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The Daughters of Yalta

The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War

Audiobook
1 of 5 copies available
1 of 5 copies available

The untold story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and of the conference's fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II.

Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days.
Kathleen Harriman was a champion skier, war correspondent, and daughter of U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman. Sarah Churchill, an actress-turned-RAF officer, was devoted to her brilliant father, who depended on her astute political mind. Roosevelt's only daughter, Anna, chosen instead of her mother Eleanor to accompany the president to Yalta, arrived there as keeper of her father's most damaging secrets. Situated in the political maelstrom that marked the transition to a post- war world, The Daughters of Yalta is a remarkable story of fathers and daughters whose relationships were tested and strengthened by the history they witnessed and the future they crafted together.
Narrated by Christine Rendel

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      This fascinating audiobook changes the focus from three of the men who helped win WWII to their daughters, whose collective efforts were surprisingly helpful to the war effort, particularly at the Yalta Conference in 1945. In attendance were Kathleen Harriman, Sarah Churchill, and Anna Roosevelt, daughters of the U.S. ambassador to Russia, the British prime minister, and the U.S. president, respectively. Christine Rendel's performance complements Katz's excellent narrative. Rendel's use of inflection and her ability to use tone and emotion to convey the unique dynamic between fathers and daughters bring to life the astute intellects of these women, as well as the ability of their fathers to respect and consider their views, despite the norms of the times. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from July 13, 2020
      Historian Katz debuts with a vivid and revealing account of the backstage roles played by the daughters of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union W. Averell Harriman at the 1945 Yalta Peace Conference. Recently diagnosed with acute congestive heart failure, Roosevelt relied on his daughter, Anna, to help conceal his poor health from other attendees. Kathy Harriman learned Russian in order to serve as her father’s de facto protocol officer, Katz writes, and oversaw final preparations at the U.S. delegation’s residence. Actor Sarah Churchill had a “deep connection” with her father, according to Katz, and, despite tensions over her marriage to an older man, was the “ideal choice” to serve as his “all-around protector, supporter, and confidant.” Gleaning a treasure trove of details from memoirs, diaries, and letters, Katz documents poor sanitary conditions (too few bathrooms, too many bed bugs) at the ransacked summer palaces where the delegations stayed, analyzes diplomatic maneuverings, and shares plenty of spicy gossip, including Averell Harriman’s affair with Winston Churchill’s much younger daughter-in-law. This sparkling account offers a fresh take on a decisive moment in the history of WWII and the Cold War. Agent: Michael Carlisle, InkWell Management.

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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