As shameful as it is to admit, I picked up this book with the question, "What's the big deal about Abigail Adams?" All I knew about was her "Remember the Ladies" letter which, having read it, wasn't that revolutionary (forgive the pun). The only thing she advocates for is the right to divorce a man who is abusive. Why is she considered an early feminist icon? This book definitely answered my questions. She was a brilliant business person and she had a good mind for politics. She was a skilled writer (no dobt due to the fact that she wrote letters everyday) and, for a time, was a kind of reporter at the start of the revolutionary war. While I wouldn't say she was a true feminist (she didn't believe men and women were equal) she was a staunch believer in a woman's right to own property. She more or less acted as if she had separate property from her husband. And, in truth, most of their shared property could be considered hers. She was the better business person; she invested in speculative bonds, she sold merchandise when the market was favorable and she knew which investments weren't worth the effort (something she clearly struggled to explain to her husband). She was also very charitable throughout her life. I'm sure if she were alive today, she's be a major CEO known for her political and charitable endeavors. I learned a lot. Why then do I give this book only two stars? While it is well researched and thorough, I thought it was a little too thorough. Large portions of the book discussed topics that I found to be boring. I wasn't interested in the gossip and the social dramas. Adams was sometimes harshly judgmental and hypocritical later in her life. It wore on me. By the time I got to the end of the book, I relieved to be done with it. Would I recommend this book? Probably. This is a good biography. The author presents the good and bad sides of Adams well. I think if you're interested in the time or you are interested in Adams herself, this is the book to read. I just found the social aspects of her life to be rather dull and, as a woman in that time, it was a big part of her life. Abigail Adams lived in the shadow of her extraordinary husband John Adams. So at times I had trouble getting through the book just because of my curiosity to know more about Mr. Adams but it highlighted how she enabled her husband to be extraordinary. Through her letters reminding him of his sense of Justice and substituted his lack of financial knowledge with wise investments which enable him to die a wealthy man contrary to his political counterpart Jefferson.
What do You think about Abigail Adams (2009)?
Fantastic biography of Abigail Adams. Clear, easy to read, engaging!
—tiemoko
Thoroughly enjoyed it! One of America's founding mothers!
—Ink
