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Abigail Adams
In this vivid new biography of Abigail Adams, the most illustrious woman of the founding era, prize-winning historian Woody Holton offers a sweeping reinterpretation of Adams's life story and of women's roles in the creation of the republic.
Using previously overlooked documents from numerous archives, Abigail Adams shows that the wife of the second president of the United States was far more charismatic and influential than historians have realized. One of the finest writers of her age, Adams passionately campaigned for women's education, denounced sex discrimination, and matched wits not only with her brilliant husband, John, but with Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. When male Patriots ignored her famous appeal to "Remember the Ladies," she accomplished her own personal declaration of independence: Defying centuries of legislation that assigned married women's property to their husbands, she amassed a fortune in her own name.
Adams's life story encapsulates the history of the founding era, for she defined herself in relation to the people she loved or hated (she was never neutral): her mother, whom she considered terribly overprotective; Benjamin Franklin, who schemed to clip her husband's wings; her sisters, whose dependence upon Abigail's charity strained the family bond; James Lovell, her husband's bawdy congressional colleague, who peppered her with innuendo about John's "rigid patriotism"; her financially naive husband (Abigail earned money in ways the president considered unsavory, took risks that he wished to avoid - and made him a rich man); Phoebe Adee, her father's former slave, who lived free in an Adams property but defied Abigail's prohibition against sheltering others even more desperate than herself; and her son John Quincy who worried her with his tendency to "study out of spight" but who fueled her pride by following his father into public service, rising to the presidency after her death.
At once epic and intimate, Abigail Adams, sheds light on a complicated, fascinating woman, one of the most beloved figures of American history.
Using previously overlooked documents from numerous archives, Abigail Adams shows that the wife of the second president of the United States was far more charismatic and influential than historians have realized. One of the finest writers of her age, Adams passionately campaigned for women's education, denounced sex discrimination, and matched wits not only with her brilliant husband, John, but with Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. When male Patriots ignored her famous appeal to "Remember the Ladies," she accomplished her own personal declaration of independence: Defying centuries of legislation that assigned married women's property to their husbands, she amassed a fortune in her own name.
Adams's life story encapsulates the history of the founding era, for she defined herself in relation to the people she loved or hated (she was never neutral): her mother, whom she considered terribly overprotective; Benjamin Franklin, who schemed to clip her husband's wings; her sisters, whose dependence upon Abigail's charity strained the family bond; James Lovell, her husband's bawdy congressional colleague, who peppered her with innuendo about John's "rigid patriotism"; her financially naive husband (Abigail earned money in ways the president considered unsavory, took risks that he wished to avoid - and made him a rich man); Phoebe Adee, her father's former slave, who lived free in an Adams property but defied Abigail's prohibition against sheltering others even more desperate than herself; and her son John Quincy who worried her with his tendency to "study out of spight" but who fueled her pride by following his father into public service, rising to the presidency after her death.
At once epic and intimate, Abigail Adams, sheds light on a complicated, fascinating woman, one of the most beloved figures of American history.
483 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 371 reviews
May 11, 2018
I've been looking for a good bios on the nation's founding mothers and I found one!
Having read bios on the male versions of the Washingtons, Adams, Jeffersons, Hamiltons, etc...etc...etc...I wanted to see the revolutionary period through the eyes of the women of the day. Abigail Adams is an important figure of the time and the fact that I didn't know her hardly at all rankled with me. Having read Woody Holton's Abigail Adams: A Life I feel like I know more than I could ever need to know.
I've read and seen numerous books and films on her famous husband John. Each mentioned and portrayed Abigail as a stalwart companion and alluded to her importance to him, but they never went into great detail as to why. They made it clear that the two were a good match, but didn't explain her role in the partnership. Holton has it covered!
As a biographer Holton is often generous and kind to Adams. You can tell she has an ally here in this author. Positive and affirming language was employed in places where negative terms could just as well been used. Example: never once did Holton label Adams a war profiteer, and yet that's just how she kept her family's fortune from ruin and even enriched it. The woman did what she had to and what her husband would not, though he benefited greatly from her efforts and seemed to generally turn a blind eye to anything he might see as being morally beneath him (that being said, there was a whole lotta stuff John thought was morally beneath him!).
What I enjoyed most about this was the look into the domestic side of life during the American Revolution. It's a period I've studied a good deal and usually that study ends up focusing on the war side of things. It's more exciting and there's more readily found information on the fighting aspect, as well as the government-forming period later. How the household was kept together seldom gets much play and so I appreciated that.
It was also great to know one of the country's forerunners in female equality. Like the sign-wielding parade marchers, Adams may have urged her husband when he was forming the new government to "remember the ladies", but more than that, she just went out there and showed how a woman could handle economic affairs, such as starting a business, managing estates and trading on the market. This at a time when women weren't allowed to...well...they just weren't allowed to! The husband controlled the wealth in those days. But Adams got around that and made a success of it. Without her, a lot of a people in her extended family, John included, would have been sunk.
Really solid read! Highly recommended!
