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The Muse of the Revolution: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of a Nation
Praised by her mentor John Adams, Mercy Otis Warren was America's first woman playwright and female historian of the American Revolution. In this unprecedented biography, Nancy Rubin Stuart reveals how Warren's provocative writing made her an exception among the largely voiceless women of the eighteenth century.
329 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
9 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Rubin Stuart
10 books43 followersNancy Rubin Stuart is an award-winning author and journalist whose many traditionally published books specialize in women, biography and social history.
Her most recently published book is the acclaimed DEFIANT BRIDES; The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-Era Women Who Married Radical Men, a double biography of the wives of Benedict Arnold and General Henry Knox.This work was a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club 2 and the History and Military Book Clubs.
She is currently completing a book about Benjamin Franklin’s Women for Beacon Press.
A former journalist, Nancy’s work has appeared in the New York Times, Huffington Post,The New England Quarterly, The Los Angeles Times,The Stamford Advocate, American History , Family Circle , Ladies Home Journal, Parents magazine and other national publications.
She currently serves as Executive Director of the Cape Cod Writers Center in Osterville, Massachusetts.
Earlier books include Nancy’s 2008THE MUSE OF THE REVOLUTION: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of a Nationfor which she received the Historic Winslow House Book Award. That was preceded by the 2005 publication ofTHE RELUCTANT SPIRITUALIST:The Life of Maggie Foxwhich won the American Society of Journalists and Authors’ Outstanding Book Award in Nonfiction.
Under her previous byline, Nancy Rubin, she published the best-selling AMERICAN EMPRESS; The Life and Times of Marjorie Merriweather Postnow in paperback and available as an audio book on Amazon. Earlier books under that byline were ISABELLA OF CASTILE: The First Renaissance Queen, THE MOTHER MIRROR: How a Generation of Women Is Changing Motherhood in America and THE NEW SUBURBAN WOMAN: Beyond Myth and Motherhood .
Honors include a William Randolph Hearst Fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society; three Telly Awards from the cable television industry, the 1992 Author of the Year Award from the American Society of Authors and Journalists, the Washington Irving Award from the Westchester Library System, a Time, Inc. scholarship from the Bread Loaf Writers Conference and a fellowship from the MacDowell Colony.
Nancy has spoken to hundreds of live audiences as well as on national radio and television. In 2019 she appeared in the History Channel’s “The Food That Built America” in connection withAMERICAN EMPRESS.Among her national media appearances are C-Span's BookTV, the A & E Series “Mansions, Monuments and Masterpieces” and “America’s Castles,” Oprah, CBS Morning News and National Public Radio.
She enjoys speaking to book clubs and colleges because it brings her closer to readers in audiences ranging from the Palm Beach Society of the Four Arts to Manhattan's National Arts Club. During the pandemic Nancy continues to reach readers through Zoom and other internet sites.
Nancy is a graduate of Tufts University and Brown University Graduate School, and holds a Doctorate in Humane Letters from Mount Vernon College, now part of Georgetown University.
Born in Boston, she and her husband Bill returned to Massachusetts from Manhattan in 2008 where she enjoys, dancing, gardening, music, and the cultural life of Boston and New York.
Nancy began writing as a child. Her first book was about the family dog. “It’s not published,” she admits, “ but I still have a frayed foolscap copy of that work.”
Her most recently published book is the acclaimed DEFIANT BRIDES; The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-Era Women Who Married Radical Men, a double biography of the wives of Benedict Arnold and General Henry Knox.This work was a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club 2 and the History and Military Book Clubs.
She is currently completing a book about Benjamin Franklin’s Women for Beacon Press.
A former journalist, Nancy’s work has appeared in the New York Times, Huffington Post,The New England Quarterly, The Los Angeles Times,The Stamford Advocate, American History , Family Circle , Ladies Home Journal, Parents magazine and other national publications.
She currently serves as Executive Director of the Cape Cod Writers Center in Osterville, Massachusetts.
Earlier books include Nancy’s 2008THE MUSE OF THE REVOLUTION: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of a Nationfor which she received the Historic Winslow House Book Award. That was preceded by the 2005 publication ofTHE RELUCTANT SPIRITUALIST:The Life of Maggie Foxwhich won the American Society of Journalists and Authors’ Outstanding Book Award in Nonfiction.
