What do you think?
Rate this book
Quentin & Flora: A Roosevelt and a Vanderbilt in Love during the Great War
For the first time, the compelling tale of Quentin Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son, and his secret fiancée, Flora Payne Whitney, is told in rich and absorbing detail by New York Times Bestselling-Author Chip Bishop.
At the ebb of the Gilded Age, young Quentin is the scion of America most celebrated political family. And lovely Flora is the privileged daughter of the Whitneys and the Vanderbilts, two of the nation's richest dynasties.
The lives of Quentin and Flora intersect at the dawn of the Great War in Europe after each has grown up in the public spotlight - he in the White House and she in the storied mansions of New York and Newport. His childhood precociousness charms the nation and parallels Flora's envelopment in her parents' worlds of high art, luxury yachts and personal unfaithfulness.
Quentin and Flora reach beyond their families' orbits to begin a searching adolescent companionship that evolves inexorably into a fairy tale romance, challenged by the danger of war and a vast and perilous ocean.
Through their actual letters, deeply unexplored for a hundred years, we share their youthful dreams and desires, and partake in the agony of their separation amid encircling, high-level political intrigue. We learn of their last night together, secluded on her father's yacht, and their hush-hush engagement.
Quentin sails for France with a determination to prove his stuff in aerial combat against the Kaiser's air force, only to be foiled at first by military indecisiveness and, ironically, his own exceptional competence. When an unexpected chance to fly comes, Quentin's choice opens a deep schism among the Roosevelts, one that pits father against sons. Is Quentin a victim or a slacker?
On the home front, Flora and an aging and embittered Theodore Roosevelt struggle to find a way through wartime red tape so she can go to France and marry Quentin before combat begins.
At last, freed from constraints, Quentin sets off for the war front. There, he powers his biplane deep into dangerous German-occupied skies in a thunderous clash that exposes both his bravado and courage.
For the centennial of the Great War, Quentin and Flora is a true and moving tale of courage, heroism and young love.
Set against the backdrop of Theodore Roosevelt's lofty expectations for his son and his own tragic demise, the story is a richly-drawn and gripping saga for the ages.
Superbly written and forcefully told, the book is a soon-to-be-classic page turner that will make you chuckle and compel you to weep.
At the ebb of the Gilded Age, young Quentin is the scion of America most celebrated political family. And lovely Flora is the privileged daughter of the Whitneys and the Vanderbilts, two of the nation's richest dynasties.
The lives of Quentin and Flora intersect at the dawn of the Great War in Europe after each has grown up in the public spotlight - he in the White House and she in the storied mansions of New York and Newport. His childhood precociousness charms the nation and parallels Flora's envelopment in her parents' worlds of high art, luxury yachts and personal unfaithfulness.
Quentin and Flora reach beyond their families' orbits to begin a searching adolescent companionship that evolves inexorably into a fairy tale romance, challenged by the danger of war and a vast and perilous ocean.
Through their actual letters, deeply unexplored for a hundred years, we share their youthful dreams and desires, and partake in the agony of their separation amid encircling, high-level political intrigue. We learn of their last night together, secluded on her father's yacht, and their hush-hush engagement.
Quentin sails for France with a determination to prove his stuff in aerial combat against the Kaiser's air force, only to be foiled at first by military indecisiveness and, ironically, his own exceptional competence. When an unexpected chance to fly comes, Quentin's choice opens a deep schism among the Roosevelts, one that pits father against sons. Is Quentin a victim or a slacker?
On the home front, Flora and an aging and embittered Theodore Roosevelt struggle to find a way through wartime red tape so she can go to France and marry Quentin before combat begins.
At last, freed from constraints, Quentin sets off for the war front. There, he powers his biplane deep into dangerous German-occupied skies in a thunderous clash that exposes both his bravado and courage.
For the centennial of the Great War, Quentin and Flora is a true and moving tale of courage, heroism and young love.
Set against the backdrop of Theodore Roosevelt's lofty expectations for his son and his own tragic demise, the story is a richly-drawn and gripping saga for the ages.
Superbly written and forcefully told, the book is a soon-to-be-classic page turner that will make you chuckle and compel you to weep.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 11, 2014
16 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 31, 2018
Theodore Roosevelt -- the "other" President Roosevelt. Not FDR of New Deal fame -- not Eleanor's husband. We're talking Theodore here, the one who loved national parks and who was the namesake of the Teddy Bear.
Now, having established that, this is a book about Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin.
