From Publishers Weekly
Bestselling novelist and first daughter Truman brings readers inside the White House, taking them on a notably reverential tour of its storied history, its well-known architecture and its intricate behind-the-scenes workings. There's a lighthearted jaunt through the White House kitchen, where one strong-willed housemaid kept serving President Truman brussels sprouts, though he hated them. The tour then goes to the White House garden, where Lincoln's gardener offered the first lady tips on hiding her excessive shopping expenses. Much of Truman's narrative is history lite aimed at the Martha Stewart set. Yet it contains just enough interesting anecdotes and stirring pageantry to be of interest to the general reader who's curious about how the White House functions. Truman dishes the gossip, especially about the White House as a social setting. For example, she describes Madame Chiang Kai-shek (wife of the Chinese general) as one of the most insufferable houseguests ever. Truman devotes separate chapters to the household staff, the political staff, the press corps, the security staff, White House weddings, first ladies, first children and even first pets: after the Clinton-era rivalry between Socks the cat and Buddy the dog, Socks ended up with a staffer while Buddy stayed with the Clintons. Despite the breeziness of this account, Truman does a fine job of evoking America's most famous residence as a place with "a unique combination of history, tragedy, comedy, melodrama and the ups and downs of ordinary living." 75 color and b&w photos. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Truman shares personal insights as she takes readers on a historical tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. She vividly describes the building's evolution into the magnificent structure it is today. In addition, stories about staff, brides, children who grew up in the White House, and the care and feeding of guests make this much more than a dry examination of plaster and wood. Black-and-white and color photos are included. The book's readability makes this a painless history lesson, especially for reluctant readers.–Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
Former first daughter Margaret Truman conducts a chatty insider's tour of the White House sure to intrigue an entire nation of nosy neighbors. Obviously delighted to share her enthusiastic affection for her onetime home, Truman offers a highly intimate overview of both the building itself and of the generations of temporary inhabitants who left their unique stamps upon the hallowed halls of the executive mansion. Following a brief history of the origins and the evolution of the design and the physical layout of the White House, she turns her attention to the presidents, the first ladies, the politicians, the household servants, the distinguished guests, the media, the children, and the pets who animated the most recognizable and most culturally significant building in the Western World for the past two centuries. Truman's conversational style will draw readers in while a wealth of irresistibly gossipy anecdotes--including, understandably, quite a large number from the Truman years--will keep the pages turning at a rapid pace. Never dry or dull, the energetic narrative brings the history of this almost mythical residence to life. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“Always riveting . . . the book beguiles; it provokes laughter and the occasional deep emotion.”
–Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Colorful stories and vignettes . . . The intimate tone and interesting insider information make The President’s House feel like a personal behind-the-scenes tour.”
–Orlando Sentinel

“With refreshing candor . . . Margaret Truman has written a vastly entertaining and highly informative account of the White House. In the pages of what was obviously a labor of love, she excels at sharing that love with her readers.”
–Richmond Times-Dispatch

“A fascinating story about the most noted address in America.”
–The Oklahoman

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"As Margaret Truman knows from firsthand experience, living in the White House can be exhilirating and maddening, alarming and exhausting - but it is certainly never dull. Part private residence, part goldfish bowl, and part national shrine, the White House is both the most important address in America and the most intensely scrutinized in this splendid blend of the personal and historic. Margaret Truman offers an unforgettable tour of "the president's house" across the span of two centuries." "Opened (though not finished) in 1800 and originally dubbed a "palace," the White House has been fascinating from day one. In Thomas Jefferson's day, it was a reeking construction site where congressmen complained of the hazards of open rubbish pits. Andrew Jackson's supporters, descending twenty thousand strong from the backwoods of Kentucky and Tennessee, nearly destroyed the place during his first inaugural. Teddy Roosevelt expanded it; Jackie Kennedy and Pat Nixon redecorated it. Through all the vicissitudes of its history, the White House has transformed the characters, and often the fates, of its powerful occupants." "In The President's House, Margaret Truman takes us behind the scenes, into the deepest recesses and onto the airiest balconies, as she reveals what it feels like to live in the White House. Here are hilarious stories of Teddy Roosevelt's rambunctious children tossing spitballs at presidential portraits - as well as a heartbreaking account of the tragedy that befell President Coolidge's young son, Calvin, Jr. Here, too, is the real story of the Lincoln Bedroom and the thrilling narrative of how First Lady Dolley Madison rescued a priceless portrait of George Washington and a copy of the Declaration of Independence before British soldiers torched the White House in 1814." From the basement swarming with reporters to the Situation Room crammed with sophisticated technology to the Oval Office where the president receives the world's leaders, the White Hous

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Bestselling novelist and first daughter Truman brings readers inside the White House, taking them on a notably reverential tour of its storied history, its well-known architecture and its intricate behind-the-scenes workings. There's a lighthearted jaunt through the White House kitchen, where one strong-willed housemaid kept serving President Truman brussels sprouts, though he hated them. The tour then goes to the White House garden, where Lincoln's gardener offered the first lady tips on hiding her excessive shopping expenses. Much of Truman's narrative is history lite aimed at the Martha Stewart set. Yet it contains just enough interesting anecdotes and stirring pageantry to be of interest to the general reader who's curious about how the White House functions. Truman dishes the gossip, especially about the White House as a social setting. For example, she describes Madame Chiang Kai-shek (wife of the Chinese general) as one of the most insufferable houseguests ever. Truman devotes separate chapters to the household staff, the political staff, the press corps, the security staff, White House weddings, first ladies, first children and even first pets: after the Clinton-era rivalry between Socks the cat and Buddy the dog, Socks ended up with a staffer while Buddy stayed with the Clintons. Despite the breeziness of this account, Truman does a fine job of evoking America's most famous residence as a place with "a unique combination of history, tragedy, comedy, melodrama and the ups and downs of ordinary living." 75 color and b&w photos. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

First daughter Truman, known for her 19 best-selling "Capitol Crimes" mystery novels, takes readers on a tour of the White House. From George Washington to George W. Bush, she covers the history of the many Presidents and their families who have also made it their home, using an approach akin to a "walking tour." Throughout, she shares intriguing gossip, anecdotes, and pageantry about the White House, as well as little-known trivia about Presidents, first ladies, first daughters, first sons, and even first pets. Truman's own experience of living in the White House helps her relate its inner workings to her audience, and she does a good job conveying light history and the drama of family life. Yet with neither a bibliography nor any source notes, this title is more suitable for historical trivia collections in public libraries. For more historical value, look to William Seale's The President's House or John and Claire Whitcomb's Real Life at the White House. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/03.]-Dale Farris, Groves, TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Truman shares personal insights as she takes readers on a historical tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. She vividly describes the building's evolution into the magnificent structure it is today. In addition, stories about staff, brides, children who grew up in the White House, and the care and feeding of guests make this much more than a dry examination of plaster and wood. Black-and-white and color photos are included. The book's readability makes this a painless history lesson, especially for reluctant readers.-Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews