Book Review: The President’s Lunch

Posted on 16 August, 2014

She tasted power and passion in the world’s highest office against the backdrop of the Great Depression and World War Two.

Robbed of her home and job by the Great Depression, the future looks bleak for Iris McIntosh – until a chance encounter with America’s indefatigable First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. Propelled into the White House’s brilliant inner circle, Iris finds herself at the centre of momentous change … and her heart torn between two men. But her loyalty lies with a third: the complicated and charismatic President Roosevelt, who will ultimately force her to question everything she believes in.

A compelling story of politics and power, love and loss, set in one of the most exciting and cataclysmic periods of history.

One thing that happens often in Canberra is that you often discover a friend who knows another of your friends even though they may be from different circles in your life.  The way our life intertwines us with other people can be the instance that can take your life in a completely new direction you never dreamed possible.

And is exactly what happens to Iris McIntosh. A chance meeting with Eleanor Roosevelt changes everything when she is offered a job working in the White House. Like accepting any job in the White House would do, it changes Iris’s life. Iris goes on to complete a law degree and moves up to becoming a trusted sounding board and adviser, not only for Eleanor Roosevelt but for the President also.

Books like this are the reason my imagination takes flight when Prince William comes to town and why fantasies play out where Kate notices my (obvious) intelligence and humour, offers me a job to be her friend and hang out (which is not only interesting but also well paid). Of course this requires moving myself and my family to England to live in a castle and hire staff to do all the jobs that I don’t like doing. Kate and I spend our days playing with little George, going to the gym, drinking tea and reading interesting books and having awesome conversations. It could happen!!

While Iris’s professional life is on track, she finds herself torn between two men that offer a life of security or a life filled with excitement. However, the passion for her work always draws her back and she discovers her loyalty to the President may overcome any personal feelings she may have for her two love interests.

I really enjoy well-written and researched historical fiction and that’s exactly what The President’s Lunch is. While I don’t have a big interest in American political history the story of Iris and the interactions she has with the people around her is the very thing that hooked me. The fact that I may have learnt something along the way is an added bonus.

Set in the 1930s and 1940s, a period of huge political and social change across the world, The Presidents Lunch is a story that will be enjoyed by most. The fact that Jenny Bond is able to write so eloquently about a place and period in a time so different to the Canberra that she lives in today just amazes me. We are so lucky to have so many talented people in our Territory!

Take a sneaky read of The Presidents Lunch extract…Go on, you know you want to!

Giveaway time…

We’re giving you the chance to win a copy The President’s Lunch to bury your nose in. It seems that while the President is great at serving his country, he isn’t such a great cook and serves up his fair share of terrible dishes throughout the novel. So we want to know what is the biggest culinary disaster you’ve ever had or been served?

Leave your details as a comment below, and we’ll pick three lucky winners on Wednesday 20 August.