DAISY CHAIN is a novel of the women in Franklin Delano Roosevelts presidency. As seen through the eyes of his cousin, Daisy Suckley, FDR's women hailed from all walks of life, inspired his social agenda and were his greatest strength. As divided as they were united, these women redefined female roles and in the process, helped to forge a nation. Following the 1929 Stock Market crash, Daisy, a forty-year-old spinster, is the sole wage-earner for her family, paying for Wilderstein, their home on the Hudson River Valley. A chance invitation for a car drive with her cousin, the newly elected Franklin Roosevelt, leads to an affair. The First Lady, Eleanor, is a wife in name only, living separately from her husband. Laura Polly Delano, FDRs cousin, tells Daisy about his past, explaining his long running relationship with Missy LeHand, a poor Irish girl, now his Super Secretary, and his affair with the disgraced Lucy Mercer, formerly in Eleanors employ. As marriage is not an option, Daisy con