Under her previous byline, Nancy Rubin, she published the best-selling AMERICAN EMPRESS; The Life and Times of Marjorie Merriweather Postnow in paperback and available as an audio book on Amazon. Earlier books under that byline were ISABELLA OF CASTILE: The First Renaissance Queen, THE MOTHER MIRROR: How a Generation of Women Is Changing Motherhood in America and THE NEW SUBURBAN WOMAN: Beyond Myth and Motherhood .
Honors include a William Randolph Hearst Fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society; three Telly Awards from the cable television industry, the 1992 Author of the Year Award from the American Society of Authors and Journalists, the Washington Irving Award from the Westchester Library System, a Time, Inc. scholarship from the Bread Loaf Writers Conference and a fellowship from the MacDowell Colony.
Nancy has spoken to hundreds of live audiences as well as on national radio and television. In 2019 she appeared in the History Channel’s “The Food That Built America” in connection withAMERICAN EMPRESS.Among her national media appearances are C-Span's BookTV, the A & E Series “Mansions, Monuments and Masterpieces” and “America’s Castles,” Oprah, CBS Morning News and National Public Radio.
She enjoys speaking to book clubs and colleges because it brings her closer to readers in audiences ranging from the Palm Beach Society of the Four Arts to Manhattan's National Arts Club. During the pandemic Nancy continues to reach readers through Zoom and other internet sites.
Nancy is a graduate of Tufts University and Brown University Graduate School, and holds a Doctorate in Humane Letters from Mount Vernon College, now part of Georgetown University.
Born in Boston, she and her husband Bill returned to Massachusetts from Manhattan in 2008 where she enjoys, dancing, gardening, music, and the cultural life of Boston and New York.
Nancy began writing as a child. Her first book was about the family dog. “It’s not published,” she admits, “ but I still have a frayed foolscap copy of that work.”
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 7, 2024
When discussing the role of women as Founders in what would become the American Republic, Abigail Adams and Martha Washington usually come first and foremost to the front lines. Historian Nancy Rubin Stuart acknowledges a separate and formidable challenge to this assertion by chronicling the life of Mercy Otis Warren, Adams’ compatriot and equal as a voice for both women and men in the cause of liberty, and with her similar discussions and opinions of the ideals and role of a government formed by elected officials and empowered by constituents. Stuart highlights Warren’s role as a gifted poet, her valuable propaganda and acclaim as the first American female playwright, her call for a Bill of Rights, as well as authorship of a monumental three-volume history of the Revolution. She goes to address early on that while most of these well-received accomplishments were written anonymously, they would have a profound effect on the overall populace in both morale at home, and in the eventual achievements that could be gained from the American Revolution.
Born into a household of thirteen siblings—six of whom would die in their infancy—Warren’s family prospered on their farm in Barnstable, Massachusetts, where her father, in order to recompense for his lack of an education, enacted a sound learning requirement. Her two elder brothers James, Jr. and Joseph would benefit from this in their eventual enrollment at Harvard— yet while Stuart explains that as the eldest daughter, Warren embraced her domestic and colonial traditions of the age, she also took a remarkably different path in enrolling under the study of Pastor Russell after much pleading and begging to her hesitant father. It is quite clear from the beginning that Stuart has researched her subject with great care and attention to detail, which is evident in her courtship and marriage at 26 to James Warren—a friend and fellow collegiate of her oldest brother at Harvard.
After moving into her father-in-law’s home in nearby Plymouth, the newlyweds wasted no time in growing their family to six healthy children by 1766. They meet the likes of John Adams and other ruffled colonists fed up with their royal governor, Thomas Hutchinson, in which Mercy’s father and brother lead a vocal string of attacks that she later terms were the first diatribes in favor of American freedom. For her part, Warren was active with the local 'Daughters of Liberty' who favored homespun and clothing attire unique to the North American continent, and rebuked any and all merchandise that was manufactured and fashioned across the Atlantic. As Boston retreats further into the unrest and turmoil set on by Parliamentary taxation and control, Stuart recounts the Warren family’s role alongside that of John and Samuel Adams, and the uncontrollable Sons of Liberty.
