Overview

“A thorough account of Harriman’s rise which also manages to be a brisk, twisty read … riveting and revelatory.” —The New Yorker “Rigorous but rollicking.” —The New York Times From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, an electrifying re-examination of one of the 20th century’s greatest unsung power players When Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were predictably scathing – and many were downright sexist. Written off as a mere courtesan and social climber, her true legacy was overshadowed by a glamorous social life and her infamous erotic adventures. Much of what she did behind the scenes – on both sides of the Atlantic - remained invisible and secret. That is, until now: with a wealth of fresh research, interviews and newly discovered sources, Sonia Purnell unveils for the first time the full, spectacular story of how she left an indelible mark on the world today. At age 20 Churchill’s beloved daughter-in-law became a “secret weapon” during World War II, strategically wining, dining, and seducing diplomats and generals to help win over American sentiment (and secrets) to the British cause against Hitler. After the war, she helped to transform Fiat heir Gianni Agnelli into Italy’s ‘uncrowned king’ on the international stage and after moving to the US brought a struggling Democratic party back to life, hand-picking Bill Clinton from obscurity and vaulting him to the presidency. Picked as Ambassador to France, she deployed her legendary subtle powers to charm world leaders and help efforts to bring peace to Bosnia, playing her part in what was arguably the high-water mark of American global supremacy. There are few at any time who have operated as close to the center of power over five decades and two continents, and there is practically no one in 20th Century politics, culture, and fashion whose lives she did not touch, including the Kennedys, Truman Capote, Aly Khan, Kay Graham, Gloria Steinem, Ed Murrow, and Frank Sinatra. Written with the novelistic richness and investigative rigor that only Sonia Purnell could bring to this story full of sex, politics, yachts, palaces and fabulous clothes, KINGMAKER re-asserts Harriman’s rightful place at the heart of history.

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Reviews

This is a deliciously seductive read. Sonia Purnell escorts readers behind the scenes, beneath the covers, and between the lines in an enthralling and exhaustive portrait of Pamela Harriman, whose life and legacy have long deserved the kind of insightful treatment that someone with Purnell’s storytelling talents can provide. Harriman stands fully and uncompromisingly on her own, a testament to Purnell’s sumptuous prose and unrelenting investigative talents—Kingmaker is masterfully wrought.  —Denise Kiernan, New York Times bestselling author of The Girls of Atomic City, The Last Castle, and We Gather Together A completely fascinating and revelatory biography, written with great aplomb, insight and shrewd analysis. A triumph. —William Boyd, Booker–nominated author of Any Human Heart With Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell emerges as one of the most accomplished biographers of our time. Once again, she gifts readers with a vivid, glittering, sexy, scintillating, beautifully written portrait of a woman who drove twentieth-century history even as history was driving her. Wife, courtesan, hostess, muse, mistress, social climber, fundraiser, ambassador: The English language has no single word to describe an ambitious female whose fate (across generations) depended on her skill at connecting, cajoling, wooing, and winning over. Today, of course, we'd call her a politician. Kingmaker is a rich and nuanced study of power—its allure, its perils, the gratifications and the great cost of its pursuit.  —Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA A superb and fascinating account of Pamela Churchill Harriman's life. It certainly puts the record straight and I can't recommend it more. —Lady Anne Glenconner, bestselling author of Lady in Waiting A perfumed seductress with a big heart and even bigger hair, Pamela Harriman trailed jewels and luxury as she befriended everyone from Sinatra and Mandela to Kennedy and Nixon. In Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell triumphantly resurrects this British-born aristocrat (and daughter-in-law of Winston Churchill) whose life was intertwined with many of the greatest movers and shakers of the twentieth century. Addicted to men with riches and power, Pamela's lack of formal education proved no handicap to her becoming President Clinton's hand-picked ambassador to France. Meticulously researched and served up with great panache, this is the biography that Pamela Harriman so richly deserves. —Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance that Won the War “a vibrant portrait of an influential political player … Meticulous research informs a captivating biography.” —Starred Kirkus Review

