Monica's Story

The book was absolutely riveting and also disturbing at times. It was interesting to revisit the scandal that had many of us hooked years ago.I had read and enjoyed Andrew Morton’s book about Princess Diana years ago. He has done a wonderful job in letting us know more about Monica Lewinsky. I admire Bill Clinton as a President and find him charismatic but feel that it was irresponsible of him to have an affair with a young intern who was not emotionally mature at that time to handle a relationship of this magnitude.The book reveals how ruthless and manipulative Linda Tripp was and how easily she played her. Monica Lewinsky may possibly have moved on with her life had it not been for her meddling.Who could be worse than Linda Tripp - enter Ken Starr. The Ken Starr soap opera was humiliating to the Clintons and the Lewinsky’s. Ken Starr was supposed to investigate the Whitewater land deal. The Starr report should never have happened. I still don’t understand why she was treated like a criminal. The entire thing was a sad mess and blown out of proportion. Why was so much time and money spent on this? He focused almost entirely on the President’s and Monica Lewinsky’s relationship and it was humiliating for her to be forced to disclose intimate details about their relationship that are not relevant and no one else’s business. One can debate if this was morally wrong but it was a relationship between two consenting adults.I happened to be on vacation in Thailand during this time and the tuk tuk driver asked me where I was from. When I told him he grinned and the first words out of his mouth were Monica Lewinsky! My heart went out to her because I know what associations he made with her name.The book is well researched and a joy to read because Andrew Morton has documented everything so thoroughly. We also get a glimpse into Monica’s thoughts, feelings and emotions at different times in her journey.

Sad story!

Ok so I am just now getting around to reading Monica's story because last week Hilary was still defending her husband and saying that this relationship was not an abuse of power...............Well, here is my take. Both Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky had some wierd values and obsessive traits. I would guess that there was more to the relationship than just sex. They were actually very alike in some ways. Was it an abuse of power? Of course it was. He was the professional in the situation and it was his job to uphold the boundaries. She was an intern and even if she threw herself at him which she may have done, it still would be an abuse of power. Having said that, I think that they cared about each other in a father daughter sort of way aside from the sex. No wonder they were so confused. No one deserves to have to be humiliated in the way Monica was as well as her family put through the ringer. What a sick society that uses someone like Starr to strip human beings from their dignity. Do I think Bill Clinton deserved it? Well no actually. I think he abused his power but I don't think he deserved to have the whole world know all the details. Written very well and with sympathy.

Good insight into the life of a sex addict (Bill Clinton) and a very young woman who made a mess of her life. Monica made the same mistakes that many, MANY women make at that age (believing that love with an older, married man is justified and will turn out well). For most of us the consequences of our stupid, youthful choices aren't devastating. We learn, mature, and get smarter. I hope Monica is happy and well. She seems like a sweet, loving, intelligent woman. I believe that Clinton wanted to stop being a self destructive sexual predator but was not able to control his compulsion.

This book started out good, but then it got boring and was repetitive. I would have preferred it shorter. Average.

Wow this book was amazing. Monica is a strong woman to go through all she went through and is still going through!

I really enjoyed this read. I, along with most of the nation, assumed Monica was star-struck ditz who had no moral compass and very few brains. You have to consider that getting a postiion as an intern in the White House requires some degree of intelligence though and she did come across as very good at her job (pardon the pun) except for that little personal problem. The Monica in this book was a scared child-woman who paid the price and then some for her indescretions. Nothing is every as black and white as it seems and this book gave me an insight into Monica, her family, her tormentor and friend-turned-traitor and her love for a man she could never own. If you want to hear the other side of the story and enjoy non-fiction, this is a very good read.

I never knew too much about the Lewinsky scandal. When it was going on I was like five and of course wasn't aware of the political things going on. It wasn't until I was 18 that I heard about it. Some guys at work were like, Bill Clinton got a BJ in the White House. I didn't believe it, I didn't know presidents did stuff like that but I looked it up and it was true. So about the book, the author does a good job at telling the story in a sympathetic and appropriate way. Sure, having sex with a married person is wrong but I didn't get that, I felt for Monica and liked her. It was terrible the way Star treated her. I love this book and let a friend borrow it. Great read.