Mom Edith called Quentin her "fine, bad little boy," and deemed him "the cleverest of the six" children. Dad Theodore was close to his children, although Quentin was just four when his father became President, so he spent his childhood years in the White House. TR felt Quentin in particular showed early signs of precociousness, and he felt Quentin might be the boy to follow him into politics.
"Archie and Quentin are just as cunning as they can be. If mother has a headache, I generally read to them or else tell them a story. They always clamor for the latter, and I always try to compromise on the former as I feel as though my powers of invention had completely given out."
"Quentin had overcome his bottom ranking in the family birth order to surpass his brothers and sisters in ability and promise. Unlike his brothers Ted, Kermit, and Archie, he was sensitive and affectionate, yet he bore an elfin playfulness that instantly won over his contemporaries and older adults. Quentin had an effortless smile and charm that overcame any sense of family entitlement. Moreover, he was a good and decent fellow. He had an expressive talent for poetry and prose born out of a voracious appetite for reading and conversation ... Theodore Roosevelt at last recognized his political heir."
Meanwhile, a little girl named Flora Whitney was growing up in privileged Newport and other exotic locales. Her mother had been a Vanderbilt. Somewhere in their late teen years, Flora and Quentin met and were immediately smitten with each other. However, WWI was breaking out and Quentin was eager to follow his brothers into the war effort.
He became a pilot, and made all sorts of efforts to get to the front. His brother Kermit said, "Quentin was gifted with that sixth sense that singles out the born aviator. Some men have an ability to call forth from machinery the best that is in it ... Quentin possessed this gift to a very marked degree." Knowing how this story ends, so often I wished he had been turned down in one of his requests to fly.
He and Flora wrote frequently while he was in Europe and she was back in the states. In one letter, she wrote, "And if things are so to be that you don't come back, why then the slim consolation I will have will be that your influence has made me what I am ..."
Flora's family was initially not that excited about the idea of her marrying Quentin, although the Roosevelts were fully supportive. Eventually, both family did what they could to help Flora travel to Europe to marry Quentin. But, rules of the time prohibited many women from heading over -- specifically, sisters of soldiers, and Flora's brother was on the front.
In any event, it was too late. According to famous flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, commander of a brother squadron, "Quentin was reckless to such a degree that his commanding officers had to caution him repeatedly about the senselessness of his lack of caution. His bravery was so notorious that we all knew that he would either achieve some great, spectacular success or be killed in the attempt." Sadly, Quentin was shot down by a German while in the midst of an air battle over France in July 1918.
Flora was in shock, and I also felt so bad for Quentin's mother, Edith, who had all four sons fighting in the war: "It is like becoming blind or deaf -- one just lives on, only in a different way," she wrote to a friend.
As mentioned before, I felt so sad reading this book, knowing the outcome. Still, it was well-written and I found it really interesting to learn more about the time period and the families involved.
Now, having established that, this is a book about Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin.
Mom Edith called Quentin her "fine, bad little boy," and deemed him "the cleverest of the six" children. Dad Theodore was close to his children, although Quentin was just four when his father became President, so he spent his childhood years in the White House. TR felt Quentin in particular showed early signs of precociousness, and he felt Quentin might be the boy to follow him into politics.
"Archie and Quentin are just as cunning as they can be. If mother has a headache, I generally read to them or else tell them a story. They always clamor for the latter, and I always try to compromise on the former as I feel as though my powers of invention had completely given out."
"Quentin had overcome his bottom ranking in the family birth order to surpass his brothers and sisters in ability and promise. Unlike his brothers Ted, Kermit, and Archie, he was sensitive and affectionate, yet he bore an elfin playfulness that instantly won over his contemporaries and older adults. Quentin had an effortless smile and charm that overcame any sense of family entitlement. Moreover, he was a good and decent fellow. He had an expressive talent for poetry and prose born out of a voracious appetite for reading and conversation ... Theodore Roosevelt at last recognized his political heir."
Meanwhile, a little girl named Flora Whitney was growing up in privileged Newport and other exotic locales. Her mother had been a Vanderbilt. Somewhere in their late teen years, Flora and Quentin met and were immediately smitten with each other. However, WWI was breaking out and Quentin was eager to follow his brothers into the war effort.
He became a pilot, and made all sorts of efforts to get to the front. His brother Kermit said, "Quentin was gifted with that sixth sense that singles out the born aviator. Some men have an ability to call forth from machinery the best that is in it ... Quentin possessed this gift to a very marked degree." Knowing how this story ends, so often I wished he had been turned down in one of his requests to fly.