Having read bios on the male versions of the Washingtons, Adams, Jeffersons, Hamiltons, etc...etc...etc...I wanted to see the revolutionary period through the eyes of the women of the day. Abigail Adams is an important figure of the time and the fact that I didn't know her hardly at all rankled with me. Having read Woody Holton's Abigail Adams: A Life I feel like I know more than I could ever need to know.
I've read and seen numerous books and films on her famous husband John. Each mentioned and portrayed Abigail as a stalwart companion and alluded to her importance to him, but they never went into great detail as to why. They made it clear that the two were a good match, but didn't explain her role in the partnership. Holton has it covered!
As a biographer Holton is often generous and kind to Adams. You can tell she has an ally here in this author. Positive and affirming language was employed in places where negative terms could just as well been used. Example: never once did Holton label Adams a war profiteer, and yet that's just how she kept her family's fortune from ruin and even enriched it. The woman did what she had to and what her husband would not, though he benefited greatly from her efforts and seemed to generally turn a blind eye to anything he might see as being morally beneath him (that being said, there was a whole lotta stuff John thought was morally beneath him!).
What I enjoyed most about this was the look into the domestic side of life during the American Revolution. It's a period I've studied a good deal and usually that study ends up focusing on the war side of things. It's more exciting and there's more readily found information on the fighting aspect, as well as the government-forming period later. How the household was kept together seldom gets much play and so I appreciated that.
It was also great to know one of the country's forerunners in female equality. Like the sign-wielding parade marchers, Adams may have urged her husband when he was forming the new government to "remember the ladies", but more than that, she just went out there and showed how a woman could handle economic affairs, such as starting a business, managing estates and trading on the market. This at a time when women weren't allowed to...well...they just weren't allowed to! The husband controlled the wealth in those days. But Adams got around that and made a success of it. Without her, a lot of a people in her extended family, John included, would have been sunk.
Really solid read! Highly recommended!
July 2, 2017
After reading David McCullough's biography of John Adams, I knew that knowing more about Abigail Adams was crucial to understanding our second president, so I chose the most recently published work on Abigail to continue my study. Holton did not disappoint.
I find it interesting that some readers adamantly claim that Abigail was not a feminist. I find her the most balanced form of feminism ever displayed. She is a wife and a mother; a business woman and investor. She unashamedly gives her opinion to her husband (even when he is thousands of miles away for years on end) and firmly lets him know when she disagrees with his opinions and decisions.
And this is exactly what I loved about this biography. Holton simply used Abigail's own words let the reader decide how to categorize her. He uses letters, of course between John and Abigail, but also between Abigail and her sister, Mary Cranche, Abigail and Mercy Otis Warren, and others to help the reader formulize Abigail's character.
Holton's prose is, at times, difficult to navigate, but this is at least partially due to the fact that so much of his book is exerpts from letters and early American language is so different from today's.
As a whole, an excellent read and an in-depth look at America'a second First Lady.
I find it interesting that some readers adamantly claim that Abigail was not a feminist. I find her the most balanced form of feminism ever displayed. She is a wife and a mother; a business woman and investor. She unashamedly gives her opinion to her husband (even when he is thousands of miles away for years on end) and firmly lets him know when she disagrees with his opinions and decisions.
And this is exactly what I loved about this biography. Holton simply used Abigail's own words let the reader decide how to categorize her. He uses letters, of course between John and Abigail, but also between Abigail and her sister, Mary Cranche, Abigail and Mercy Otis Warren, and others to help the reader formulize Abigail's character.
Holton's prose is, at times, difficult to navigate, but this is at least partially due to the fact that so much of his book is exerpts from letters and early American language is so different from today's.
As a whole, an excellent read and an in-depth look at America'a second First Lady.
August 25, 2018
2018 Review
This was a solid biography and yet I can't say I "really liked it." Though it paints an interesting, not always sympathetic, picture of this Founding Mother, it struggles to find a tone. Abigail Adams was as feminist! Alas, no, she was sadly of her times. She was the power behind the John Adams presidency! She was a meddling matriarch.
I like the historical facts about this remarkable woman but I got tired of the author's emphasis on the many ways Abigail Adams falls short of a modern feminist. She - gasp - thought a woman should be loyal to her husband over her country! She thought women struggled with ocean-journeys more than men!
The author also enthuses about the "tantalizing" thought that woman of this era might have - gasp - known about family planning. Imagine that, women had some say in whether they had kids.
Overall, though, this really piqued my interest about this remarkable woman and her advocacy for women. I definitely want to learn more.
First Attempt at Reading 2010
So far, so good!! Holton is a terrific biographer whose only fault is a tendancy to compare everything to Abigail's fame as a femenist
This was a solid biography and yet I can't say I "really liked it." Though it paints an interesting, not always sympathetic, picture of this Founding Mother, it struggles to find a tone. Abigail Adams was as feminist! Alas, no, she was sadly of her times. She was the power behind the John Adams presidency! She was a meddling matriarch.
I like the historical facts about this remarkable woman but I got tired of the author's emphasis on the many ways Abigail Adams falls short of a modern feminist. She - gasp - thought a woman should be loyal to her husband over her country! She thought women struggled with ocean-journeys more than men!