I really liked this book as it tells her story in history

Very telling and sad.Firstly I will state after reading Monica's story...I feel very sorry for her and her family, but as being very articulate, smart and composed...she has made many bad choices.. Bad choice in confiding to that dog Linda Tripp and bad choice getting involved with two married men.The Clintons are evil and corrupt, but Kenith star the republican was just as horrendous for what they did..Very sad ,sorry state of affairs, that Bill Clinton is forgiven, Monica Lewinsky will live in infamously and never get a normal life.

Okay - I'll admit I am reading this book about 17 years too late! But, on the plus side, I have been able to pay just 1p plus postage for a pristine hardback copy! Now, up until reading this book my opinion on this story was: Bill Clinton is a selfish, misogynistic womanizer who uses and abuses women and discards them like old tissues. And Monica Lewinsky was a foolish, impressionable, star-struck young girl swept up in dreams of an enduring romance and relationship with the most powerful man in the world. Monica was, always in my view, more sinned against than sinning. And to a degree, I still hold these opinions, but they are now nuanced by this book. Monica was not quite as innocent as I imagined... and in the conversations she reveals, I see there is possibly a sadness about Bill Clinton - and a loneliness in his marriage that may explain at least partly his ongoing sexual incontinence. Monica came to Washington as an intern with eyes on a post-graduate degree after completing the internship. But she did leave behind in Portland, Oregon a rather messy and unfinished relationship with a married man that had been ongoing for several years. So, Monica = not so innocent! Her low self-esteem connected to her life-long weight problems may go some way toward explaining her attraction to unavailable men, and she also had a difficult relationship with her father, now divorced from her mother. Her relationship with Bill Clinton was not, however, as I had thought, just a laughable sexual fling - but a true friendship with much affection expressed between them. Even when Bill had called off the physical connection, he continued to phoneMonica for late night telephone chats - indicating that he had a need for the comfort of her friendship after stopping the sexual contact. He comes across in the conversations she reveals as lonely within his marriage - and finding solace and fun in their light-hearted relationship punctuated with laughter, many exchanges of personal gifts, pet names and just simple companionship. At one stage he confesses to Monica of the lies and womanzing he indulged in during his younger years, but claimed to have made a concerted effort to stop after the age of 40 - to save his marriage and protect his daughter. Is this true or not? Who knows? But Clinton is surely a complex man burdened with a lot of guilt, a loose definition of 'truth' and an uncontrollable sexual appetite. Of course once the affair was exposed, Clinton quickly showed his true colours as a politician first and foremost, and it was an all-out campaign to save his career at the expense of Monica's reputation. He was certainly able to ditch any of the apparent affection he held for 'Miss Lewinsky' when his career was at stake. So having read the whole sorry saga, I still feel sorry for Monica - silly love-struck girl that she was. But she was largely the author of her own misfortune. And as for Bill, he is still a ruthless womanizer and compromiser of the truth, but I have a little more insight into his characterand the true nature of his friendship with Monica. And just a moment to mention the despicable Linda Tripp. Has there ever been a scummier villain of the piece than this loathsome woman? I think not! Now many years have passed since this book was written, when the scandal was still fresh news. Monica has not married and has no children, something she dearly wanted. Had she not had the misfortune to cross paths with the predatory Mr Clinton, what would her life have been? To have weathered the public trauma she underwent when the scandal blew up, and emerged sane and reasonably successful is a testament to her strength of character. And I wish her well in the years to come.

英語学習スランプ時に何気に購入したのですが、以外にも、文章で使用されている語彙や表現は、洗練されていているし、育ちの良い大学卒間もない彼女の自分自身や家族また愛する人を語る感情表現は、同じ女性として、英語学習者として参考になる物も…。内容は、ただのゴシップ事件の物語（舞台裏？一方的な釈明かも）ですが、英語学習者の息抜きには、もってこいの一冊！ということで星３ケです。

This was an excellent read, with Monica Lewinsky being used as a pawn in an attempt by Clinton's political enemies to unseat him by means of impeachment. Whilst it was shocking that both indulged in a totally inappropriate relationship, the depth of their genuine, personal friendship was unquestionable and for that reason alone Monica tortured herself constantly during the impeachment and to her credither concern was always for her friend's well-being. The person who came out of this story in the worst possible light was the manipulative, devious and poisonous Linda Tripp. This story was in fact very sad.ship