The Reagans, Anne Edwards
The Reagans, Anne Edwards
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The Reagans
Portrait of a Marriage

Author: Anne Edwards

Narrator: Laural Merlington

Unabridged: 16 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/31/2018


Synopsis

He was an actor, newly divorced, whose controversial tenure as president of the Screen Actors Guild was drawing more attention than his fading film career. She was a contract player at MGM, unmarried and rapidly growing too old to play the starlet. It was time, she decided, to settle down and become Mrs. Somebody Important. So Nancy Davis contrived an introduction to Ronald Reagan, and the Reagans' march into history began.

The Reagans is a penetrating portrayal of one of the most powerful couples of the twentieth century. Distinguished biographer Anne Edwards paints the first in-depth, intimate portrait of the man who became our fortieth president and the woman without whom he might never have reached such heights.

It was a dramatic love story from the start: Nancy was always first in Reagan's thoughts and he was paramount in Nancy's actions. But this obsessional love had a darker side for the four Reagan children. Anne Edwards brings the Reagans' dysfunctional family life into sharp focus, along with a fascinating array of supporting players such as Reagan's evangelistic mother, Nelle, Frank Sinatra, and Gerald Ford.

About Anne Edwards

Anne Edwards, a fastidious researcher and accomplished writer, is the author of several bestselling biographies of notable figures, including film stars Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, and Katharine Hepburn, as well as Margaret Mitchell. Anne's autobiography, Leaving Home: A Hollywood Blacklisted Writer's Years Abroad, was published in 2012. She lives in Beverly Hills, California.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Diane on December 08, 2024

A very well written and researched history of Ronald and Nancy Reagan primarily during his presidency. I was not very aware of the issues during that time, but this conveyed them in an easy to understand manner. The focus of the book was not the politics but the whole milieu and the close relationsh......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on February 21, 2022

I haven't studied the Reagans' lives in much detail, although I'm familiar with many basic details. This book did fill in some of the gaps, even surprising me at times, but it was not a super engaging book because the writing was not great. The writing in the first half was oddly disjointed, althoug......more

Goodreads review by Laurie on September 17, 2021

A breezy book. A good primer for someone (like me) familiar with the Reagans as public figures but not as human beings. I remain opposed to Ronald Reagan's policies, but admit I now have a greater understanding of and fondness for the man. He was gracious, optimistic about America, humble and genuin......more