The author also enthuses about the "tantalizing" thought that woman of this era might have - gasp - known about family planning. Imagine that, women had some say in whether they had kids.
Overall, though, this really piqued my interest about this remarkable woman and her advocacy for women. I definitely want to learn more.
First Attempt at Reading 2010
So far, so good!! Holton is a terrific biographer whose only fault is a tendancy to compare everything to Abigail's fame as a femenist
September 21, 2016
This is an extremely well-researched and exceedingly detailed biography which I found to be uniquely, and almost equally, its strength and its challenge as a reader generally interested in learning more about Abigail Adams. Although there was quite a bit of information that interestingly revealed her as a person, there was a lot of other information that was either tangentially connected to her, or less significant, or both. As an example, I found excerpts of letters back and forth between her and her husband as well as her impressions of Europe interesting, but I found things like the specific number of smallpox marks on her children and the names of those who cleaned the dishes after a particular party as much less so. I am one who loves details, even trivial details, about people and their lives but, even for me, this was way too much!
This book brought to mind the concept of what constitutes a definitive biography--one with the greatest sheer volume of information connected to a person, or one with the greatest interest and impact in revealing a person through information filtering. For a reader with the former objective, such as one with an academic research interest or intense personal interest, I think this book could be a 5 star-choice. For a reader such as myself with the latter goal, I found that the investment in the less relevant specifics somewhat outweighed the rewards of the more interesting information so I gave it 2.5 stars (ok).
This book brought to mind the concept of what constitutes a definitive biography--one with the greatest sheer volume of information connected to a person, or one with the greatest interest and impact in revealing a person through information filtering. For a reader with the former objective, such as one with an academic research interest or intense personal interest, I think this book could be a 5 star-choice. For a reader such as myself with the latter goal, I found that the investment in the less relevant specifics somewhat outweighed the rewards of the more interesting information so I gave it 2.5 stars (ok).
November 18, 2019
Enjoy reading this book that gave me a look into to the life of Abigail and her family
July 31, 2016
Fantastic book...especially if you've read/listened to John Adams. I listened to this from an Audible.com download and have to comment once again on the remarkable and mellifluous voice of Cassandra Campbell. As soon as I noticed she was the reader I was in. For audiobook listeners, I highly recommend that you look for her.
Anyway, Abigail Adams. What an amazing woman she was. This book presents the other side of the the John Adams story. How she coped and ran the family during his extended absenses as a career public servant.
It was interesting to learn how archaic society's view of women was during that time and how she struggled for her own identity within those constraints.
From John Adams and hearing about the love letters they wrote, I had the impression that life between the two was all lovey dovey but it really wasn't according to this. Additionally, the book details the sensitive perspective of the family trials and tribulations as they relate to family relationships. From John Adams, I knew of the key personal tragedies but they were told from John's male perspective. Not that any of the events were less painful to him but they were written with less emotion that a female does (we're just wired different).
I was most impressed with Abigail's financial savvy and contribution to the family's wealth through investing and her own business. This woman could do it all...and she did!
Remarkable...a life well lived.
Anyway, Abigail Adams. What an amazing woman she was. This book presents the other side of the the John Adams story. How she coped and ran the family during his extended absenses as a career public servant.
It was interesting to learn how archaic society's view of women was during that time and how she struggled for her own identity within those constraints.
From John Adams and hearing about the love letters they wrote, I had the impression that life between the two was all lovey dovey but it really wasn't according to this. Additionally, the book details the sensitive perspective of the family trials and tribulations as they relate to family relationships. From John Adams, I knew of the key personal tragedies but they were told from John's male perspective. Not that any of the events were less painful to him but they were written with less emotion that a female does (we're just wired different).
I was most impressed with Abigail's financial savvy and contribution to the family's wealth through investing and her own business. This woman could do it all...and she did!
Remarkable...a life well lived.
Read
December 17, 2020Partial review - DNF @ p.130
The author seems to have a preconceived notion of John Adams as a terrible husband and Abigail as the long-suffering wife who endures him but no more. This interpretation is countered by 100s of letters between John and Abigail in which they share words of affection, pet names, and longing for each other. Abigail at times pleads for more letters from John, and the author uses this to demonstrate that she felt neglected, rather than that she simply missed her husband. There are, of course, instances of Abigail apologizing for not writing more herself or rejoicing over receiving multiple letters at once, but Holton sets those aside since they do not support his narrative. On her marriage, Abigail said, ‘After half a century, I can say. My choice would be the same if I again had youth and opportunity to make it.’
The author also wishes for Abigail to be a feminist much ahead of her time. While Abigail did ask John to 'remember the ladies' and give them protections against neglectful or abusive husbands and she was an outspoken advocate for girls' education, she also often expresses her view of gender roles. Holton forgets that Abigail also said, ‘Regard us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness,’ AND ‘However brilliant a woman’s tallents may be, she ought never to shine at the expence of her Husband,’ AND ‘I believe nature has assigned to each sex its particular duties and sphere of action, and to act well your part, “there all the honor lies.”’
These purposefully misleading 'reinventions' have made me decide to set this book aside. If I later return to it, I will revise this review.