He and Flora wrote frequently while he was in Europe and she was back in the states. In one letter, she wrote, "And if things are so to be that you don't come back, why then the slim consolation I will have will be that your influence has made me what I am ..."
Flora's family was initially not that excited about the idea of her marrying Quentin, although the Roosevelts were fully supportive. Eventually, both family did what they could to help Flora travel to Europe to marry Quentin. But, rules of the time prohibited many women from heading over -- specifically, sisters of soldiers, and Flora's brother was on the front.
In any event, it was too late. According to famous flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, commander of a brother squadron, "Quentin was reckless to such a degree that his commanding officers had to caution him repeatedly about the senselessness of his lack of caution. His bravery was so notorious that we all knew that he would either achieve some great, spectacular success or be killed in the attempt." Sadly, Quentin was shot down by a German while in the midst of an air battle over France in July 1918.
Flora was in shock, and I also felt so bad for Quentin's mother, Edith, who had all four sons fighting in the war: "It is like becoming blind or deaf -- one just lives on, only in a different way," she wrote to a friend.
As mentioned before, I felt so sad reading this book, knowing the outcome. Still, it was well-written and I found it really interesting to learn more about the time period and the families involved.
February 3, 2015
Actually, read the paperback which Goodreads doesn't list (pictures much better in paper).
Not a great book, rather ham-fisted at times stylistically, there are a couple of errors about the war, and the author isn't always consistent with his timeline as he attempts to sketch the parallel lives of his protagonists: Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son Quentin and Flora Vanderbilt, Cornelius's granddaughter. Still, despite its flaws, the book is an interesting sidelight for both the Roosevelts and for World War I (Quentin was an aviator).
As with all tales of the Great War, this is a sad, poignant story. This one leaves the reader wondering what might have been had TR's most promising son lived through the carnage.
Not a great book, rather ham-fisted at times stylistically, there are a couple of errors about the war, and the author isn't always consistent with his timeline as he attempts to sketch the parallel lives of his protagonists: Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son Quentin and Flora Vanderbilt, Cornelius's granddaughter. Still, despite its flaws, the book is an interesting sidelight for both the Roosevelts and for World War I (Quentin was an aviator).
As with all tales of the Great War, this is a sad, poignant story. This one leaves the reader wondering what might have been had TR's most promising son lived through the carnage.
April 24, 2014
Another Page-Turner by Chip Bishop
As much as I enjoyed The Lion and the Journalist, Quentin & Flora raised the bar. Well-researched, very informative, and exceedingly interesting - the book chronicles both the innocence of young love and the harsh realities of war.
Edwin O' Connor, Pulitzer Prize winning author from Woonsocket, R.I. (The Last Hurrah, The Edge of Sadness, and All in the Family), now has company as Woonsocket has produced another notable author.
Our senior English teacher Sarah Smith did her job well.
As much as I enjoyed The Lion and the Journalist, Quentin & Flora raised the bar. Well-researched, very informative, and exceedingly interesting - the book chronicles both the innocence of young love and the harsh realities of war.
Edwin O' Connor, Pulitzer Prize winning author from Woonsocket, R.I. (The Last Hurrah, The Edge of Sadness, and All in the Family), now has company as Woonsocket has produced another notable author.
Our senior English teacher Sarah Smith did her job well.
July 26, 2016
While this is billed as the story of Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son and his secret engagement to Flora Payne Whitney (whose mother was a Vanderbilt), it's really more than just an account of their relationship. That relationship is placed in a well-researched context. We see Quentin and Flora as children, growing up in very different circumstances (Quentin's time in the White House as a small, rambunctious boy was particularly interesting to me); we learn about Quentin's fascination with the young science of aviation; we understand why Flora felt she needed to hide the relationship (briefly) from her parents. I was slightly embarrassed as I read to realize how little I really know about T.R. (But at least I know more now than I did.)
Read
April 26, 2015Disappointing read. More about their families than about them.
October 14, 2015
An enjoyable read
Bishop has written an excellent account of Quentin Roosevelt and his relationship with Flora Whitney. The book was quite enjoyable.
Bishop has written an excellent account of Quentin Roosevelt and his relationship with Flora Whitney. The book was quite enjoyable.
January 13, 2015
Very interesting if you like history, but not much of a love story
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews