"Behind Every Good Man" by Sara Goodman Confino

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first book by the author that I read, and I loved it! The book reminded me of the story of Clementine, Winston Churchill's wife. The story goes that while out on an outing, she talked to a garbage truck driver. When Churchill found out he was her ex, he told her she could have been a garbage truck driver's wife today. Clementine gently answered: "Oh no, my love, if I had married him, he would be the prime minister today."

The book follows Beverly Diamond, a Jewish wife of Larry, a campaign manager, mother to two young children, and daughter of a retired congressman. The story is set in the early 1960s when women in the US had fewer rights than today. Larry runs the Maryland senatorial campaign for the incumbent candidate, Sam Gibson.

Beverly tries to be the perfect wife. She wakes up an hour before her husband to get the house ready and breakfast on the table, takes care of all his needs, and creates the illusion of a perfect household. It's when he goes to work that the kids cause havoc. After catching her husband in a compromising position with his secretary, she kicks him out. She is done being the perfect wife! Afraid of losing her home, she decides to look for a job, not an obvious thing for this period and class.

After several false starts, she decides to work for Sam's opponent, Michael Landau, to show her husband she is more than a pretty face and to get one over on him. Before Michael and Stuart, his campaign manager, know what hit them, she starts running the show. After all, “Behind every good man is an even better woman."

I am not a fan of political books, but I flew through the pages. Sara Goodman Confino sure knows how to write! I finished the book in a couple of days; it was that good. In times of increasing antisemitism and where evil is perceived as good, it was nice to read about simpler times and a Jewish character who is proud of her heritage and isn't shy about it. Not that there wasn't antisemitism then (Jewish people weren't welcome in some clubs, for example), but it wasn't as overt.

Beverly wasn't the only strong heroine. I enjoyed reading about the other heroines, her interactions with her parents, and the way she turned her life around. I admired her guts and drive and rooted for her. The mother, Millie, was great as well, and I grew to like her. In fact, the characters came to life on the page, and even the supporting characters were well-rounded.

This is more a story of relationships and love than a political one. There is some political talk, but it isn't heavy-handed or the main point of the tale. The author manages to explore themes of politics, family, female empowerment, values, and civil rights while telling a good tale with humor. I loved the book and highly recommend it. It is incredibly well-researched and intriguing to even a casual reader with little to no interest in politics or history. Full stars for an excellent book!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "Behind Every Good Man" by Sara Goodman Confino