When Mercy’s by now famous—or infamous—brother James is severely beaten at the hands of inflamed British officers at a local coffee house, this would prove his final undoing in his years of struggling with mental instability, causing him to lash out at the very cause that he stoically embraced, and ending as a perceived Tory under a straitjacket confinement and convalescence in 1772. This is about the same time Warren begins an everlasting correspondence with the popular British historian and staunch Whig, Catherine Macaulay, showing the early magnitude of Warren’s appeal even across the pond. Stuart moves through her biography with relative ease and understanding, letting the reader know that while Warren had never attended the theater due to the traditional Puritanical customs of the day, her “poetic genius” is first heard through her anonymously written play The Adulateur, an applauded satire on Hutchinson’s governorship—allowing Warren to take the spotlight over her brother’s fall from grace with the success of a follow-up entitled The Defeat.
In 1773, Warren would begin a long-standing friendship and correspondence with Abigail Adams, where barely a year later her husband John would ask the budding poet for her sound pen and voice in describing the events and ramifications of the recent Boston Tea Party. Modest and unsure of her qualifications, this poem would go to be published in none other than the Boston Gazette, and push Warren to complete her new and more radical play The Group, which compared women’s oppressed marital privileges to the might and tyrannical hold Britain held over its colonies. Stuart depicts Warren as a devoted wife and fellow patriot of many hats, where she takes up her pen and chronicles the groundbreaking events of Bunker Hill and the British occupation of Boston, causing her letters to be quoted and used liberally from then on as a first hand and magnificent primary account of the temperament and dealings of a populace now subdued. This leads later to a deal made with her “mentor”, John Adams, in which both agree to objectify and write about the many figures of the Revolutionary War that they would meet and become acquainted with—all of which Mercy could later substantiate on for use in her proposed and yet to be claimed historical masterpiece.
Stuart focuses on Mercy’s attachment and longing for her husband, who held the dual role of Speaker of the House and paymaster general of the Continental Army, and was offered several posts throughout the war which he reluctantly turned down— apart from the prestigious director of the Navy Board. In his now-familiar absences, Abigail Adams delights Mercy in sending her daughter Nabby to Plymouth, where the teenager and “tutor” become enamored with one another’s temporary company. This would coincide a couple of years later with Warren requesting that foreign minister John Adams look after her son, Winslow, who’s business prospects awaited in the Netherlands—an opportunity postponed due to his ship’s seizure by the British, in which he was briefly interred in England before sailing to France. With the war winding to a close and her sons arriving home from their various prospects, the Warren’s purchase of former royal governor Hutchinson’s country house proved a perfect investment, as Mercy was now a mere six miles from her doting friend Abigail in Braintree. This would be a short lived enjoyment as the Adams family soon found themselves abroad in France, though another ship arrived almost simultaneously—bringing with it her old Whig correspondent:
In mid-August, after Mercy dined with Catharine, she invited her and her husband to Neponset Hill. One bright morning in early November, the British couple arrived at the Warrens’ mansion. The contrast between the two women must have been extraordinary: Mercy, in an unadorned American-made dress, her graying hair neatly tucked under a mob cap; the slender British author in a fashionable gown, her face “painted” as usual in the French style.
While Mercy and her family are the pivotal subjects in Stuart’s biography, she puts just enough energy and focus into the Revolutionary and Founding era to warrant praise—as she doesn’t get lost in ramblings on each significant event of the time, but rather gives a concise summary and highlights the Warren family’s role or experience at that point. Uncovered by an ancestor in 1888 proving Mercy as the anonymous author, her celebrated pamphlet written during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 entitled Observations on the New Constitution, would correlate later into the Bill of Rights, in which ten of her grievances are featured prominently. Thus, with the new government in effect, Stuart explains that the Warren’s anti-federalist leanings were not welcomed by the Adams and other old friends, creating a rift that would prove difficult to heal. On the home front, there also was much grief in the news of her son Winslow’s death at the Wabash during Arthur St. Clair’s defeat—the second son to die, with the first succumbing to illness and another sadly following the same path in the year 1800. This would leave just Henry and the oldest brother James to carry on the family name—the latter of which was left crippled from losing his leg in the Navy during the revolution.
