A very interesting book that made me learn more about Ethel Rosenberg but also left me wishing to learn more.
Was she guilty or the victim of a political era ? The author support the innocence and I also think that maybe she wasn't guilty.
It's the portrait of a woman involved in history and of an era.
Well researched and well written.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy offers an fresh examination of the Rosenberg trial.

It's not the most neutral biography - Sebba clearly sympathises with her subject - but it is interesting to get a closer insight into the life and character of one of the protagonists of a major event in Cold War history. Part of the reason for Ethel's notoriety at the time was her seemingly ordinary appearance, and Sebba unpicks that image throughout: who was Ethel, really, and how much of what happened to her was just a case of being caught up in the perfect storm?

While the retelling of the trial gets a little tedious at times, the final chapter is by far the best, looking at Ethel as an enduring historical figure and what makes the Rosenberg case such a particularly American story. McCarthyism cast a long shadow over American politics and culture, which means any re-examination of the Rosenberg case still holds relevance today.