Publishers Weekly
★ 01/25/2021
Washington Post columnist Tumulty debuts with an astute reassessment of former first lady Nancy Reagan (1921–2016), a woman who “America never quite figured out.” Born Anne Francis Robbins in New York City, Nancy “was the product of a broken marriage” who spent ages two to eight in the care of relatives while her actor mother traveled for work. After her mother’s remarriage to neurosurgeon Loyal Davis, Nancy took her stepfather’s last name and trained as a nurse’s aide before landing her first stage acting role thanks to a family friend. She moved to Hollywood in 1949 and, according to Tumulty, quickly set her sights on newly divorced actor Ronald Reagan as a future husband. Adopting an episodic approach to Nancy’s White House years, Tumulty highlights the “ghastly scene” that awaited the first lady at the hospital after the president was shot in 1980, and her role in running the “rescue operation” that prevented the Iran-Contra scandal from upending Reagan’s second term. Tumulty touches on dark family dynamics, including the impact of Nancy’s “anxiety and insecurity” on her children, but the book’s greatest strength is the nuanced, in-depth portrayal of the Reagans’ relationship and Nancy’s fierce stewardship of her husband’s political goals. The result is a complex and engrossing portrait of one of the 20th century’s most quietly influential political figures. Agent: Gail Ross, Ross Yoon Literary. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
Karen Tumulty combines years of original research and sharply readable prose to effect a near-miracle: the complete rescue of former first lady Nancy Reagan from the hands of slanderers and trivializers. The woman who emerges from these pages might not always be likable, but she’s the most formidable first lady in half a century.”— The Christian Science Monitor
“In this riveting, beautifully written portrait, Nancy Reagan assumes her rightful place as her husband’s most powerful and influential advisor. A masterful storyteller, Tumulty captures our interest and our emotions from beginning to end. This work will remain the gold standard of books on First Ladies for generations to come.”— Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Leadership
“Nancy Reagan was the most influential and complex First Lady of our time. She was guided not by ideology or her own agenda but by one thing: what was best for her husband. With great reporting and insight, Tumulty shows how she shaped his image and his presidency.” – Walter Isaacson, New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker
“Tumulty has given us a compelling and illuminating portrait of the woman who never faltered in her love for—and protection of—Ronald Reagan. An engaging addition to the literature of the consequential Age of Reagan.” —Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Truth is Marching On
“A brilliant and incandescent biography of one of America’s most influential first ladies. Every chapter shines with fresh vignettes, historical insights, unabashed intimacy, and delightful storytelling. Nancy Reagan always exuded a fierce and clear-eyed pragmatism that got important things accomplished for American democracy. The love story between Ronnie and Nancy is pure magic.” —Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history at Rice University and editor of The Reagan Diaries
“Tumulty manages to disclose so much that we didn’t know about her personal demons and her remarkable role as Ronald Reagan’s crucial partner. This is the definitive biography of a woman at the center of American politics for a generation.” —Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and author of The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty
"Penetrating ... Readers of this remarkable book will realize how much Ronald Reagan needed Nancy Reagan. He could not have been president without her." – Lou Cannon, author of Governor Reagan and President Reagan
"The wonderful Karen Tumulty has brought us a shrewd and fascinating portrait, with new revelations and insights, of a glittering and complex figure who was one of the most consequential women in American history.”—Michael Beschloss, New York Times bestselling author of Presidents of War
"Washington Post columnist Tumulty debuts with an astute reassessment of former first lady Nancy Reagan, a woman who “America never quite figured out.” ... The book’s greatest strength is the nuanced, in-depth portrayal of the Reagans’ relationship and Nancy’s fierce stewardship of her husband’s political goals. The result is a complex and engrossing portrait of one of the 20th century’s most quietly influential political figures." — Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
"Luminous... The definitive biography of the woman who drove her husband’s presidential ambitions—a shoo-in for the silver screen." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Recounts every known detail of this driven, complicated woman's life... Chapters detail how Nancy persistently assisted and manipulated her husband's political career, and explore her reputation as a kingmaker who exerted profound influence over matters large and small, increasingly so as her husband succumbed to Alzheimer's... Expect high demand." — Booklist (starred review)