The author seems to have a preconceived notion of John Adams as a terrible husband and Abigail as the long-suffering wife who endures him but no more. This interpretation is countered by 100s of letters between John and Abigail in which they share words of affection, pet names, and longing for each other. Abigail at times pleads for more letters from John, and the author uses this to demonstrate that she felt neglected, rather than that she simply missed her husband. There are, of course, instances of Abigail apologizing for not writing more herself or rejoicing over receiving multiple letters at once, but Holton sets those aside since they do not support his narrative. On her marriage, Abigail said, ‘After half a century, I can say. My choice would be the same if I again had youth and opportunity to make it.’
The author also wishes for Abigail to be a feminist much ahead of her time. While Abigail did ask John to 'remember the ladies' and give them protections against neglectful or abusive husbands and she was an outspoken advocate for girls' education, she also often expresses her view of gender roles. Holton forgets that Abigail also said, ‘Regard us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and in imitation of the Supreme Being make use of that power only for our happiness,’ AND ‘However brilliant a woman’s tallents may be, she ought never to shine at the expence of her Husband,’ AND ‘I believe nature has assigned to each sex its particular duties and sphere of action, and to act well your part, “there all the honor lies.”’
These purposefully misleading 'reinventions' have made me decide to set this book aside. If I later return to it, I will revise this review.
July 30, 2021
A good read-- everything I didn't like about Mary Bell Washington I liked about this biography read instead. First, the central character and point of view were all centered on the main character, Abigail Adams, and the story was also told from her point of view. Second, there was plenty of sources given and even numerous direct quotations from her and other characters. Third, the storyline was not biased enough that the reader knew what the author preferred-- there was good and bad presented on all characters and even the events. Speaking of the events, they too correlated with historical sources. This brings me to my one biggest complaint -- the story had so many details. I liked most, but didn't know or necessarily care about the financial woes of Abigail 's everybody including aunts and uncles or even their marriages, estates, etc. I didn't even follow who all the other people necessarily were. All in all, I learned so much and enjoyed my time doing it, though.
February 12, 2018
Library Biography # 24
Here’s what I learned about Abigail Adams: She was a feminist, supported emancipation, preferred to sleep with the shutters closed, an entrepreneur, a speculator, and a control freak.
Holton’s biography of Abigail Adams was my second biography on her. The first one I read, Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, was more of quick portrayal and really didn’t get into the details that Holton does. Holton explains a lot more of Abigail’s doings while John Adams is away. For example, all her dealings – selling merchandise, her investment in bonds, buying land, the money that she claimed as her own – was NEVER mentioned in the other book. Abigail is directly responsible for their good fortunes.
This book appears to have its highs and its lows. There were times where I felt the text was well written and easily flowed. There were times were I felt kind of confused and hung up. I wonder if the author had went back and started adding extra details or something that made the text feel choppier than it should have. After about 300 pages I got BORED. Mostly because the book became more about the Adams family as a whole – Nabby, John Quincy, Charles, Thomas – than it does about Abigail.
Holton becomes obsessed about a few occurrences that reappear in the book again and again. He uses these one-time occurrences to try to disprove a couple things about Abigail Adams.
1- That she is against slavery
2- That she is a feminist
So Adams makes a few comments in regards of seeing the play Othello – Holton analyzes her observations as racist. Instead of going by all Abigail had written her entire life, Holton gives this one note entirely too much credit. And I don’t think he gives it much consideration or interpretation other than face value. Then, because she follows conventions at the time in addressing form slaves and free blacks, apparently this is evidence that she isn’t against slavery. Then she criticizes the cook of the ship she takes to Europe. Again, according to Holton, proof she's racist. Nevermind that Holton also makes a point that she also criticizes white servants. Well, to me that proves that she is just being critical and is not racist because if she was, she wouldn’t complain about the whites or would go on about how whites are superior. She never appears to do this. And apparently when Holton makes these accusations, he overlooks how she cares for her father’s former slave, Phoebe, for the rest of her life.
Then, because she makes some judgments against foreign women on their appearance, he assumes that she really isn’t a feminist. Holton makes sure he brings this up nearly every time she speaks in favor of women having more rights. It more seems that Abigail was experiencing culture shock!
Here’s the thing – Adams expected slavery to come to an end as a result of the Revolution – part of the book even says this was to be part of the Declaration of Independence but was removed from the final draft (it’s not stated but I’m guessing even back then we had politicians disagreeing to the point that concessions were made that were in their interest rather than the interest of the people as a whole). Also, just because she passed judgement on women doesn’t mean she isn’t a feminist – she educated her daughter, she constantly fought with her husband about changing things for women, she may have made purchases in her husband’s name, but she knew that much of the assets she accrued from her business dealings was hers – even though legally it wasn’t, she claimed it as hers. Then, at the end of her life, she writes a will with entitlements for her two surviving children and only the women in her family. How can a few off-hand comments undo a life spent proving the opposite? It also befuddles me that I read somewhere else that her great-grandson said she wasn't a feminist. All I can say that it boils down to is that a bunch of men making these declarations.
