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Sarah: Her Story; The Life Story of Sarah Parker Rice Goodwin, Wife of Ichabod Goodwin, New Hampshire's Civil War Governor
Book by Kelly, Margaret Whyte
321 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2006
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2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 26, 2025
This is a 5-star for readers interested in Portsmith, NH. It's a 4 star for me because I would have been happy with less local (and war-related) history and more excerpts from Sarah's journals and letters.
Overall, it's an excellent book, well written and organized thoughtfully, and of interest to readers who enjoy learning about life from the early through late 19th century. I was fascinated with the many national, social and domestic changes Sarah lived through and with her observations and perceptions. She was a very privileged woman but she wrote about a wide range of topics and concerns that shed light on the times she lived in.
Those times included slavery, even in New Hampshire during her youth. She accompanied her husband to the South during the 1820s and after a few months was thoroughly ready to leave. But we only hear a little bit about her time there. It's an example of how I would have liked to read more from her journals and letters.
I may be an outlier here. I enjoy paging through the full minutiae of journals, diaries and letters. Other readers may prefer the way this author handled the excerpts. The accompanying expository is detailed and informative. I was especially reminded how - no matter what the era or location - the people in the United States have never been of one mind about anything. Seeing the differences played out in a small city over a century was fascinating. General history too often overlooks nuance.
Overall, it's an excellent book, well written and organized thoughtfully, and of interest to readers who enjoy learning about life from the early through late 19th century. I was fascinated with the many national, social and domestic changes Sarah lived through and with her observations and perceptions. She was a very privileged woman but she wrote about a wide range of topics and concerns that shed light on the times she lived in.
Those times included slavery, even in New Hampshire during her youth. She accompanied her husband to the South during the 1820s and after a few months was thoroughly ready to leave. But we only hear a little bit about her time there. It's an example of how I would have liked to read more from her journals and letters.
I may be an outlier here. I enjoy paging through the full minutiae of journals, diaries and letters. Other readers may prefer the way this author handled the excerpts. The accompanying expository is detailed and informative. I was especially reminded how - no matter what the era or location - the people in the United States have never been of one mind about anything. Seeing the differences played out in a small city over a century was fascinating. General history too often overlooks nuance.
May 21, 2019
I thought the book content was a little choppy. I was surprised to see that the author had degrees in English, there were a number of grammar mistakes. However, there was a lot of good history, and it was fascinating to read how the Goodwin family affected American History.
Want to Read
November 23, 2013I had the pleasure of meeting the author last week and she told me about her book. She told me how she was given all the notes and journals of Sarah Parker and asked to write a book using them. I am looking forward to reading it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews