LLW: Interview with Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Rodham

Loves Labours Watched

This week on Loves Labours Watched we connect with acclaimed author Curtis Sittenfeld. You may have read Curtis' bestselling 2008 novel American Wife, which imagines the life of a fictionalised American First Lady who shares many biographical similarities with Laura Bush. Or perhaps you devoured her wry collection of short stories, You Think it, I'll Say it, published in 2018 and set to be adapted into a Reese-Witherspoon-produced TV series. Now, Curtis' back with an explosive new novel, Rodham, a fictionalised account of what might have happened had Hillary Clinton decided not to marry Bill. We discuss Curtis' motivations for writing the novel, what it was like marrying real life with fiction and what she thinks Hillary herself might think of the book. It was a fascinating chat and we then dive into our thoughts on the book (the chat and discussion is largely spoiler-free!) Later, more book chat as Francesca discusses writer Emma Gannon's debut novel Olive, and Helena is gearing up to read new novel Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick. Enjoy!