Kingmaker

Two new audiobooks--THE STALIN AFFAIR and now this full biography--present a fresh, sympathetic view of one of the last century's most intriguing and maligned figures, Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman. She was the daughter-in-law of Winston Churchill, the widow of the astronomically wealthy Averill Harriman, the lover of a legion of powerful men, the patron to a generation of liberal politicians--and arguably, says this author, "the most powerful courtesan in history." Judgments may vary, but what a life beautiful, smart, adventuresome Pamela Digby made for herself. Narrator Louise Brealey's high pitch might sound harsh to some ears, but she keeps up a brisk pace and delivers her narration without frills or melodrama. The result is interesting, to say the least. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2025

Award-winning journalist Purnell's latest Churchill family biography (following Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill) about English political activist and diplomat Pamela Harriman is triumphantly delivered by narrator Louise Brealey. While Harriman has often been overlooked or dismissed as little more than a courtesan, Purnell reveals her to have been a powerful political actor. Harriman married Winston Churchill's son Randolph when she was 19; overwhelmed by his gambling, drinking, and adulterous affairs, she divorced him six years later. During WWII, she was instrumental in gathering intelligence during state events and dinners and through targeted romantic engagements. In 1959, she married Broadway producer Leland Hayward, who died in 1971. After she lost her third husband, emissary Averell Harriman, to cancer, her worldly experiences gave her the confidence to speak at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in favor of the Mondale-Ferraro ticket. Nearly a decade later, she helped broker an end to the conflict in Bosnia. VERDICT Purnell's relatable biography of a little-understood stateswoman and political influencer is illuminating and remains highly relevant, though nearly three decades have passed since her death. This vigorous account is recommended for fans of Purnell's Clementine.--Sharon Sherman

Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Pamela Churchill Harriman, the United States Ambassador to France, died in Paris on 5 February 1997 at the age of 76. President of France, Jacques Chirac, posthumously awarded her the Grand Croix of the Légion d’Honneur in appreciation of the work she did to stabilise the French-American relationship after many years of distrust. President Clinton sent Air Force One to return her body to the United States. The two presidents held her in high esteem. Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell’s well-researched biography of Pamela, quotes many opinions that say otherwise. But as Celia Sandys, Winston Churchill’s granddaughter, reminded Pamela in a letter: ‘You can’t make that much of a splash in the world without making enemies.’    Pamela was born in 1920. Her father, Edward Digby, was the eldest son of the 10th Baron Digby; her mother, Constance, was a daughter of the 2nd Baron Aberdare. Soon after her birth, she and her parents moved to Melbourne when her father was appointed military secretary to the Governor-General of Australia. Constance considered her daughter ‘wilful’ and hoped she would marry within the aristocracy. There was always a warm welcome whenever Pamela tired of her hectic life in London, Paris or Washington DC. There were servants galore at Mintern House, the ancestral home in Dorset. Pamela wanted fewer servants and a larger dress allowance.    Eddie, Pamela’s brother, was sent – at the age of eight – to boarding school in preparation for Eton. Pamela was envious of Eddie’s male privilege. She was educated at home by a series of governesses and later sent to Munich to learn German and Paris to learn French. Her father was concerned that over-educated girls would deter suitors. Portraits of ancestors were everywhere in Mintern House. One that intrigued Pamela was of Jane Elizabeth Digby (1807-1881) that was on a wall in a dark passage rarely used by family and visitors. The painting was hidden away, she learned, as Jane was notorious. What she eventually found out, influenced her attitude as to how she would lead her own life. Jane Elizabeth had four husbands and many lovers: Lord Ellenborough, Governor-General of India; King Ludwig I of Bavaria; King Otto of Greece; Prince Felix zu Schwartzenberg and the Greek General Christodoulos Hatzipetros to name a few. She had six children and died in Damascus, then part of the Ottoman Empire, as the wife of Arab Sheikh Medjuel el Mezrab, who was 20 years her junior. In 1938, the upper-class marriage market known as ‘the season’ was still popular. Pamela and a friend, Popsy Winn, were rehearsing their curtseys for when their time came to be presented to the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace. Popsy introduced Pamela to her mother, Olive, Lady Baillie, an Anglo-American heiress, landowner and hostess. This introduction, according to the author of this biography, was to ‘change Pamela’s life’. Lady Baillie encouraged Pamela’s fascination with wealth, power and powerful men. More importantly, Olive Baillie stressed, wealth and power could and should be used for good. Kingmaker is revelatory, entertaining and fascinating. It is divided into three major sections: War, Peace and Power. Readers interested in the sensational gossip need only read the first two sections and skim over the third. If you want to know why Pamela is known as a kingmaker, don’t miss the final section: Power. Reviewed by Clive Hodges   ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sonia Purnell is a bestselling and prize-winning author celebrated for her lively writing style and meticulous research with a growing readership across the world. Her work has been optioned by several leading film-makers, won fans from all walks of life from presidents to physicians and been translated into more than...