When Teddy became president, Alice's nickname became Princess Alice, and she wore the title well. Alice loved to go to parties and of course be the center of attention. Alice wanted to find true friends, but sadly she was often betrayed. Alice met Nick Longworth, at the time was the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the two were seen together plenty of times. When Secretary of War William Howard Taft goes to China, Teddy asks Alice to accompany him, and Alice was happy to do so. Low and behold, Nick Longworth was also going, and while on this trip overseas, they fall in love. When they return to Washington, Nick asks for Alice's hand in marriage.

But once they are married, things aren't easy for Alice and Nick. Nick was often drinking and even cheating on his wife, and Alice was unable to get pregnant. Lost in her marriage, Alice falls in love with William Borah, who is also caught in an unhappy marriage. They hide their love for several years until Alice gets pregnant. To save face, they lie about the true identity of who the father is of their daughter, Paulina.

Alice faced many tragedies in her life - her father passes away, her brother Teddy Jr unsuccessfully runs for office (losing to their fifth cousin and future president, FDR). So much happens to Alice, and AMERICAN PRINCESS showcases how this strong woman navigated her interesting life.

I don't even know where to start on this novel by Stephanie Marie Thornton. Through a captivating story, I learned so much about Alice Roosevelt, a woman I never knew anything about. Here was a woman who wanted nothing more than her father's attention, which is hard to do when he's the president of the United States. While Alice had such spirit, because of the time period, she had to take a back seat to a lot of what was going on. I received a history lesson through AMERICAN PRINCESS. This is a great historical fiction novel - pick it up!

Book Summary