Stuart records the reactions and reviews of Mercy’s magnum opus, the three-volume History of the American Revolution. A particular scathing critique—one that Warren had expected and perhaps worried over—was a stinging yet justified rebuttal from John Adams, who requested that certain errors and misinformation regarding his Presidency and political affiliations be corrected. Back and forth bickering between the two in correspondence filled with accusations, resentment, and defense of their assorted republican principles and qualifications would finally subside after sixteen letters. Stuart devotes much attention to this period, showing the attachment that both families once had with one another, and it would not be until 1813 that years of silence and bitterness would finally be broken at the urging of Mercy (now widowed) through a mutual friend. This almost mirrors the twilight years of friendship sparked between Jefferson and Adams, as this would be Mercy’s last triumph before her death at the fulfilled age of 86. With a few illustrations provided, Stuart’s work is a true testament to Warren’s memory and character, chronicling all aspects of her prestige as poet, playwright, pamphleteer, author, and mother.
Born into a household of thirteen siblings—six of whom would die in their infancy—Warren’s family prospered on their farm in Barnstable, Massachusetts, where her father, in order to recompense for his lack of an education, enacted a sound learning requirement. Her two elder brothers James, Jr. and Joseph would benefit from this in their eventual enrollment at Harvard— yet while Stuart explains that as the eldest daughter, Warren embraced her domestic and colonial traditions of the age, she also took a remarkably different path in enrolling under the study of Pastor Russell after much pleading and begging to her hesitant father. It is quite clear from the beginning that Stuart has researched her subject with great care and attention to detail, which is evident in her courtship and marriage at 26 to James Warren—a friend and fellow collegiate of her oldest brother at Harvard.
After moving into her father-in-law’s home in nearby Plymouth, the newlyweds wasted no time in growing their family to six healthy children by 1766. They meet the likes of John Adams and other ruffled colonists fed up with their royal governor, Thomas Hutchinson, in which Mercy’s father and brother lead a vocal string of attacks that she later terms were the first diatribes in favor of American freedom. For her part, Warren was active with the local 'Daughters of Liberty' who favored homespun and clothing attire unique to the North American continent, and rebuked any and all merchandise that was manufactured and fashioned across the Atlantic. As Boston retreats further into the unrest and turmoil set on by Parliamentary taxation and control, Stuart recounts the Warren family’s role alongside that of John and Samuel Adams, and the uncontrollable Sons of Liberty.
When Mercy’s by now famous—or infamous—brother James is severely beaten at the hands of inflamed British officers at a local coffee house, this would prove his final undoing in his years of struggling with mental instability, causing him to lash out at the very cause that he stoically embraced, and ending as a perceived Tory under a straitjacket confinement and convalescence in 1772. This is about the same time Warren begins an everlasting correspondence with the popular British historian and staunch Whig, Catherine Macaulay, showing the early magnitude of Warren’s appeal even across the pond. Stuart moves through her biography with relative ease and understanding, letting the reader know that while Warren had never attended the theater due to the traditional Puritanical customs of the day, her “poetic genius” is first heard through her anonymously written play The Adulateur, an applauded satire on Hutchinson’s governorship—allowing Warren to take the spotlight over her brother’s fall from grace with the success of a follow-up entitled The Defeat.
In 1773, Warren would begin a long-standing friendship and correspondence with Abigail Adams, where barely a year later her husband John would ask the budding poet for her sound pen and voice in describing the events and ramifications of the recent Boston Tea Party. Modest and unsure of her qualifications, this poem would go to be published in none other than the Boston Gazette, and push Warren to complete her new and more radical play The Group, which compared women’s oppressed marital privileges to the might and tyrannical hold Britain held over its colonies. Stuart depicts Warren as a devoted wife and fellow patriot of many hats, where she takes up her pen and chronicles the groundbreaking events of Bunker Hill and the British occupation of Boston, causing her letters to be quoted and used liberally from then on as a first hand and magnificent primary account of the temperament and dealings of a populace now subdued. This leads later to a deal made with her “mentor”, John Adams, in which both agree to objectify and write about the many figures of the Revolutionary War that they would meet and become acquainted with—all of which Mercy could later substantiate on for use in her proposed and yet to be claimed historical masterpiece.
