American Jennie

September 24, 2007
As Winston Churchill's mother and close adviser, Brooklyn-born Jennie Jerome (1854–1921) may have rated a chapter in the history books. But steeped in scandal, the passionate, ambitious and beautiful Gilded Age heiress has been fodder for several biographies of her own, including Ralph Martin's two-volume bestseller (1969–1971). The daughter of a maverick stock speculator, Jennie was probably pregnant with Winston when she married the duke of Marlborough's second son, Randolph. She was a tireless supporter of her husband's rising political career, and endured his sexual dalliances, mental unraveling (probably from syphilis) and eventual death. She earned a reputation as a journalist, dazzling socialite, shameless booster of Winston's political aspirations, and as a financially imprudent woman who indulged in a string of sexually charged affairs. Indeed, Jennie's younger son, Jack, may have been fathered by a handsome colonel and viscount, and her purported lovers may have included the prince of Wales. After Randolph's death, she remarried twice to men 20 years her junior, and died at 67 after a bad fall caused by her high heels. Sebba's (Mother Teresa
) admiring biography is absorbing, authoritative and makes good use of family letters. 16 pages of photos.

December 15, 2007
Biographer and journalist Sebba ("Mother Teresa: Beyond the Image)" has written a well-researched book on the life of Jennie Jerome Churchill, the wife of Lord Randolph Churchill and mother of Winston Churchill. While recent popular biographies (e.g., Charles Higham's "Dark Lady") have dwelt much on her affairs during her marriage, this book focuses more on her domestic role. The author uses Churchill family papers and previous biographies to provide a vivid portrait that gives readers a good understanding of Lady Churchill as both vivacious and intelligent. Sebba quotes Winston Churchill saying of her "Her life was a full one. The wine of life was in her veins." The definitive biography must remain Ralph G. Martin's two-volume "Jennie: The Life of Lady Randolph Churchill". While Sebba does use some new sources, she also uses material from Higham for which he himself did not provide attribution. For public libraries wanting a nice supplement to Martin (the preferred title for academic libraries), this will serve as a welcome addition.Diane Fulkerson, Univ. of West Georgia Lib., Carrollton

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2007
The mother of the greatest Englishman of them all, Winston Churchill, wasactually an American, born Jennie Jerome into a wealthy New York family. In joining the second son of the Duke of Marlborough in matrimony, she was part of a swarm of American heiresses who, in the latenineteenth century, married into the European aristocracy. But Jennie Churchill was not just another anything.As brought to brilliant light in this responsible, respectful biography, she was her own person, an original who injected into the distinguished Churchill family a great deal of new energy. It would have been easy for her to live through her husband and son, but Jennie created a life for herself and achieved almost legendary status in British society, even becoming a good friend (and perhaps lover) of the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII. She ultimately had three husbands and even tried her hand at magazine editing, but no matter what she set out to do, she chose her own path. The person and her times will prove fascinating to a wide readership.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)