不仅仅是一本历史著作，更是一部关于权力、家庭和人性的深刻探讨。

读完这本书，我脑海中久久回荡着那些鲜活的人物形象和触动人心的故事。作者的笔触细腻而富有洞察力，他不仅仅是在记录历史事件，更是在剖析人物的内心世界。我从未想过，在光鲜亮丽的白宫背后，会隐藏着如此复杂的人际关系和情感纠葛。书中对里根总统的描绘，不仅仅是那个“伟大的沟通者”的形象，更多地展现了他作为一个人，在做出重大决策时的考量、他的坚持，以及他可能存在的困惑。而南希·里根，她在我眼中不再只是一个符号，而是一个有着自己鲜明个性和复杂情感的女性。作者通过大量的史料和访谈，勾勒出了她作为妻子、母亲，以及在政治舞台上扮演的关键角色的多重面向。我特别喜欢书中关于他们夫妇之间互动和情感交流的描写，那些日常的温馨瞬间，那些在重大危机时刻彼此的依靠，都充满了人性的温暖。这本书让我看到了政治并非冷冰冰的权力博弈，而是充满了人性的温度和复杂的情感交织。它让我反思，在历史的进程中，个人情感和关系是如何影响着宏观的决策的。

这本书是一次令人心潮澎湃的阅读体验。作者以一种旁征博引、引人入胜的方式，带领我们深入了解里根夫妇的那个时代。我一直对美国政治史有着浓厚的兴趣，而这本书无疑为我打开了一个全新的视角。书中对历史事件的梳理清晰而有序，但更令人惊叹的是作者对人物内心世界的挖掘。他并没有将里根总统描绘成一个完美的政治家，而是展现了他作为一个人，有着自己的优点和缺点，有着自己的坚持和妥协。而南希·里根，她的形象更是立体而鲜活。书中那些关于她对丈夫的坚定支持，她对政治的敏锐洞察，以及她作为“第一夫人”所承受的巨大压力，都让我对这位女性刮目相看。我特别喜欢书中关于他们夫妇之间私下互动和决策过程的描写，那些细节让我看到了，在那些影响美国命运的重大时刻，并非只有冷冰冰的政治考量，也充满了人性的情感和复杂的考量。这本书让我对“第一家庭”的运作有了更深刻的理解，也让我对政治人物的真实面貌有了更客观的认识。