Rating: 
Summary: a well-deserved pulitzer prize winning historical tale
Review: An incredibly thorough historical account of a remarkable couple that reads like a novel. The research was exhaustive--right down to the first couple's appointment books. You will walk away from this book confirmed of FDR's greatness (as a President, not as a husband) and thoroughly impressed at the too often unheralded accomplishments of Eleanor. Her civil right's record is greater than almost any other resident of the White House. Goodwin tells the story through the voices of those who lived it (with quotes from presidential advisers, internment camp residents, soldiers, factory working wives and mothers, etc...). This style proves very effective.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding!!
Review: I read this book about four years ago and, to this day, it is still one of the three best works of non-fiction I've ever read in my 34 years. Ms. Goodwin has become one of favorite historians and I'm always interested in her perspective of current events. Her book made the Roosevelts more human and their story even more poignant and sometimes absolutely exasperating. Sometime in the future, I plan to read this one again. I have recommended this book to many people who agree with me that this is an exceptional work.
Rating:
Summary: suprisingly good!
Review: First off, let me say that this book was required reading for my AP US History class. I didn't expect much out of it, but it was really good. The story was told unlike any other history book that I have ever read. I shy away from giving it 5 stars because it is a history book and it is not critical enough. Goodwin presented the story without enough criticisms. She should realize that FDR wasn't perfect. But otherwise, a great book!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent History Read
Review: This was the first book of Ms. Goodwin's that I have read. I found it entertaining and difficult to put down. As a critique and chronology of how the Roosevelts' dealt with domestic US realities during FDR's tenure, the interspersing of WWII and international affairs gave the treatise proper balance and perspective. Eleanor is treated fairly and with the right amount of criticism, the relationship(s) of Eleanor and FDR are given exposure, and the difficulty of two powerful egos in the White House proved fascinating. Will Hillary and Bill Clinton get a similar treatment in years to come? I found this book of great interest for today's generation in trying to understand how today's domestic policies were birthed in the 30s and 40s.
Rating:
Summary: What my father didn't tell me
Review: My dad was a young man when FDR was President. He learned from his father that Roosevelt was the architect of the "giveaways." I learned from my dad that the welfare state was created by Roosevelt, whom he considered to be a bad president. Ms. Goodwin shows that my ancestors were wrong. FDR was the right man for the times. A fascinating discovery for me. My dad has changed his mind about FDR, too. This is a very good read with a trove of insight into the times.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read, very informative, great perspectives
Review: This is a well written book that will capture the attention of anyone who reads it. It is not a book solely for history buffs. In addition to giving the reader a view of the Roosevelts, it also gives a perspective of the times, now and then.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent example of contemporary historical non fiction
Review: I found this to be a most refreshing addition to the morass of biographies on FDR. Ms. Goodwin weaves an interesting mosiac of the complicated relationships that existed in the Roosevelt White House. Contrasting these against the players in the current presidental scandal affords the reader with no small degree of credilbe perspective. I would recommend this study to anyone interested in the first modern presidency or to those who might enjoy an intellectual but not academically rigorous look at this truly fascinating couple.
Rating:
Summary: Not simply an anyalysis of the FDR years, but of the man.
Review: The book, though overtly intimidating, is pleasure reading. Doris Kearns Goodwin takes a personal approach to history by presenting the ideas and emotions that shaped history. She peers into FDR's private life, showing the dynamic relationships he had with his wife, daughter, consultants, and mistress. She paints a picture of a strong willed man who expects what he demands, crafting international treaties and agreements as he desires; yet she also explains the losses that tug at his heart and make him human.
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY SUPERB
Review: NON STOP READING... A MUST FOR ANYONE INTRESTED IN HISTORY... AGAIN ABSOLUTELY SUPERB
Rating:
Summary: An extrodinary chronicle of WWII homefront events
Review: Ms Goodwin's, "No Ordinary Time" is no ordinary effort; she penned a masterful chronicle of the WW II years. I was ten years old in 1940 and her work took me back to relive events that were very much a part of my young life. Only now, through her mastery of narrative and her attention to detail, I was able to revisit that extraordinary time as an adult. As the author points out, the war effort was an all consuming way of life for those of us on the home front. Age precluded my serving in the armed forces, however being named a "messenger" in our local Civil Defense unit sure made me "proud to serve" - running (literally) messages from the command post to the fire station during air raid drills. Goodwin mentioned the change from brass buttons to olive drab ones on army uniforms. My mother worked in a clothing factory that did "government work", and among the many machines she operated was one that sewed buttons on the fronts and sleeves of army overcoats. I recall sitting by her side - as she worked overtime - the night that change was made to the "plastic" olive drab buttons (still with the embossed eagle). In reading Ms. Goodwin's behind the scenes drama starring Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, many old memories were revived and given new depth and meaning. Most important, however, is that the novelist's canvas of the WW II home front "landscape" is a remarkable - and enjoyable - lesson in history..PS: As an Arizona resident for over 25 years I would be remiss in not pointing out one glaring inaccuracy in the book: When Goodwin writes about the Japanese internment camps, she mentions the "Gila River Camp in Arizona", and then makes this statement, "Set in the middle of the desert, Gila endured temperatures that ranged between 125 degrees in the summer and thirty degrees below in the winter." The lowest temperature ever recorded in Phoenix, which is also "in the middle of the desert" was (plus) sixteen degrees on January 7, 1913. The coldest temperature ever in Arizona, minus forty degrees, was recorded on January 7, 1971 at Hawley Lake, which is situated in the mountains at over 7000 feet elevation.
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