Behind every great man, they say, is a great woman.

Though she may not take the limelight, she might run the show: she’s his advisor, conscience, sounding-board, partner, and manager. Think what you will about her, she doesn’t care; she embraces this work, even if, as in the new book “The Triumph of Nancy Reagan” by Karen Tumulty, the role takes her where she never thought she’d go.

Within weeks of the birth of Anne Francis Robbins in 1921, her parents divorced, partly because her mother was an actress and her father wanted a homebody. “The full truth,” says Tumulty, was that a child “did not fit” in Edie Robbins’ life but single motherhood gained sympathy and attention. Once past babyhood and into the toddler stage, “Nancy” was all but abandoned by her mother at an aunt’s house.

This separation left the adult Nancy with lifelong anxiety which may’ve been exacerbated by romantic chaos: says Tumulty, Nancy’s first fiance grew despondent about college grades and committed suicide; later, she innocently dated a man who was gay. Heartbroken, she dropped out of college and dabbled on-stage before landing a solid career in acting. By 1950, heart healed, Nancy had “fixed her sights” on the man she wanted.

He was married, but Ronald Reagan was estranged from his wife then.

Absolutely, it’s safe to say that he and Nancy were meant for each other and everyone, including their children and his ex-wife, knew it. Archived documents show his devotion to Nancy; seeing the way she looked at him, her steadfastness was obvious.

Nancy Reagan would follow her beloved husband anywhere.

Even when it led him to a life of politics, “On a road,” she said with great resignation, “we never intended to be on. Ever.”

Even if it stopped there, “The Triumph of Nancy Reagan” would be a fascinating read for Democrats and Republicans alike. But it doesn’t: this book goes on, deep into politics, behind-the-scenes in California and Washington, through Nancy Reagan’s headline-grabbing years, and into the memories of those who worked with Ronnie (as author Karen Tumulty calls him) and thus, by extension, with Nancy.

For a reader Of a Certain Age, that’s curiously and wonderfully nostalgic, since it’s impossible to cleave the Reagan years from popular culture of the time. It’s also quite interesting to note the relevance of a Presidential administration of forty years ago to politics of today, which is something that readers of any age or party can enjoy. And yet, Tumulty doesn’t stray far from her main subject: all roads lead back to Nancy, her inner thoughts, single-mindedness, and flubs. That’s where the road ends, too, in passages that will leave even the harshest critic with a lump in the throat.

Again, this is a politically-deep book and it’s hard to read sometimes but if you’ve been watching politics at all in the past thirty years, you’ll devour it. For you, for a historian or biography-lover, “The Triumph of Nancy Reagan” is a book you’ll want in front of you.

“The Triumph of Nancy Reagan” by Karen Tumulty, 672 pages, c. 2021, Simon & Schuster, $32.50.

• Terri Schlichenmeyer of The Bookworm Sez is a self-syndicated book review columnist. Schlichenmeyer’s reviews include adult and children’s books of every genre. You may contact her at bookwormsez@yahoo.com