Mrs. L: Conversations With Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Alice Roosevelt Longworth's conversations with Michael Teague works more like a verbal autobiography of her life. I found the book to be quite interesting as well as entertaining reading material that shed a lot of light into the personality of this woman who was Theodore Roosevelt's first born child and his last surviving one, dying in 1980. I found what she have to say to be quite insightful as her perception remains pretty sharp although it was probably soften by long passage of time. She remains true to her father's memory. Like the other reviewers, in reading this book, I felt like I was listening to her words as if she was talking directly to me. The book also come with host of photographs of Mrs. Longworth's long life that reflects heavily on her love of travels and her family. Some I have seen, others I have not. There is a treasure trove of photographs that should interest most readers. Overall, the book come heavily recommended to anyone who have any interest in the history of Theodore Roosevelt and his family.

"Mrs. L's" story is one which I often find myself re-reading for its vivid recollections of life in another era of time. Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth ("Mrs. L") lived an extraordinarily privileged life & yet one filled with many of the ordinary sorrows & joys. She yearned for her own mother, the first Alice Lee Roosevelt, who died on the very day of her birth & never quite understood her father's reluctance to speak of her. Anything she learned would come from her beloved "Auntie Bye." And yet she delighted in those precious times spent with "Father." He encouraged his children to be playful (for he liked to play too) & to be fiercely independent. When once informed by an Aide that Alice was smoking cigarettes atop the White House roof, "Father" was said to respond "I can run the country or I can control Alice, I cannot do both." She remained loyally devoted to him for all of the days of her life. I found "Mrs. L's" memories to be warmly bittersweet & enrapturing as she "told." When Alice Lee Roosevelt was born in February 1884, she was her father's first child (his "Baby Lee") & when she died in February 1980, at 96, she was also his last. "Mrs. L" is timeless & something I highly recommend to all!

The spirit and wit of Alice Roosevelt really comes across in this book. It's well written and really makes you feel like you're sitting in the room with her talking about this and that and jumping from one subject to another. A must read!

I love to read the biographiers like Alice Longworth and her dad, Theodore Roosevelt and U.S. Presidents and First Ladies because of the part of the history. I read Alice's book all the time at the library and it was very good book.