Abigail Adams wasn’t perfect. If anything, all Holton is able to prove she becomes more judgmental the older she gets – only proving, perhaps she is more like her father after all. It has nothing to do with her personal beliefs. The evidence that Adams acted in favor of women’s rights and spoke against slavery outweighs all the times she was judgmental or for lack of a better description, stuck up.
In the end, Abigail is a strong woman who is confident in her mind and often tries to persuade her family to follow her reasoning. If it's within her reach to influence, Abigail Adams typically got her way. After all, she won the shutters dispute.
Here’s what I learned about Abigail Adams: She was a feminist, supported emancipation, preferred to sleep with the shutters closed, an entrepreneur, a speculator, and a control freak.
Holton’s biography of Abigail Adams was my second biography on her. The first one I read, Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, was more of quick portrayal and really didn’t get into the details that Holton does. Holton explains a lot more of Abigail’s doings while John Adams is away. For example, all her dealings – selling merchandise, her investment in bonds, buying land, the money that she claimed as her own – was NEVER mentioned in the other book. Abigail is directly responsible for their good fortunes.
This book appears to have its highs and its lows. There were times where I felt the text was well written and easily flowed. There were times were I felt kind of confused and hung up. I wonder if the author had went back and started adding extra details or something that made the text feel choppier than it should have. After about 300 pages I got BORED. Mostly because the book became more about the Adams family as a whole – Nabby, John Quincy, Charles, Thomas – than it does about Abigail.
Holton becomes obsessed about a few occurrences that reappear in the book again and again. He uses these one-time occurrences to try to disprove a couple things about Abigail Adams.
1- That she is against slavery
2- That she is a feminist
So Adams makes a few comments in regards of seeing the play Othello – Holton analyzes her observations as racist. Instead of going by all Abigail had written her entire life, Holton gives this one note entirely too much credit. And I don’t think he gives it much consideration or interpretation other than face value. Then, because she follows conventions at the time in addressing form slaves and free blacks, apparently this is evidence that she isn’t against slavery. Then she criticizes the cook of the ship she takes to Europe. Again, according to Holton, proof she's racist. Nevermind that Holton also makes a point that she also criticizes white servants. Well, to me that proves that she is just being critical and is not racist because if she was, she wouldn’t complain about the whites or would go on about how whites are superior. She never appears to do this. And apparently when Holton makes these accusations, he overlooks how she cares for her father’s former slave, Phoebe, for the rest of her life.
Then, because she makes some judgments against foreign women on their appearance, he assumes that she really isn’t a feminist. Holton makes sure he brings this up nearly every time she speaks in favor of women having more rights. It more seems that Abigail was experiencing culture shock!
Here’s the thing – Adams expected slavery to come to an end as a result of the Revolution – part of the book even says this was to be part of the Declaration of Independence but was removed from the final draft (it’s not stated but I’m guessing even back then we had politicians disagreeing to the point that concessions were made that were in their interest rather than the interest of the people as a whole). Also, just because she passed judgement on women doesn’t mean she isn’t a feminist – she educated her daughter, she constantly fought with her husband about changing things for women, she may have made purchases in her husband’s name, but she knew that much of the assets she accrued from her business dealings was hers – even though legally it wasn’t, she claimed it as hers. Then, at the end of her life, she writes a will with entitlements for her two surviving children and only the women in her family. How can a few off-hand comments undo a life spent proving the opposite? It also befuddles me that I read somewhere else that her great-grandson said she wasn't a feminist. All I can say that it boils down to is that a bunch of men making these declarations.
Abigail Adams wasn’t perfect. If anything, all Holton is able to prove she becomes more judgmental the older she gets – only proving, perhaps she is more like her father after all. It has nothing to do with her personal beliefs. The evidence that Adams acted in favor of women’s rights and spoke against slavery outweighs all the times she was judgmental or for lack of a better description, stuck up.
In the end, Abigail is a strong woman who is confident in her mind and often tries to persuade her family to follow her reasoning. If it's within her reach to influence, Abigail Adams typically got her way. After all, she won the shutters dispute.
September 24, 2012
I've read(or most often listened to) lots of books about the creation of America...John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, The Mayflower, 1776....this book is a great addition, telling about the same events from Abigail's perspective...and a very different one from what we get in most histories.
Based on the 1200 existing letters between Abigail and John, it allows us to see well known historical events in the context of a strong minded woman's view. Filled with details of daily life (which may drive some crazy...) it's a rich portrayal of the beginnings of our country and more particularly how women lived in a culture that didn't allow married women to write a will because everything she owned was actually her husband's property! Her detailing of her daughter's experience with breast cancer (and a mastectomy!) are stunning...
"And much of Abigail's story is very familiar....as a teenager, she bridled under her mother's overprotective gaze...she did not like the man who courted her little sister...was annoyed at the way her married friends prattled on about their children--until she became a mother herself. She wondered whether her infant daughter's first smiles were mirth or simply gas, borrowed baby gear from her older sister, Mary, and worried about whether the local school was doing her children more harm than good. Her husband irritated her by ignoring the family as he lost himself in his newspaper-and infuriated her by leaving her with a houseful of sick children and not even bothering to write. Her teenage daughter resisted her authority in ways that recalled her own adolescent rebellions. (pviii)
I do think the author tries a bit to set Abigail up as the ultimate "feminist"...a popular view today...but I think there were probably many women with Abigail's determination and forceful personality...they just didn't happen to have been married to a President of the US and leave behind 1200 letters!