Stuart focuses on Mercy’s attachment and longing for her husband, who held the dual role of Speaker of the House and paymaster general of the Continental Army, and was offered several posts throughout the war which he reluctantly turned down— apart from the prestigious director of the Navy Board. In his now-familiar absences, Abigail Adams delights Mercy in sending her daughter Nabby to Plymouth, where the teenager and “tutor” become enamored with one another’s temporary company. This would coincide a couple of years later with Warren requesting that foreign minister John Adams look after her son, Winslow, who’s business prospects awaited in the Netherlands—an opportunity postponed due to his ship’s seizure by the British, in which he was briefly interred in England before sailing to France. With the war winding to a close and her sons arriving home from their various prospects, the Warren’s purchase of former royal governor Hutchinson’s country house proved a perfect investment, as Mercy was now a mere six miles from her doting friend Abigail in Braintree. This would be a short lived enjoyment as the Adams family soon found themselves abroad in France, though another ship arrived almost simultaneously—bringing with it her old Whig correspondent:
In mid-August, after Mercy dined with Catharine, she invited her and her husband to Neponset Hill. One bright morning in early November, the British couple arrived at the Warrens’ mansion. The contrast between the two women must have been extraordinary: Mercy, in an unadorned American-made dress, her graying hair neatly tucked under a mob cap; the slender British author in a fashionable gown, her face “painted” as usual in the French style.
While Mercy and her family are the pivotal subjects in Stuart’s biography, she puts just enough energy and focus into the Revolutionary and Founding era to warrant praise—as she doesn’t get lost in ramblings on each significant event of the time, but rather gives a concise summary and highlights the Warren family’s role or experience at that point. Uncovered by an ancestor in 1888 proving Mercy as the anonymous author, her celebrated pamphlet written during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 entitled Observations on the New Constitution, would correlate later into the Bill of Rights, in which ten of her grievances are featured prominently. Thus, with the new government in effect, Stuart explains that the Warren’s anti-federalist leanings were not welcomed by the Adams and other old friends, creating a rift that would prove difficult to heal. On the home front, there also was much grief in the news of her son Winslow’s death at the Wabash during Arthur St. Clair’s defeat—the second son to die, with the first succumbing to illness and another sadly following the same path in the year 1800. This would leave just Henry and the oldest brother James to carry on the family name—the latter of which was left crippled from losing his leg in the Navy during the revolution.
Stuart records the reactions and reviews of Mercy’s magnum opus, the three-volume History of the American Revolution. A particular scathing critique—one that Warren had expected and perhaps worried over—was a stinging yet justified rebuttal from John Adams, who requested that certain errors and misinformation regarding his Presidency and political affiliations be corrected. Back and forth bickering between the two in correspondence filled with accusations, resentment, and defense of their assorted republican principles and qualifications would finally subside after sixteen letters. Stuart devotes much attention to this period, showing the attachment that both families once had with one another, and it would not be until 1813 that years of silence and bitterness would finally be broken at the urging of Mercy (now widowed) through a mutual friend. This almost mirrors the twilight years of friendship sparked between Jefferson and Adams, as this would be Mercy’s last triumph before her death at the fulfilled age of 86. With a few illustrations provided, Stuart’s work is a true testament to Warren’s memory and character, chronicling all aspects of her prestige as poet, playwright, pamphleteer, author, and mother.
September 14, 2015
Well researched, well written, and for the most part the author was able to keep her own agenda out of the story.
This was a great look into the life one of the women who influenced the revolution.
Sister to James Otis and wife to James Warren. Close friend of John and Abigail Adams.
This was a great look into the life one of the women who influenced the revolution.
Sister to James Otis and wife to James Warren. Close friend of John and Abigail Adams.
