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