Ike and Kay by James MacManus

Here is what it is about...

     In 1942, Kay Summersby’s life is changed forever when she is conscripted to drive General Eisenhower on his fact-finding visit to wartime London. Despite Eisenhower’s marriage to Mamie, the pair takes an immediate liking to each other and he buys Kay a rare wartime luxury: a box of chocolates.

     So begins a tumultuous relationship that, against all military regulation, sees Kay traveling with Eisenhower on missions to far-flung places before the final assault on Nazi Germany. The general does dangerously little to conceal his affair with the woman widely known as “Ike’s shadow,” and in letters Mamie bemoans his new obsession with “Ireland.” That does not stop him from using his influence to grant Kay citizenship and rank in the US army, drawing her closer still when he returns to America. When officials discover Eisenhower’s plans to divorce from his wife they threaten the fragile but passionate affair, and Kay is forced to take desperate measures to hold onto the man she loves . . .

Based on the scandalous true story of General Eisenhower’s secret World War II love affair, Ike and Kay is a compelling story of love, duty, sacrifice, and heartbreak, set against the backdrop of the most tumultuous period of the twentieth century. 

Here is what I thought...

     This is a lovely story of wartime friends who cared for and trusted each other for a long time before falling in love even when everyone was against it.

     The writer obviously has a bit of a biased towards Kay in this story.  Mamie is painted as the uptight, whiny, alcoholic wife at home and Ike is also portrayed as a bit of a bad guy in the end.  While I do feel Kay wasn’t treated fairly, she was not innocent. 

     About 45% into the story the characters get lost amid all the war and politically talk.We get them back but it threw me a bit right in the middle.  This is a very interesting part of history I knew nothing about and while I liked Kay I felt a bit more depth was needed in her feelings during the relationship and not just after.  3/5