February 17, 2019
Mercy Otis Warren was an early advocate for women's rights with close personal connections to many of the Founding Fathers. She used her inside info to advance the revolutionary cause through plays and poems, and eventually wrote a history of the American revolution. The big surprise for me was her impact on the Constitution. She anxiously waited for the document to be drafted, and was dissatisfied with the final version. She wrote "Observations on the New Constitution," a listing of issues not adequately addressed in the Constitution and suggested "a bill of rights to guard against the dangerous encroachments of power." Her "observations" were incorporated into the final Bill of Rights!
The subject is interesting but I didn't find the writing particularly lively.
My favorite quote:
"...the elective franchise is in their hands; that it ought not to be abused, either for personal gratifications, or the indulgence of partisan acrimony."
The subject is interesting but I didn't find the writing particularly lively.
My favorite quote:
"...the elective franchise is in their hands; that it ought not to be abused, either for personal gratifications, or the indulgence of partisan acrimony."
March 11, 2009
I found this book interesting, but when I was finished I had no opinion as to whether or not Mercy Otis Warren was important. The main feeling I had was that she held her husband back from doing more to further the causes they both believed in. I would have liked to know the influence of her writings. To me the most interesting parts of the book dealt with her friendship with Abigail Adams, and the contrasts between the two women.
January 4, 2020
Curiosity of my twin-sister, Mercy Warren Wheeler's Namesake
I thoroughly enjoyed Me Stuart's book. Not only was it most interesting to read, it gave me an insight to our Mother's decision to name my twin sister after this courageous and remarkable woman. Mercy and her late husband, Bancroft Wheeler attended the ceremny dedicating the statue in Marketable--the very village Mercy and I grew up in. A wonderful read of historical significance!
I thoroughly enjoyed Me Stuart's book. Not only was it most interesting to read, it gave me an insight to our Mother's decision to name my twin sister after this courageous and remarkable woman. Mercy and her late husband, Bancroft Wheeler attended the ceremny dedicating the statue in Marketable--the very village Mercy and I grew up in. A wonderful read of historical significance!
May 5, 2017
An interesting look into an overlooked, little known female protagonist in the time of the American Revolution. The three star rating is due to the excessive use of the writings of Mercy Otis Warren. Perhaps that was the purpose of book, to acquaint readers with her writing.
September 14, 2022
An interesting perspective on the United States’ war of independence via summary of the letters of an early feminist author who was a member of the Puritan Aristocracy of Massachussets and married to a near-top tier politician from that state.
December 15, 2017
reading The Muse of the Revolution was tedious. Too much detail? Not enough editing? As my birthday is May 23rd -> I found it interesting that on May 23, 1783 the same year that Revolutionary War hostilities ended, ‘James the Patriot’ was struck by a bolt of lightening and died instantly. The firebrand who had sparked ‘the greatest revolution in the world’, her son James earlier had commented to Mercy Otis Warren: “I hope when God Almighty, in his righteous providence, shall take me out of time into eternity, that it will be by a flash of lightening.”
May 2, 2022
A must read for any Revolutionary War buff!
May 19, 2022
Written like a straightforward history book; well and thoroughly cited down to each phrase. For that reason alone it's not beach fare.
March 17, 2025
March Book Group YPL
July 27, 2016
I think this biography is an interesting, well-written examination of an underrated woman's life, and is definitely worth checking out. One of my least favorite aspects, though, is how many quotes were used; I understand the desire to show off the prose of the subject, as Mercy Otis Warren was an incredibly eloquent woman, but it feels like every other paragraph is a long quote of hers, when it felt like the words should often have been coming from the author of the biography.
That, along with some minor errors, and the feeling that the biography didn't give enough surrounding context of the Revolution and the country afterwards, was enough to knock it down two stars. Also, sometimes the author would make presumptions about Mercy's actions; for example, it is shown she kept a note from Alexander Hamilton, and the author says it's probably to keep a record of his unwarranted flattery and charisma, when I think it's much more obvious and likely that she was, you know, flattered by his words and decided to keep them for posterity. Regardless, it's still an insightful look at an overlooked woman who heavily contributed to the American Revolution.