Based on the 1200 existing letters between Abigail and John, it allows us to see well known historical events in the context of a strong minded woman's view. Filled with details of daily life (which may drive some crazy...) it's a rich portrayal of the beginnings of our country and more particularly how women lived in a culture that didn't allow married women to write a will because everything she owned was actually her husband's property! Her detailing of her daughter's experience with breast cancer (and a mastectomy!) are stunning...
"And much of Abigail's story is very familiar....as a teenager, she bridled under her mother's overprotective gaze...she did not like the man who courted her little sister...was annoyed at the way her married friends prattled on about their children--until she became a mother herself. She wondered whether her infant daughter's first smiles were mirth or simply gas, borrowed baby gear from her older sister, Mary, and worried about whether the local school was doing her children more harm than good. Her husband irritated her by ignoring the family as he lost himself in his newspaper-and infuriated her by leaving her with a houseful of sick children and not even bothering to write. Her teenage daughter resisted her authority in ways that recalled her own adolescent rebellions. (pviii)
I do think the author tries a bit to set Abigail up as the ultimate "feminist"...a popular view today...but I think there were probably many women with Abigail's determination and forceful personality...they just didn't happen to have been married to a President of the US and leave behind 1200 letters!
March 9, 2012
I never actually finished this book. The author CLEARLY had an agenda when writing this completely biased interpretation of Abigail's letter correspondence. I could not come to enjoy or even put up with his writing style and delivery. In this case History truly is just HIS-story.
August 8, 2014
As much an endlessly engrossing biography of Abigail Adams herself, this is also an insightful look at the lives of women in the Revolutionary era. With no political or legal standing in their own right many women chafed against the strictures of the era, and Abigail Adams was a classic, perhaps a defining, example of this. Her 'Remember the Ladies' letter to husband John is perhaps the best known example of her early campaigning for the rights of women, but it was by no means the only or the last.
True to this, John Adams is very much a background figure in this biography. When writing of the wives of powerful and important men, too often the primary figure herself tends to get lost, obscured not only by the force and vigour of the male characters, but by the lack of documentary evidence available. It is fortunate then that Abigail and John were both great letter-writers, often separated for months on end by John's political career, and that Abigail did not destroy her correspondence upon her death, unlike George Washington's wife Martha.
Abigail comes across an immensely likeable figure and one modern audiences can immediately sympathise with, with her frustration at the lack of educational opportunities for women, her 'sauciness' and independent will, her financial transactions and political opinions. She lived in a truly remarkable era, and it's as much as a testament to her own character as the skill of the author that the Revolution itself pales in interest to Abigail's own life, much as the two were inseparable intertwined.
True to this, John Adams is very much a background figure in this biography. When writing of the wives of powerful and important men, too often the primary figure herself tends to get lost, obscured not only by the force and vigour of the male characters, but by the lack of documentary evidence available. It is fortunate then that Abigail and John were both great letter-writers, often separated for months on end by John's political career, and that Abigail did not destroy her correspondence upon her death, unlike George Washington's wife Martha.
Abigail comes across an immensely likeable figure and one modern audiences can immediately sympathise with, with her frustration at the lack of educational opportunities for women, her 'sauciness' and independent will, her financial transactions and political opinions. She lived in a truly remarkable era, and it's as much as a testament to her own character as the skill of the author that the Revolution itself pales in interest to Abigail's own life, much as the two were inseparable intertwined.
June 1, 2010
Abigial Adams was doctor, therapist, teacher, entrepreneur, politician, mother, and wife, in no particular order at any particular time. She was everything. She was nothing. And she knew it. And it made me a bit sad for one main reason: in this age of the crappily short emails, texts, whatever, I thought of the lost art of letter writing. I learned an immense amount of really interesting, meaty stuff about the revolution and the people in it, specifically the women and how this war profoundly affected them, because Abigail Adams was a fantastic, carefully opinionated letter writer. If she hadn't been married to that great politician John Adams, if he hadn't been away from home as much as he was (and that was a lot, up to five years at a time - like half their married life), we wouldn't have this treasure trove of information. And it was really, really cool.
This is a good book, especially the second half when the war really picks up, how she deals with her children and family life, the rivalry between Adams and Jefferson, presidential life for wife and husband. Speaking of Mr. Adams, she rarely agreed with him. She was so feisty and opinionated for her time. An American Revolution heroine, a rambunctious feminist icon. The bread and butter of women's history.
This is a good book, especially the second half when the war really picks up, how she deals with her children and family life, the rivalry between Adams and Jefferson, presidential life for wife and husband. Speaking of Mr. Adams, she rarely agreed with him. She was so feisty and opinionated for her time. An American Revolution heroine, a rambunctious feminist icon. The bread and butter of women's history.