"A thorough, compelling biography that underscores what was always hidden in plain sight. Her Nancy is a driven, savvy, indomitable operative, a dogged domestic diplomat on behalf of her affable yet oddly remote ideologue of a husband." —
USA Today
"[Tumulty] doesn’t make excuses for her subject, and her clarity about Nancy (as she calls her throughout; her husband is “Ronnie”) gives substance to an engaging, well-written narrative. Tumulty’s Nancy is humanly comprehensible and compelling, and comes out looking better than do many of her worst critics and her husband’s strongest allies—two categories that often overlapped." — New Yorker
"This biography of the former first lady makes clear the extent to which Ronald Reagan depended on her social skills and psychological instincts as he moved from Hollywood into politics." — New York Times Book Review
"Tumulty does a great service in her new book by taking us behind the public façade. The Triumph of Nancy Reagan is a detailed, insightful, and gossipy look... ultimately succeeds in bringing the subject to life." — Common Reader
"[A] thoroughly researched, comprehensive biography. Tumulty effectively summarizes the main challenges of the Reagan administration, including the AIDS epidemic and the Iran Contra crisis, adding to the history, the extent and nature of Nancy’s involvement... A stimulating and fascinating book, written by a woman who effortlessly combines detailed research with a talent for very readable prose. Tumulty’s triumph is that she convincingly reveals a dynamic, complicated and — if not always likeable — formidable woman." — Policy Magazine
"Intimate and balanced—a triumph for Tumulty and a definitive contribution to history." — Fredericksburg Free Lance Star
Library Journal
03/12/2021
Tumulty, an award-winning Washington Post journalist, debuts with a well-written account of the life of Nancy Reagan (born Anne Frances Robbins). It begins with her childhood in New York as the only child of Edie Luckett, a successful actress, and Kenneth Robbins, a car salesman. Her early life was difficult, as her mother traveled to pursue acting jobs, leaving Anne in the care of an aunt in Maryland—and also leaving Anne in search of a permanent mother figure. Tumulty takes care when recounting her subject's transformation into actress "Nancy Davis" (Anne took her stepfather's last name) and ultimately "Nancy Reagan," after she fell for and married the young studio star Ronald Reagan. In Tumulty's telling, Nancy was key to her husband's success both political and private, acting as a detail-focused adviser who managed Ronald's public persona, from his entry into politics through his years with Alzheimer's Disease. Packed with detail, the book cites personal interviews with Nancy throughout the years, as well as a host of published sources. VERDICT A thoroughly researched, evenhanded treatment of the most loyal and most important of Ronald Reagan's influencers; likely to be popular in both subject collections and public libraries —Edwin Burgess, Kansas City, KS
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-02-10
A deep dive into the life of Nancy Reagan (1921-2016).
In a luminous and exhaustive biography, Washington Post political columnist Tumulty chronicles the private life and political influence of Ronald Reagan’s wife. Drawing on interviews with surviving figures from the Reagan years, including George Shultz and James A. Baker, the author vividly captures the personality and impact of theChicago Gold Coast debutante who became a Hollywood star and then first lady. Tumulty shows us a shrewd, savvy woman. “Hers was the power that comes with intimacy,” writes the author. “The first lady was the essential disinterested observer of the ideological battles and power struggles that went on in the White House, because she had but one preoccupation: Ronald Reagan’s well-being and success.” She was tasked with running the household and keeping up the family’s clean, conservative image: “Ronnie…left all the difficult and contentious parts of parenting to Nancy.” Fostering a strong interest in astrology, she insisted that her husband’s schedule, including dates and even desirability of visits from foreign leaders, align with the readings of San Francisco astrologer Joan Quigley. Tumulty’s riveting narrative transcends such oddities as she leads us through the White House years, with colorful portraits of all of the relevant political players as well as the Reagan children. The author’s chapter on the AIDS crisis is a gem, as she clearly portrays the neglect by the White House, the complexity of the Reagans’ view of homosexuality, and the engagement of Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to anchor the administration’s belated response. Another standout section follows the grim tale of the Iran-Contra scandal, culminating in the Tower report and Reagan’s public apology. Tumulty also assesses some tell-all books from departing staffers as well as Nancy’s own memoir, My Turn (1989). Through it all, Nancy maintained her abiding love for her husband. After his death, she would see visions of him at night.
The definitive biography of the woman who drove her husband’s presidential ambitions—a shoo-in for the silver screen.
