Discover Life Of The Party: The Biography Of Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman Conceived By Christopher Ogden Offered As EPub

wanted to read about Ms, Harriman because I've "run into her" in so many other biographies, . . of Winston Churchill and of others who have had occasion to interact with her, She certainly had an interesting life! Reading this, more than decade after its publication when Pamela's primary skills were already passé, it was clear how much things have changed.


Pamela came out of theth century British aristocracy where only the first born male was entitled to inherit the family's property and power and to call it what it is/was human rights within a family.
Pamela could not expect familial affection or support, Her family turned her over to nannies and decreed that education, no matter how great her ability or curiosity, would hinder her marriage options,

Pamela made her own match did not wait for family negotiations and married what history made the ultimate commodity, a link through a male namesake, to Winston Churchill.
She used this "child" and followed the cultural and psychological patterns of aristocratic women by supporting and living through her man with a modern twist he did not have to be her husband.


WWII put a chink in the armor of the British class system and affirmed the American ideal of social equality, The super wealthy European men paid in cash and friendship for all she willingly gave, She wanted commitment, which due to European social codes, would not be forthcoming, No wonder Pamela was seduced in the pure sense of the word by America, In America she was able to achieve far beyond what her family or country c/would ever provide for her,

She was Darwinistic about men/marriage, If a man's wife was not as fit as her, Pamela had no qualms about the wife, Pamela should have the "position", Her sympathy for her second husband's mother over that of his children who had abandoned her family may be testament to an understanding of her emotional situation.


One can salute Pamela's achievements, but her treatment of others is too cold for sympathy, As presented here, her mothering of "The Child" and her stepchildren replicates that toward her in her own nuclear family, Her treatment of staff and other women is pure's sexism and a workaholic's view of the world, She rose above the rigid role of her family and society had given her, Unfortunately, within her intimate family birth and blended she could not break the chain of creating emotional liabilities,
Christopher Ogden makes this fascinating woman and the times in which she lived a very interesting read, Pamela was in the thick of many historical moments, Ogden also wrote about Margaret Thatcher which might be as well worthwhile to read, RE: Life of the Party

I read this book a while ago, before I joined Goodreads, So I can't write a detailed review, However, I did save the following quotation from the book:

"There has to be a certain amount of clutter to enforce your ownership of a room.
Flowers or pillows or photographs these can make a room suddenly spring to life, "
From p.of book, Life of the Party by Christopher Ogdenabout Pamela Churchill Leland Harrison, footnotes say the quote was taken from p,of "Architectural Digest", June.
Classic tale of a gold digger with the twist of said gold digger eventually makes herself productive person, I was on board with ol' Pam until she stole the jewelry that belonged to her stepdaughter's deceased mother,
Biography of Pamela Digby, who married Winston Churchill's son Randolph then became a high class courtesan in Britain and France during and after World War II, with countless lovers.
After which she moved to America and married Leland Hayward, after he died she married a former beau from WWII Avery Harriman, Fascinating look at the events of theth century through the life of a woman who knew in the Biblical sense of the world! and married some of the men who were right in the midst of it all prime minister's son, heir to a banking fortune, Hollywood producer, Democratic party political heavyweight.
. . talk about a woman who knew how to use her feminine power to its greatest advantage, sitelink blogspot . This was a fascinating read in terms of the historical background, in terms of the connections she had with pretty much anyone of importance, and finally in terms of how she managed to manipulate people and situations to get what she wanted.
I was left wanting to know more and have therefore bought two other books about Pamela Harriman, Interesting but a little too long, Mrs. Harriman evidently slept with every man in Europe and this book is full of all the salacious details, Shes just not very like able, Shes

cold, terrible mother to her son, nonexistent is really the word for her as a mother, Extremely calculating, she wanted money and went after men who had money, especially if they were already married, Fascinating life! Highly recommend this one, It is an unbelievable story of how someone who started at the bottom of the social system ended up right on top through several fortuitous marriages.
A modernday geisha to be sure! Pamela Digby Churchill Haywood Harrimans remarkable career shows just how far an uneducated woman from a very good family can go on looks, charm, chutzpah, steelyeyed determination and a willingness to sleep with many, any wealthy men.

Unauthorized, but written after many, many interviews with his subject, Christopher Ogden delivers a juicy biography that often reads more like something from a gossip magazine than a scholarly character study.


This was a great juicy winters read,
Amazing book about a woman that knew/rubbed elbows with famous people of the twentieth century, Daughterinlaw of Winston Churchill, married to Averil Harriman, Leland Hayward, Randolph Churchill, . . lover and mistress to Gianni Agnelli Fiat, Edward R, Murrow, William S. Paley, Elie de Rothschild and many more, Hugely influential and a fund raiser for the Democratic Party, she reportedly handpicked and championed Bill Clinton to the the Democratic candidate for president, SO many more interesting details about this amazing woman, Hard to put this one down once you get started! Churchill, Hayward. Harriman.

What I like about Pamela Harriman is that her life was newsworthy, noteworthy, she was self created, charismatic, indomitable and utterly unique,

This biography doesn't come close to capturing her life but it does give a bit of a roadmap to someone that peripherally appears in the biographies and memoirs of so many of the great political personalities of theth century.





This was my Christmas read back in, Very enjoyable and full of so many intriguing insights into this fantastic world that she lived in, An incredible woman. No rating. Ugh! I had to read this book after glancing at the frontcover photograph! Ms, Harriman was ruthless in her pursuit of rich men to keep her, She comes across as a bawdy, blowsyth century Madam could've been one in another life, And that's not a putdown, AnnMargret played her in a Lifetime biopic,.stars. Was she a scandalous woman, a high class tart, seducer, an “ultimate gold digger”, or powerful and connected force to be reckoned with Men paraded through her life.
She had a reputation as a femme fatale, marriage destroyer, home wrecker, and the other woman,

Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman rose from an English aristocrat sheltered in the country to the wife of Randolph Churchill, daughterinlaw to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill III, and lover to the rich and powerful.
She was transformed from a “giddy girl to a sophisticate” amassing “an incomparable collection of chums, patrons, and admirers” with a thirst for power, Her marriage to Randolph Churchill was unhappy but brought entry into the power, the Churchills, and provided the Child,

War time brought intense love affairs that would become scandalous if prolonged after the war, She collaborated with the allies providing them with information while living the high life, Her lovers were legion from generals to the news media, “ she was an equal opportunity playgirl and eventually sampled them all, ” To be a member of the Pamela club energized and excited some as she was shared among the “very rich, powerful and talented men, ”

Her affair during World War II with married diplomat and businessman W, Averell Harriman immersed her into power and his patronage and all things American,years her senior, his father built Union Pacific Railroad into a huge family fortune, He was the U. S. ambassador to both the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom in the's later becoming the United States Secretary of Commerce, theth Governor of New York, Assistant and Under Secretaries of State, and a twotime Democratic presidential candidate nominee.


During World War II, she fell in love with American CBS broadcast journalist and war correspondent Edward Murrow, who caused her to change her political beliefs and views.
She expected to marry him and her dream was to live in America, However, Ed backed out of leaving his wife, which brought her heartbreak, Postwar, depressed over her breakup with Ed, her whole life of men, parties, and power ended, She was now a divorcee with a young child that she had largely ignored,

InParis, Pamela met the son of Aga Khan, “then the fabulously wealthy Imam, or spiritual leader of the worlds Shia Imami Ismaili Moslems.
. . ” Her dalliance with international playboy Prince Aly Khan brought fun and excitement and a focus on the individual, In May, Pamela dropped off her friend, widowed Marchioness of Hartington Kathleen “Kick” sister of John F, Robert, and Teddy Kennedy, and her boyfriend, Lord Peter Fitzwilliam, at the airport shortly before their fatal plane crash, That same year, she metyearold Gianni Agnelli, heir to Italys Fiat automobile empire, and they began a fouryear affair, In the's, she became the mistress of banking financier and vineyardist Elie de Rothschild in Paris, For Elie, “she was a discreet mistress who made him feel good” and would focus her complete attention on him,

Pamela was attracted to rich and powerful men and became immersed in their lives making herself indispensable adopting each ones identity, interests, and life into hers.
Like a chamaeleon, she changed to meet each lovers wants, whims, and desires and catered to his every need making him hunger for her more and further entrenching herself in his life.
Men were attracted to her and she reveled in the attention and glamor bestowed on her in Paris in the's, Intelligent, pretty, and connected with the Churchill name, she opened doors politically and socially for her men, She made them want to adore and need her by pleasing them and kept them interested, She would enrich them as best as she could and men paid her for that satisfaction, She was a strong and independent woman and kept her affairs discreet, She was forthright and opinionated, She had an separate life and taught herself or found mentors to gain knowledge on art, antiques, interior decorating, wine, and horses, She had an unerring eye for interior decorating and landscaping, She had elegant and sophisticated tastes but made her home “welcoming and comfortable, ” She had an innate eye for the best, She became the “backroom” woman, where the knowledge, not the show, was more important, However, in reinventing herself to cater to her man, she was ruthless in excluding his children, family, and friends if contrary to her interests,

While the mistress of Elie, she met Broadway producer Leland Hayward, He called her “the greatest courtesan of the twentieth century, ” In, they married. In, his daughter, Brooke, published her memoir, Haywire, of her dysfunctional family and portrayed Pamela as the “Wicked Stepwitch of the West, ”

After the deaths of Leland in Marchand Averells wife in, Pamela and Averell Harriman reconnected rekindling their flame and married in September.
Once again, she took over his life and was merciless in excluding those who had shared his life the past four decades with his former wife, Marie.
She spent money discreetly at first and transformed their home inside and out, She convinced him to acquire a limousine, a chauffeur, and a private jet, Averell was a longtime Democratic supporter, politician and negotiator, After becoming an U. S. citizen, Pamela became very involved with the Democratic party creating fund raising “issues dinners” and political action committees, Former Democratic Party Chairman Bob Strauss, stated, “Pamela likes power, She is not a couch potato, She is a player. She wants to be a participant, not an observer, And, since shes in Washington, a town of power and politics, she wants to be a player in power and politics, ” She worked, she studied, and she succeeded, Averell died in. Pamelas efforts for the Democratic party and her support of Bill Clinton resulted in her becoming the United States Ambassador to France in,

This had me scouring Wikipedia and other sources, The book was chock full of information of Pamelas lovers, past marriages, and other men, It was highly entertaining, gossipy, well researched, informative, and educational, Pamela was ambitious and driven in her pursuit of fortune and security and woe to those who got in her way, I found her fascinating. Initially, the author had access to Pamela for six months as she had asked him to write her autobiography but she eventually backed out, An engaging and worthy read, What a calculating woman. She may not come off as likable, but you cant help but be impressed, Woman of money, power and fascination, What a broad! This is the biography of Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman, A hugely entertaining read. Exceptionally noteworthy read of reinventing oneself given the addition of the Churchill name as a launching pad, Pamela is a woman of grit who took note of her natural resources and levied them to the fullest to achieve one of the highest awards to the Ambassador to France under JFK!

From a naiveyear old to a world renown woman with connections at the highest levels across the broadest of spectrums.
She had a drive for perfection that wouldn't quit and a way of bringing herself into any room with pillows, flowers, and photographs, I didn't like her much so why did I read another book,