“This is a deliciously seductive read. Sonia Purnell escorts readers behind the scenes, beneath the covers, and between the lines in an enthralling and exhaustive portrait of Pamela Harriman, whose life and legacy have long deserved the kind of insightful treatment that someone with Purnell’s storytelling talents can provide. Harriman stands fully and uncompromisingly on her own, a testament to Purnell’s sumptuous prose and unrelenting investigative talents—Kingmaker is masterfully wrought.” —Denise Kiernan, New York Times bestselling author of The Girls of Atomic City, The Last Castle, and We Gather Together “A completely fascinating and revelatory biography, written with great aplomb, insight and shrewd analysis. A triumph.” —William Boyd, Booker–nominated author of Any Human Heart “With Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell emerges as one of the most accomplished biographers of our time. Once again, she gifts readers with a vivid, glittering, sexy, scintillating, beautifully written portrait of a woman who drove twentieth-century history even as history was driving her. Wife, courtesan, hostess, muse, mistress, social climber, fundraiser, ambassador: The English language has no single word to describe an ambitious female whose fate (across generations) depended on her skill at connecting, cajoling, wooing, and winning over. Today, of course, we'd call her a politician. Kingmaker is a rich and nuanced study of power—its allure, its perils, the gratifications and the great cost of its pursuit.” —Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA “A superb and fascinating account of Pamela Churchill Harriman's life. It certainly puts the record straight and I can't recommend it more.” —Lady Anne Glenconner, bestselling author of Lady in Waiting “A perfumed seductress with a big heart and even bigger hair, Pamela Harriman trailed jewels and luxury as she befriended everyone from Sinatra and Mandela to Kennedy and Nixon. In Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell triumphantly resurrects this British-born aristocrat (and daughter-in-law of Winston Churchill) whose life was intertwined with many of the greatest movers and shakers of the twentieth century. Addicted to men with riches and power, Pamela's lack of formal education proved no handicap to her becoming President Clinton's hand-picked ambassador to France. Meticulously researched and served up with great panache, this is the biography that Pamela Harriman so richly deserves.” —Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance that Won the War “a vibrant portrait of an influential political player … Meticulous research informs a captivating biography.” —Kirkus, Starred Review “A compulsively readable, multifaceted portrait of an oft-misunderstood woman whose role in twentieth-century geopolitics has, until now, been severely underappreciated.” —Booklist, Starred Review “An incredible story, beautifully told, of a remarkable woman whose political influence spanned Churchill to Clinton. Quite a woman, quite a read.” —Alastair Campbell, former Director of Communication for the Prime Minister “Wonderful … brilliantly readable and fair minded. Was there anyone else like Pamela Churchill Harriman?  And will there ever be again?” —Anne Sebba, bestselling author of That Woman

This is a deliciously seductive read. Sonia Purnell escorts readers behind the scenes, beneath the covers, and between the lines in an enthralling and exhaustive portrait of Pamela Harriman, whose life and legacy have long deserved the kind of insightful treatment that someone with Purnell’s storytelling talents can provide. Harriman stands fully and uncompromisingly on her own, a testament to Purnell’s sumptuous prose and unrelenting investigative talents—Kingmaker is masterfully wrought.  —Denise Kiernan, New York Times bestselling author of The Girls of Atomic City, The Last Castle, and We Gather Together A completely fascinating and revelatory biography, written with great aplomb, insight and shrewd analysis. A triumph. —William Boyd, Booker–nominated author of Any Human Heart With Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell emerges as one of the most accomplished biographers of our time. Once again, she gifts readers with a vivid, glittering, sexy, scintillating, beautifully written portrait of a woman who drove twentieth-century history even as history was driving her. Wife, courtesan, hostess, muse, mistress, social climber, fundraiser, ambassador: The English language has no single word to describe an ambitious female whose fate (across generations) depended on her skill at connecting, cajoling, wooing, and winning over. Today, of course, we'd call her a politician. Kingmaker is a rich and nuanced study of power—its allure, its perils, the gratifications and the great cost of its pursuit.  —Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA A superb and fascinating account of Pamela Churchill Harriman's life. It certainly puts the record straight and I can't recommend it more. —Lady Anne Glenconner, bestselling author of Lady in Waiting A perfumed seductress with a big heart and even bigger hair, Pamela Harriman trailed jewels and luxury as she befriended everyone from Sinatra and Mandela to Kennedy and Nixon. In Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell triumphantly resurrects this British-born aristocrat (and daughter-in-law of Winston Churchill) whose life was intertwined with many of the greatest movers and shakers of the twentieth century. Addicted to men with riches and power, Pamela's lack of formal education proved no handicap to her becoming President Clinton's hand-picked ambassador to France. Meticulously researched and served up with great panache, this is the biography that Pamela Harriman so richly deserves. —Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance that Won the War

“a thorough account of Harriman’s rise which also manages to be a brisk, twisty read … riveting and revelatory.” —The New Yorker “rigorous but rollicking” —The New York Times ""Insightful… Pamela, in Purnell’s deft hands, blossoms into a fascinating subject.” “Kingmaker is meticulously researched; highly readable…the tone and pace flawless; the scene-setting always vivid.”  —The Financial Times “This is a deliciously seductive read. Sonia Purnell escorts readers behind the scenes, beneath the covers, and between the lines in an enthralling and exhaustive portrait of Pamela Harriman, whose life and legacy have long deserved the kind of insightful treatment that someone with Purnell’s storytelling talents can provide. Harriman stands fully and uncompromisingly on her own, a testament to Purnell’s sumptuous prose and unrelenting investigative talents—Kingmaker is masterfully wrought.” —Denise Kiernan, New York Times bestselling author of The Girls of Atomic City, The Last Castle, and We Gather Together “A completely fascinating and revelatory biography, written with great aplomb, insight and shrewd analysis. A triumph.” —William Boyd, Booker–nominated author of Any Human Heart “With Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell emerges as one of the most accomplished biographers of our time. Once again, she gifts readers with a vivid, glittering, sexy, scintillating, beautifully written portrait of a woman who drove twentieth-century history even as history was driving her. Wife, courtesan, hostess, muse, mistress, social climber, fundraiser, ambassador: The English language has no single word to describe an ambitious female whose fate (across generations) depended on her skill at connecting, cajoling, wooing, and winning over. Today, of course, we'd call her a politician. Kingmaker is a rich and nuanced study of power—its allure, its perils, the gratifications and the great cost of its pursuit.” —Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA “a must-read book of Fall 2024” —People Magazine “A superb and fascinating account of Pamela Churchill Harriman's life. It certainly puts the record straight and I can't recommend it more.” —Lady Anne Glenconner, bestselling author of Lady in Waiting “A perfumed seductress with a big heart and even bigger hair, Pamela Harriman trailed jewels and luxury as she befriended everyone from Sinatra and Mandela to Kennedy and Nixon. In Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell triumphantly resurrects this British-born aristocrat (and daughter-in-law of Winston Churchill) whose life was intertwined with many of the greatest movers and shakers of the twentieth century. Addicted to men with riches and power, Pamela's lack of formal education proved no handicap to her becoming President Clinton's hand-picked ambassador to France. Meticulously researched and served up with great panache, this is the biography that Pamela Harriman so richly deserves.” —Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance that Won the War “a vibrant portrait of an influential political player … Meticulous research informs a captivating biography.” —Kirkus, Starred Review “A compulsively readable, multifaceted portrait of an oft-misunderstood woman whose role in twentieth-century geopolitics has, until now, been severely underappreciated.” —Booklist, Starred Review “An incredible story, beautifully told, of a remarkable woman whose political influence spanned Churchill to Clinton. Quite a woman, quite a read.” —Alastair Campbell, former Director of Communication for the Prime Minister “[T]his captivating new look from Sonia Purnell not only sees Harriman for who she truly was, but it avoids judgement and tired tropes. Instead, it digs deep into what made Harriman who she was—sharp, tactical, power-hungry, generous, infamous—and why she managed to find herself at the crux of almost every major event in her lifetime. It's a crash course in history, to be sure, but also a finely observed story of becoming who you're meant to be—whether the world approves or not.” —Town & Country “Wonderful … brilliantly readable and fair minded. Was there anyone else like Pamela Churchill Harriman?  And will there ever be again?” —Anne Sebba, bestselling author of That Woman “Kingmaker could have been merely about the undemocratic power of money and connections – or merely “high gutter” – but in Purnell’s hands, it becomes a study of the limited means of influence available to ambitious women of Harriman’s generation.” —The Telegraph “Casting Harriman as neither villain nor victim, Purnell proposes that for a jolly, pudgy, uneducated teenage daughter of a cash-poor English baron to ascend as Pamela did is nothing short of astounding—and evidence of a steel will, a keen intelligence, and unflagging ambition.” —Commentary Magazine “Ms. Purnell recasts her subject as a shrewd diplomat and political operator” —The Wall Street Journal “There have been very few dissections of how power is achieved and works that is as good as Purnell’s tremendous biography, who has given us a page turner that matches her subject in verve and ambition.” —The Irish Examiner “Purnell succeeds in conveying Harriman’s genuine political skills and her interest in using the insider knowledge she gathered, whether whispered in bed or brandished at one of her dinner parties….Purnell has brough her subject out from between the sheets and enabled her to stand in her elegant clothes, coiffed hair and jewels…” —Airmail

Author Information

Sonia Purnell is a biographer and journalist who has worked at The Economist, The Telegraph, and The Sunday Times. Her book A Woman of No Importance was a New York Times bestseller, the winner of the Plutarch Award for Best Biography, and chosen as “Best Book Of The Year” by NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, and more. Her book Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill (published as First Lady in the UK) was chosen as a book of the year by The Telegraph and The Independent, and was a finalist for the Plutarch Award. Her first book, Just Boris, was longlisted for the Orwell prize.

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