To be completely honest, I only considered reading this book because I adore Prep, Sittenfield's other novel. I don't care about politics, and a fictionalized novel about a political figure is kind of in that category. 
 But this is... fantastic. Alice Lindgren isn't your typical American lady. She had a confusing and traumatic early life, which remained with her through adulthood. She didn't get married until after thirty, which was pretty much unheard of, but she preferred to wait for The One. She had a job; she dated; she went out with her friends. And then she met Charlie. 
 It's impossible not to love Alice. She makes mistakes, she has no idea what's going on, but she's strong and knows when and how to fight. Her voice is authentic. She's not showy, she's just her. She's us. 
 The first part of the book, her childhood, was by far the strongest. I was sucked into it. And even when she married Charlie, she didn't lose her momentum. Part of her story's charm is that it didn't turn into "happily ever after." They had good times, and they had bad times. She didn't pretend that marriage solved all their problems. She was still her. 
 The ending, unfortunately, came off as weak. It became less about their lives and more about "being first lady," which wasn't her. She'd spent her whole life being defined by herself, and there's zero transition between that and her suddenly being defined by her title. It's off-putting. 
 But I love Sittenfeld's writing. She's created a world we can live in, with characters we love and those we hate. We become part of Alice's life, and we're rooting for her the entire way.