• The Daughters of Yalta

  • The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War
  • By: Catherine Grace Katz
  • Narrated by: Christine Rendel
  • Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (603 ratings)

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The Daughters of Yalta

By: Catherine Grace Katz
Narrated by: Christine Rendel
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Publisher's summary

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

©2020 Catherine Grace Katz (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Engaging

This is an interesting take on an almost forgotten summit meeting in Yalta near the end of WWII.

The book is well written and researched. I learned a few new items about the meeting in Yalta; but, I also learned something about each of these daughters of Churchill, Roosevelt and Harriman. It was great to obtain a view of each of these famous men through the eyes of their daughters. I read with the benefit of hindsight, therefore, felt Winston Churchill’s frustration even more as he tried to warn Roosevelt about Stalin’s pending power grab and what the fate of Poland and other boarder countries under USSR would be. But no one would listen to Churchill. If you are interested in this period of history, I highly recommend this book.

The book is fourteen hours and fifty-five minutes. Christine Rendel does a good job narrating the book. Rendel is a British voice-over artist and audiobook narrator.

I

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14 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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my review daughter's of yalta.

history I had never heard before, very good narrator. the yalta meeting from 3 different views.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Vibrant, personal perspective on history

The author makes history come to life and illustrate the challenges and difficulties of this pivotal moment in history.

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6 people found this helpful

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Backstage Fathers-Daughters at Yalta

Interesting narrative and (sometimes too) much detail about the preparations for, Yalta itself and the Yalta aftermath relative to the principals and WW 2 history in general.

The father-daughter relationship is described - the geopolitical and war strategy described and then much detail about the days go to; within and leaving the conference at Yalta.

Narrative is at its strongest when it focused upon the actions that three daughters took - not just hostesses - but organizing and 'running interference' for their fathers - and being 'back stage help' in soothing the many egos on the Allied side.

Roosevelt was a 'sick man' - and Anna knew this and became his protector to the best of her ability - using her own and her 'moral' authority she attempted to reduce her father's workload.

Narrative also tells the tale of the shift in relative world power at the end of WW2 - England's capabilities and world standing being diminished and the U.S.' and Soviet Union's capabilities and world standing being increased. This was a source of friction. There is something here for those who study U.S.- China relations in the current time frame.

Narrative is weaker when it drifts out into GeoPolitics and War Strategy.

Narrative has much detail within it - representing the most important discussion/decision areas - and some less important decision areas - I would think much like the conference itself.

There was mention of the cottage industry of 'second guessing' the West's capabilities and outcomes at Yalta....."Roosevelt was outfoxed at Yalta...." A clearer perspective might be that Roosevelt's main goals involved the Peace Organization (U.N.) and getting the Soviets to declare war against the Japanese - both of these things happened. He, Roosevelt had to make concessions in other areas to obtain his goals. Additionally I'm not sure what the U.S. could have done short of going to war - so as to evict the Red Army from boots on the ground in Poland (?) which is what the critics think could have been negotiated away from the Soviets.

An interesting perspective on an important conference; and important time - shift from hot War; to Cold War; shift in balance of power away from United Kingdom to the United States.

Should be of interest to those who read history, WW2 and foreign policy.

Carl Gallozzi

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4 people found this helpful

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Beautifully written and narrated

I’ve read a lot about World War II and this book gave me fresh insight into intimate personal details about FDR, Churchill, and Harriman. Stalin is a mystery but I understand what they didn’t because I read Stalin, the Red Czar. That said I feel the daughters letters and additional documentation helped me to a better understanding of WWII.

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4 people found this helpful

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The Daughters

This was fascinating & educational. I learned so much history & yet it read like a novel. It should be a miniseries. The performance was most excellent.

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2 people found this helpful

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A Fortunate recommendation

So insightful, every page. On a topic almost forgotten. I am fortunate this book was recommended to me.

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great book

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I enjoyed the story from the three daughters. I learned a lot about the Yalta conference

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Educational

I learned so much from this book but it was too long. I skimmed over some of the middle chapters. Roosevelt was not the hero I had thought he was

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Well written and fascinating story!

The intimate details of these 3 amazing women during their time with their fathers in Yalta.

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