That, along with some minor errors, and the feeling that the biography didn't give enough surrounding context of the Revolution and the country afterwards, was enough to knock it down two stars. Also, sometimes the author would make presumptions about Mercy's actions; for example, it is shown she kept a note from Alexander Hamilton, and the author says it's probably to keep a record of his unwarranted flattery and charisma, when I think it's much more obvious and likely that she was, you know, flattered by his words and decided to keep them for posterity. Regardless, it's still an insightful look at an overlooked woman who heavily contributed to the American Revolution.
October 15, 2010
An in-depth portrait of an obscure figure from the American Revolution, this book skillfully portrays Mercy Otis Warren both in her capacity as a political writer and as an exceptional woman of her time. Much care is taken to portray the life she lived around her famous works and illuminate her as a person. The book is liberally (but strategically) sprinkled with quotes from her letters, poems and plays, and also includes some quotes from reply correspondence.
This book is both informative and entertaining. The author does not interpret or apologize for Warren's failings - in fact, at times, I wish there had been a little bit more partisanship in favor of the subject. I learned some connected facts about the Revolution I hadn't known before, as well. The chronology is crystal-clear, though there is one point where there's a typo in the dating, accidentally leaping the account forward a year.
Highly recommended.
This book is both informative and entertaining. The author does not interpret or apologize for Warren's failings - in fact, at times, I wish there had been a little bit more partisanship in favor of the subject. I learned some connected facts about the Revolution I hadn't known before, as well. The chronology is crystal-clear, though there is one point where there's a typo in the dating, accidentally leaping the account forward a year.
Highly recommended.
April 26, 2009
I thought this book was very interesting. I enjoyed reading about a woman who was literate and outspoken for her time period. The most interesting parts of the book were her correspondence with influential people of the period especially John and Abigail Adams. Reading about daily life during the Revolution and formative years of our governement was enjoyable too. I don't see how she was the "muse" of the period nor how influential her and her husband were at the time. I do think she prevented her husband from being a more involved patriot and I think she contradicted herself many times. Like many mothers and family members her views of her family and their influence were tainted by her hopes and I also believe a certain sense of entitlement.
January 24, 2015
This book is an outstanding, well-researched account of the life of Mercy Otis Warren. Not a page goes by without the author quoting from a personal diary or letter. Full of primary sources and detalied research, this book is not only a informational history of Warren's life, but also a fact-filled perspective of the lives of other founding fathers and their wives and the history of the American Revolution and its aftermath. This book is by far one of the most compelling biographies I have read.
May 17, 2017
This is a well-researched and written history of American Revolutionary Mercy Otis Warren, offering a woman's perspective, and influence on the Revolution, illuminated by her friendships with John Adams, Henry Knox, and others. Warren's life is further significant as an early American literary figure.
January 9, 2010
It's so nice to read about a woman of this time who did more than work behind the scenes. A thorough and for the most part entertaining history of a woman who more than deserves her name to be remembered along with male writers of the revolution
February 16, 2012
I was glad I read this book. I enjoyed learning more about Mercy Otis Warren. She was a fascinating woman and far ahead of her time in many ways. However, I was not enamoured with the writing style in the book and found that it ended very abruptly.
September 26, 2012
Interesting account of Mercy Otis Warren's influence through her satirical writings, and through her friendship with John and Abigail Adams. Warren's writings had a direct influence on the development of the Bill of Rights.
August 15, 2008
First thoughts here. http://lookbooks.wordpress.com/2008/07/31/musings-on-the-muse-of-the-revolution/
August 26, 2009
Truly fascinating biography of a very underrated force in the Revolution. Research is impressive!
June 16, 2010
This was very interesting. I love the history lesson and that she lived in Plymouth. But I wasn't dying to pick this up and read more. Still, a good read.
April 19, 2012
"And thus the last frail reed is broken"- Good read..
November 15, 2014
Great blend of story telling and history. Stuart has a neutral take on this little-known woman of the founding period - no axes to grind.
December 18, 2015
Closer to 3.5 stars. Review coming soon.
December 30, 2016
The story of Mercy Otis Warren who knew all the major players in the American Revolution and who wrote extensively about the revolution.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews