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Queen Dolley: The Life and Times of Dolley Madison
A biographical novel about Dolley Madison, the charismatic First Lady who, in the War of 1812, rescued a portrait of George Washington from the walls of a White House that was being burned by the British
373 pages, Hardcover
First published December 9, 1986
12 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Clarke Wilson
96 books10 followersDorothy Clarke Wilson (May 9, 1904 – March 26, 2003) was an American writer, perhaps best known for her novel Prince of Egypt (1949), which was a primary source for the Cecil B. DeMille film, The Ten Commandments (1956).
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 7, 2015
Dorothy Clarke Wilson's novel about Dolley Madison, the 4th First Lady, is 4/5 biographical and 1/5 novel. It traces her life from her Quaker roots growing up in rural Virginia, through her first marriage, and on as her 2nd husband James Madison grows in political influence. The Revolutionary war, Continental Congress, War of 1812, and the growing debate over slavery is all chronicled.
Pros: I learned a lot about Dolley's sphere of influence, her correspondence, diplomacy, etc. as most traditional history classes have focused more on the presidents than the first ladies.
~~The book is historically accurate, and does a good job of describing the climate of the late 1700's/early 1800's. Life was more tenuous in a time of communicable diseases, quaint medical practices (i.e. bleeding), and the dangers of childbirth. The active political interest of the majority of Americans was also a stark contrast to our current dependency on television reporters and social media for information as well as a more general apathy.
Cons: As previously mentioned, the book is only about 1/5 novel. As such, it can be a slow, meticulous, almost painful read at times, almost like reading an assigned "textbook".
~~Again, probably because Wilson was striving for historical accuracy she generally *tells us* rather than *shows us* through character development/story arc. This subtle difference makes her characters seem flat and less personable. There are books where the characters are brought to life in such a way that the reader almost feels they could walk off the page--this is NOT that book.
Overall rating of 3 stars or Good.
Pros: I learned a lot about Dolley's sphere of influence, her correspondence, diplomacy, etc. as most traditional history classes have focused more on the presidents than the first ladies.
~~The book is historically accurate, and does a good job of describing the climate of the late 1700's/early 1800's. Life was more tenuous in a time of communicable diseases, quaint medical practices (i.e. bleeding), and the dangers of childbirth. The active political interest of the majority of Americans was also a stark contrast to our current dependency on television reporters and social media for information as well as a more general apathy.
Cons: As previously mentioned, the book is only about 1/5 novel. As such, it can be a slow, meticulous, almost painful read at times, almost like reading an assigned "textbook".
~~Again, probably because Wilson was striving for historical accuracy she generally *tells us* rather than *shows us* through character development/story arc. This subtle difference makes her characters seem flat and less personable. There are books where the characters are brought to life in such a way that the reader almost feels they could walk off the page--this is NOT that book.
Overall rating of 3 stars or Good.
July 2, 2023
This biography of Dolley Payne Todd Madison taught me a bit about the Quaker religion, the political issues of the day, and how Dolley Madison was an integral part of our federal government. Her philosophy was that no one should be left out so all kinds of people with all types of ideological beliefs were invited to the Washington DC dinners that she organized. Her thought (one that we could use nowadays, by the way!) was that if people spent time together in pleasant situations, such as a formal dinner, where they could talk and mingle and get to know each other as people first, maybe they would find it easier to work together on the political problems of the day. I consider Dolley to be a hero whose contributions to our new born country need to be recognized!
January 20, 2019
Very good book
Very good book. It took me awhile to read it but that is probably more a reflection of my life than of the book. I learned so much about Dolley and the time she lived in
Very good book. It took me awhile to read it but that is probably more a reflection of my life than of the book. I learned so much about Dolley and the time she lived in
October 5, 2017
Rather slow.
July 24, 2009
I really enjoyed reading this. It's a biographical novel instead of the historical biography that I would normally read. It does tend to jump back and forth between a novel style and a biography, which is a little strange. Some parts just don't flow well. The historical information is correct, but most of the conversations are obviously made up, as well as a lot of the thoughts and feelings of the characters. A lighter read than a straight biography, but you still get the feeling of the time that they were living in and what they went through.
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July 31, 200892M
June 13, 2011
Fun reading about the Presidential wives.
January 3, 2013
Good history book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews