Correspondence of James K. Polk Book

I am admittedly enamored with stories of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt. I've read many of the books, seen many of the movies - most recently Hyde Park on Hudson - and find them all interesting. Closest Companion is the book that inspired the movie Hyde Park on Hudson, and it provides a new perspective on FDR and to a small extent, Eleanor. I think the book could have been titled CLOSE Companion because it was made clear that other people like Laura Delano, Lucy Rutherfurd and the Crown Princess of Norway were also close and important companions in FDR's last years. But Margaret (Daisy) Suckley's contribution to the story were her personal writings of 1933 to 1945 which detailed not only her own activities but focused intensely on FDR and those in his sphere. Though they apparently had some kind of intimate contact in the 1930s, the relationship seemed to have evolved to a place where FDR felt so comfortable in Daisy's presence that she was present and spent personal time with him at the White House, his Hyde Park homes, Warm Springs, and even on a long presidential inspection trip. I enjoyed reading all the details of their daily lives but I think the highlights for me were the 30+ letters of FDR to Daisy that survive, documenting a close, trusting and affectionate friendship. Geoffrey Ward's bracketed contributions explaining some of the references in the letters were welcome and illuminating. I think anyone who is interested in small details of American life at this time period in American history and is also curious about the Roosevelts' daily life during his presidency would learn a lot and enjoy this book.