June 26, 2010
Biographer Woody Holton is definitely an Abigail Adams fan. This is a good thing, because if he were not a fan, he never would have waded through the Massachusetts Historical Society archives to prepare this book. He also did a very good job of bringing the second First Lady to life. Unfortunately, being a fan also means that some of his writing was very close to fawning over Mrs. Adams. I do understand this as I have long been an admirer of her myself. Still, the writing did drag at times and there were many chapters that could have used more work. Historical works do not need to be constantly thrilling, but they can be consistently engaging. If you don't believe me, please read Cokie Roberts' book Founding Mothers or 1776 by David McCullough). Holton isn't in their league, but he does show promise.
I learned much about Mrs. Adams that I did not previously know. Now I have to come to terms with my own biases since I have learned that she was, after all, human. I am still very impressed with all that she was able to accomplish and grateful that Woody Holton reintroduced me to a true Founding Mother.
I learned much about Mrs. Adams that I did not previously know. Now I have to come to terms with my own biases since I have learned that she was, after all, human. I am still very impressed with all that she was able to accomplish and grateful that Woody Holton reintroduced me to a true Founding Mother.
September 6, 2014
If you're looking for an in depth look into the life of America's second First Lady, then look no further. While Holton's writing style can be a bit difficult to navigate at times, the heart of the book remains Adams' own words. Holton utilizes Abigail's own words to validate the premise that she had been underestimated by many historians in the past. An adept businesswoman in her own right, Adams unabashedly touted women's rights in a time when women relinquished their rights to their husbands via the 18th century practice known as coverture.
Abigail's voice radiates off the pages of this book. Holton paints a vivid picture of her political acumen throughout the book. Her letters show her willingness to speak freely of contemporaries like Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson. Her words provide key insights on how her political views were shaped as a result of our republic's formation.
This book is an intimate look into the life of perhaps the greatest founding mother and sheds light on a complicated, emotionally rich woman. Once reading it you will have a better understanding on why she is one of the most beloved figures of American history.
Abigail's voice radiates off the pages of this book. Holton paints a vivid picture of her political acumen throughout the book. Her letters show her willingness to speak freely of contemporaries like Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson. Her words provide key insights on how her political views were shaped as a result of our republic's formation.
This book is an intimate look into the life of perhaps the greatest founding mother and sheds light on a complicated, emotionally rich woman. Once reading it you will have a better understanding on why she is one of the most beloved figures of American history.
April 19, 2010
Very thorough, and a nice complement to Lynne Withey's Dearest Friend, as well as David McCullough's John Adams. Holton draws heavily on Abigail's letters and delves very specifically into the lives of her extended family and children. One thing that got on my nerves, however, was his determination to jive Abigail's views on women, race, and other issues with today's views. Different times, different views, I say. I wish he hadn't gotten so hung up on trying to figure out her often contradictory (at least by today's standards) attitudes.
My brother and sister-in-law got me this book for Christmas, and I didn't expect to enjoy it so much, especially after reading the other two biographies this year. Abigail really is a complex and wonderful person, and this book only added to my understanding of her, her family, and her era.
My brother and sister-in-law got me this book for Christmas, and I didn't expect to enjoy it so much, especially after reading the other two biographies this year. Abigail really is a complex and wonderful person, and this book only added to my understanding of her, her family, and her era.
October 26, 2016
Prior to this biography I didn't know much about Abigail Adams, feminist, investor, philanthropist, stateswoman, and wife of President John Adams. I loved learning more about her through her writing, letters to her husband, friends, and children, and the documents that illustrate how progressive she was for her time, going against convention and also at times against British and American law in order to assert her own independence, both as a woman, wife, and businesswoman. I also love that in her will (which is one of those things that goes against convention and a little against the law) she leaves money and property to her female relatives, but not to any males. Women in her era could hardly own property or have money or investments of their own, and she made darn sure that her female posterity had access to whatever means she could possibly make their own. Dah, I love her.
October 26, 2010
An interesting view of Abigail Adams based mostly on letters that she sent and received. The thread that Holton used to tie it together is how Adams controlled money in a time when married women didn't have any legal right to do so.
Thoughts:
It is amazing how much American English has changed in 250 years. Holton defines for us words that have almost come to mean the opposite today.
How heart wrenching it is to have children die.
Again the myth of the nuclear American family is destroyed as parents spend years away from their children, die and remarry and children get handed around to various relatives and friends.
During the current controversy about what religion meant to the founding fathers, Abigail's attitudes and observations are interesting.
Thoughts:
It is amazing how much American English has changed in 250 years. Holton defines for us words that have almost come to mean the opposite today.
How heart wrenching it is to have children die.
Again the myth of the nuclear American family is destroyed as parents spend years away from their children, die and remarry and children get handed around to various relatives and friends.
During the current controversy about what religion meant to the founding fathers, Abigail's attitudes and observations are interesting.
March 19, 2010
Abigail Adams has always been one of my favorite founding mothers. However, her vibrant life became dull in the pages of this book. I had the book for 2 months from the library and had to finally just turn it back in without finishing it. I would like to try a different biography about Mrs. Adams. Any suggestions? I thought this was really dry reading and at times hard to follow. Lots of odd tangents, they were brought back to her life but some so insignificant that it made the flow of reading falter.
