Marie Benedict writes Lady Clementine from Clementine Churchill's point of view of her married life with Winston Churchill. Although Winston Churchill is 9 years older than Clementine she finds they have much in common including their childhood where they both felt unimportant to their mothers. Clementine's mother had a separate house from her children who were raised by and lived with a governess. Churchill's mother travelled the world with various lovers and was not involved in her children's lives. Clementine was not sure who her father was but thought it could possibly be Algernon Bertram Freemon-Mitford, her mother's brother-in-law.
At 23 and a new wife, Clementine quickly became involved in politics and didn't take the sidelines. She was anonymously involved in women's suffrage and wrote an article in the Times as CSC. Six years after their marriage, Britain is involved in WWI and Winston as First Lord of the Admiralty, orchestrates the disastrous Dardanelles Campaign where over 50,000 troops died. Clementine embarks on the war effort and campaigns for housewives to make gas masks, joins the Munitions Workers Auxiliary Committee to run 9 canteens across northern London providing meals for workers. Meanwhile after being dismissed from the Admiralty, Winston goes to the front but takes his staff, a bath and other indulgences.
And so continues their battles with Winston on the front of political and war campaigns and Clementine helping out and organizing where she can.
In another era Clementine's efforts may have been more well known and she may have been a leader in her own right. What I found sad though is that in the book her son Randolph says "Your whole existence focuses upon him (Winston) and his requirements. He demands all of you and there is no space left for your children to have needs." Despite Winston and Churchill lamenting over the lack of affection from their mothers, they both seem to have repeated the same fate with their children.
