Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Get to know Abigail Adams like never before--through her own words and colorful correspondence--in this revealing portrait of America's beloved Female Founder, First Lady, and Early Political Powerbroker.
Synopsis
"If any young woman wants to have a nice, quiet life, I advise her not to marry an Adams," wrote Abigail Smith Adams's granddaughter-in-law. Abigail Adams--wife to President John Adams, family matriarch, proto feminist, second First Lady, and first presidential advisor in early America--certainly did not have "a nice, quiet life." She was not only an eyewitness to America's founding, she helped to shape large portions of it working through her trusting husband, John. Later in her life, Abigail looked back and firmly stated, "no man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife." Abigail's unique contributions throughout her life led to the establishment and stability of the first new form of democratic government in the world. It easily marks her as one of the Founders of the United States of America. Abigail met almost every important figure of the American Revolutionary period: George Washington and his wife Martha (whom she loved), Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Knox, Samuel and Elizabeth Adams, John Hancock, John and Sarah Jay, Marquis and Adrienne de Lafayette, John Paul Jones, Alexander Hamilton (whom she hated), James Monroe, artist Patience Wright, and even King George III and Queen Charlotte, as well as King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. Abigail famously wrote more than two thousand letters, spanning from the 1760s to her death in 1818, a priceless documentation of one of the most important periods of world history. In these letters she comments on the varied personalities she encountered, personal and historic snapshots of the time.
In The Unexpected Abigail Adams: A Woman "Not Apt to Be Intimidated", writer and researcher John L. Smith, Jr. presents sides of Abigail's life that are not covered by the standard, retold biographies. The author interweaves Abigail's colorful correspondence--some of which has not appeared in print before--with a contextual narrative. The result is a revealing portrait of a remarkable woman very relatable to modern readers. Having read and studied nearly her entire correspondence, the author describes the experience as panning for gold, for her letters contain a wealth of nuggets of wisdom, but also humorous moments, poignant reflections, and unique historical descriptions. The result is an unexpected Abigail Adams, one that will transform how she will be perceived going forward and one that recognizes our national debt to her for her sagacious counsel.
Synopsis
An Extraordinary Portrait of America's Beloved Female Founder and First Lady
Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, was an eyewitness to America's founding, and helped guide the new nation through her observations and advice to her famously prickly husband, who cherished her. She met many important and significant figures of the period: George Washington and his wife Martha, Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Knox, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, John Jay, Marquis de Lafayette, John Paul Jones, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe, artist Patience Wright, and even King George III and Queen Charlotte of England, as well as King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France. In The Unexpected Abigail Adams: A Woman "Not Apt to Be Intimidated", writer and researcher John L. Smith, Jr., draws on more than two thousand letters of Abigail's spanning from the 1760s to her death in 1818, interweaving Abigail's colorful correspondence--some of which has not appeared in print before--with a contextual narrative. In this priceless documentation of one of the most important periods of world history she comments on the varied personalities she encountered and, while her husband was away from home serving in the Continental Congresses and as a diplomatic envoy in Europe, she wrote him frequently about their home in Massachusetts, their family, national and local politics, and, during the early years of the war, crucial information concerning revolutionary activities around Boston. She was an advocate for education for women, a shrewd businesswoman, and had an unrivaled political acumen. Her strength in the face of disease, loss of children, and other hardships, and her poignant, beautiful, and often philosophical commentary, advice, and predictions allow Abigail to demonstrate her fully modern sensibilities. This major biography of Abigail, the first in over ten years, is a riveting, revealing portrait of a remarkable woman that readers will find very relatable--and one that transforms how she is perceived.