From Publishers Weekly
Heymann, bestselling biographer of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Barbara Hutton, offers a captivating chronicle of the female power behind American politics in the latter half of the 20th century. In a time when men wrote the rules of the political game, he writes, five formidable women greatly influenced who won and who lost: Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham; Lorraine Cooper, wife of Kentucky's Sen. John Sherman Cooper; Evangeline Bruce, wife of U.S. ambassador David Bruce; Democratic Party fund-raiser (and later ambassador) Pamela Harriman, married to the powerful and wealthy Averell Harriman; and Sally Quinn, Washington Post writer and wife of the Post's former executive editor Ben Bradlee. While they had husbands in high places, these women wielded a vital political influence in Georgetown by organizing the parties where momentous meetings took place and decisions were made. These women were so compelling not only for their professional and political accomplishments and legendary dinner parties but for their dynamic, and often clashing, personalities and ambitions. Heymann deftly explores these personalities through interviews with family, friends, enemies, admirers and detractors. The resulting anecdotal social history of Georgetown is a winning combination of sex, scandal and political escapade. It also provides a complex portrait of its subjects. "What the Georgetown Five ultimately share is their ability to maintain a public pose, to protect the image they sought to create, no matter what the cost, no matter what the burden," writes Heymann, whose earlier books have become award-winning TV miniseries. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Heymann, the author of biographies of Jackie and Robert Kennedy, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Elizabeth Taylor, turns his attention to a group of women whom Ronald Reagan dubbed the Georgetown Ladies' Social Club: Katharine Graham, Lorraine Cooper, Evangeline Bruce, Pamela Harriman, and Sally Quinn. These influential hostesses wielded political and social power from their Georgetown homes, where the politicking done behind the scenes was sometimes as important as what was happening on Capitol Hill. Their stories overlap, but the similarities are striking. All of the women began their rise by standing on the shoulders of their husbands--ambassadors, a senator, newspapermen--but eventually they came to brandish power of their own. Following a loose chronological order, this well-researched account (bolstered by many primary-source interviews) tells the story of a time and a place, Washington from the 1950s into the present. Not surprisingly, the book is incredibly dishy, with some of the most intriguing stories having little to do with the ostensible subjects (e.g., the story of the mysterious murder of JFK's mistress, Mary Meyer, sister-in-law of Ben Bradlee). Heymann pulls out all the stops here, and the result is a well-researched, fast-paced, and fascinating look at dinner-party power-broking. Expect plenty of buzz around this one. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
The Toronto Sun An informative and entertaining book -- like the women it profiles.

The Washington Post Think Entertainment Tonight does Georgetown.

Liz Smith New York Post One juicy story after another. Mr. Heymann doesn't hold back. I couldn't put this book down....Don't miss it!


Review
Liz Smith New York Post One juicy story after another. Mr. Heymann doesn't hold back. I couldn't put this book down....Don't miss it!


Book Description
In this definitive portrait of the political and social life of Georgetown, bestselling biographer C. David Heymann chronicles the dinner parties, correspondence, overlappings, and underpinnings of some of the most influential women in Washington's history. "The Georgetown Ladies' Social Club" -- a term coined by Ronald Reagan -- comprises a list of formidable and fascinating women, among them Katharine Graham, Lorraine Cooper, Evangeline Bruce, Pamela Harriman, and Sally Quinn. Their husbands, government officials and newsmakers among them, relied on the ladies for their sharp wit and sensitivity, refined bearings, and congeniality. In a city characteristically and traditionally controlled by men, the Georgetown wives were, in turn, afforded an abundance of behind-the-scenes political clout. Filled with intriguing and often startling insights into Washington life, from the latter days of the Kennedy and Truman administrations to the Clinton era and the advent of President George W. Bush, The Georgetown Ladies' Social Club is a compelling testament to the sex, lies, and red tape of American politics.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In this definitive and first-time portrait of the political and social life of Georgetown, bestselling biographer C. David Heymann chronicles the dinner parties, correspondence, intersections, and overlappings of some of the most powerful women behind American politics. enry Kissinger pronounced that "the hand that mixes the Georgetown martini is time and again the hand that guides the destiny of the Western world." In this compelling book -- a heady mix of politics, sex, scandal, and power -- Heymann reveals the real moguls of Washington. "The Georgetown Ladies' Social Club," a term coined by Ronald Reagan, comprises a list of formidable and fascinating women, among them Katharine Graham, Lorraine Cooper, Evangeline Bruce, Pamela Harriman, and Sally Quinn. In a city characteristically and historically controlled by men, these women's social status and personal wealth (in addition to their courage, vision, and voracious ambition) afforded them an abundance of behind-the-scenes political clout. Through a combination of primary-source documents and personal interviews, Heymann offers intriguing and often startling insights into Washington life, from the latter days of the Truman administration to the advent of President George W. Bush. Filled with the history and lore of Georgetown itself, The Georgetown Ladies' Social Club is a riveting expose of the powers behind the throne, the women who made and make Washington tick.

SYNOPSIS

Prize-winning biography Heymann tells of a group of highly motivated and independent women who all happened to reside in the same place at roughly the same time, pursued common goals and interests, and were married to successful and power-driven men. Among those he discusses are Katharine Graham, Evangeline Bruce, Lorraine Cooper, Pamela Harriman, and Sally Quinn. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Washington Post

Think Entertainment Tonight does Georgetown.

Toronto Sun

An informative and entertaining book—like the women it profiles.

New York Post - Liz Smith

One juicy story after another. Mr. Heymann doesn't hold back. I couldn't put this book down....Don't miss it!

Publishers Weekly

Heymann, bestselling biographer of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Barbara Hutton, offers a captivating chronicle of the female power behind American politics in the latter half of the 20th century. In a time when men wrote the rules of the political game, he writes, five formidable women greatly influenced who won and who lost: Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham; Lorraine Cooper, wife of Kentucky's Sen. John Sherman Cooper; Evangeline Bruce, wife of U.S. ambassador David Bruce; Democratic Party fund-raiser (and later ambassador) Pamela Harriman, married to the powerful and wealthy Averell Harriman; and Sally Quinn, Washington Post writer and wife of the Post's former executive editor Ben Bradlee. While they had husbands in high places, these women wielded a vital political influence in Georgetown by organizing the parties where momentous meetings took place and decisions were made. These women were so compelling not only for their professional and political accomplishments and legendary dinner parties but for their dynamic, and often clashing, personalities and ambitions. Heymann deftly explores these personalities through interviews with family, friends, enemies, admirers and detractors. The resulting anecdotal social history of Georgetown is a winning combination of sex, scandal and political escapade. It also provides a complex portrait of its subjects. "What the Georgetown Five ultimately share is their ability to maintain a public pose, to protect the image they sought to create, no matter what the cost, no matter what the burden," writes Heymann, whose earlier books have become award-winning TV miniseries. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. Agent, Owen Laster. (Oct. 28) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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