Rating: 
Summary: Superb Biography of an Underrated First Lady
Review: Staggeringly detailed, Anthony's first-rate biography of First Lady Florence Harding shines a brilliant, sympathetic spotlight on a modern, progressive, intelligent woman whose persona and achievements have been overlooked and underappreciated for far too long. President Harding himself has been an obscure figure for too much of this century, and Anthony's book helps to make the achievements and monumental failures of his administration more accessible and understandable to the average reader. The paralells to more recent Presidents and their spouses only serve to underline just how "modern" and ground-breaking were the roles played by Harding and his wife. A host of colorful historic characters are clearly brought to life by Anthony, including some notable females such as Alice Roosevelt Longworth and Evalyn Walsh McClean, the warm-hearted dissapated owner of the fabled Hope Diamond. In all, Anthony weaves a colorful portrait of a small town girl who rose, despite incredible odds and near insurmountable trajedies, to a position of incredible power and influence. Clearly a life worth re-examining, and a beautifully written biography of interest to any reader who enjoys American History.
Rating: 
Summary: An Overall Good Book About a Less Well-known First Lady
Review: Thanks to Gaston Means' colorful if inaccurate portrayal, Florence Harding has, over the years, had an undeserved reputation as the woman who poisoned her president husband in order to spare him further scandal. Carl Sferazza Anthony helps set the record straight in this generally excellent biography.We find that Florence Harding was a woman far ahead of her time. Her first marriage and the circumstances surrounding the birth of her son were unusual, to say the least. She also was a very astute business woman, who basically made Warren Harding a success in business as well as in the political arena. There is no doubt in my mind he would never have gone as far as he had without her influence. The only problem with this book is that Anthony tends to focus way too much on Warren Harding's well-known infidelities and not enough on Florence. We know way more than we ever needed to know with the publication of Nan Britton's pathetic romantic tale, "The President's Daughter." I know an author needs to sell books, but I think he overdid it in this case. Overall, though, I still give this book high marks because he does tackle a subject who is truly worth writing about.
Rating:
Summary: Gets more absorbing as you read
Review: When I started this book it seemed to me that the author was relying on gossip and hearsay a lot, but in regard to Florence Kling's early years this is probably necessary. But the book is actually meticulously researched and very copiously footnoted and it is full of detail I had either forgotten or not heard. It was clear back on July 4, 1969, that I finshed reading The Shadow of Blooming Grove / Warren G. Harding in His Times, by Francis Russell, and I liked that book a lot, but yet some of the revelations as to Harding in this book seemed new to me. As one who suffered thru the media's exhaustive coverage of our present President's sins, I wished that the press of Harding's time had been as aciduous in telling the truth about Harding. Maybe the disastrous Republican hegemony of the Twenties would have been alleviated some. This book by Carl Anthony is well worth your time if you have any interest in political history. And it does say good things about its subject, tho it is hard to find anything admirable about her very weak and sinning husband.
Rating:
Summary: Gets more absorbing as you read
Review: When I started this book it seemed to me that the author was relying on gossip and hearsay a lot, but in regard to Florence Kling's early years this is probably necessary. But the book is actually meticulously researched and very copiously footnoted and it is full of detail I had either forgotten or not heard. It was clear back on July 4, 1969, that I finshed reading The Shadow of Blooming Grove / Warren G. Harding in His Times, by Francis Russell, and I liked that book a lot, but yet some of the revelations as to Harding in this book seemed new to me. As one who suffered thru the media's exhaustive coverage of our present President's sins, I wished that the press of Harding's time had been as aciduous in telling the truth about Harding. Maybe the disastrous Republican hegemony of the Twenties would have been alleviated some. This book by Carl Anthony is well worth your time if you have any interest in political history. And it does say good things about its subject, tho it is hard to find anything admirable about her very weak and sinning husband.
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