August 19, 2017
Our first feminist, Abigail Adams was a woman ahead of her time. The wife of our second president and mother of our sixth president, she was feisty, opinionated, confident, caring, loving and smart. An independent woman, she learned the hard way to navigate her world while her husband travelled, to rely on her instincts in child rearing and business dealings – and did so well. At a time of “femme couvert” laws, or couverture, when the law declared that a husband and wife were as one, and that “one” was the husband with all rights over the wife as well as her property, most women did not dabble in finances. Did not own property, much less sell it. Abigail threw convention to the wind and did just that. She challenged not only her husband, but anyone who said women shouldn’t vote, shouldn’t have the same rights as men. She wanted her daughters and all girls to be educated far beyond the simple math required to go to market or make a dress. She definitely was not a saint and still had ideas about class and slavery that would not sit well in today’s world but that does not diminish the positive traits clearly represented in her letters to her husband, daughter and friends.
The social history explained in this book is reason enough to have it on a shelf as a reference for the customs of the times. For ex: The explanation of her daughter’s breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery is fascinating. The issues with raising boys – not all that different from raising a boy today. The author did thorough research, although the letters speak for themselves. My only complaint is that at almost 20 hours of listening, I think the book could have been shaved by almost half.
The social history explained in this book is reason enough to have it on a shelf as a reference for the customs of the times. For ex: The explanation of her daughter’s breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery is fascinating. The issues with raising boys – not all that different from raising a boy today. The author did thorough research, although the letters speak for themselves. My only complaint is that at almost 20 hours of listening, I think the book could have been shaved by almost half.
June 4, 2017
I have long been interested in Abigail Adams but never read anything on her. I recently did some googling for reviews on which would be the best book to read, and this one consistently came up at the top of the list. I was hugely disappointed, though. It's well researched and certainly helps you to get to know Adams through her letters, but it's poorly written. It's very choppy. It also feels like it discredits her a bit as it will start leading into significant historical events and begin to touch on her own viewpoints on those events, but then jump back into her domestic concerns (sick kids, a sister in a romantic entanglement, etc.). While certainly that would've been the primary realm for a woman of her time period, the book purports to show her own thinking on historical events but consistently pulls its punches. I've read a lot of nonfiction books in my time and am always extremely appreciative of those that can be well researched and stay true to the "nonfiction contract" (of reading like a narrative but not erring on the side of presenting opinion/creative license as fact). This one was well researched but not at all enjoyable to read. I finally decided to give up on it and keep looking for a better biography of this interesting woman.
September 22, 2017
One of the reasons to read a biography is to understand the context of the life of another. Further, by understanding the worldview of the person being written about, we are able to understand better the world we live in today, the tensions that are still present to us, and the roots of political movements past and present. This biography of Abigail Adams hits all of these notes. I first thought a biography of the second First Lady would be of interest when I read about the presidents in general. This biography was a wonderful read that not only illuminated the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but also gave evidence of the great contribution that Abigail Adams made to politics, economics, feminism, reform, federal government, and racial relationship ever evolving situation. A great read for any history lover.
December 4, 2025
I was so impressed with the portrayal of Abigail Adams in Ken Burns’ series The American Revolution, I decided to read more about her. This book is a serious, comprehensive coverage of her life, primarily in her own words gleaned from a profusion of her letters and business dealings. I did feel that I learned a great deal about her, but unlike Holton, I believe that the positions she took on women’s rights in a time when women had none demands praise as a seminal feminist in the 1700’s.
Unfortunately Woody Holton relies so much on just the letters and documents themselves that he misses the mark as a really good biographer who can portray his subject within the living, breathing life of the times. As much as I admire his adherence to Abigail Adams’ words - reading them almost letter by letter made this biography too dry and lifeless for me.
Unfortunately Woody Holton relies so much on just the letters and documents themselves that he misses the mark as a really good biographer who can portray his subject within the living, breathing life of the times. As much as I admire his adherence to Abigail Adams’ words - reading them almost letter by letter made this biography too dry and lifeless for me.
June 7, 2021
As I sit here digesting the monumental feast of this biography I am in awe of the courage, loyalty, perseverance, and independence of a woman that I might not have chosen for a friend but who I would most certainly have chosen for an ally. I was introduced to a woman who accepted the limitations placed on her sex then judiciously worked around them to care for her family. She was as cunning as a serpent and innocent as a dove. Much has been written of the great love between John and Abigail Adams yet after reading this biography I believe it was their mutual respect for one another that was the greater gift. I highly recommend this biography of one of our country’s great ladies, Abigail Adams.
April 26, 2021
This was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time, despite taking six weeks to read. I picked this up because my second grader is learning about the life and times of Abigail Adams for history. The stories she is coming home with are so interesting that I was eager to learn more. Without that dynamic, perhaps I wouldn’t have enjoyed this biography as well as I did, but it is remarkably detailed and a fascinating, full account of an impressive life.
May 8, 2018
It's an interesting biography that really gives a picture of life in this slice of late 18th-century America. And I love books that also make me smarter, so bonus.
February 27, 2019
A very entertaining and informative look at one of the spunkiest First Ladies. Abigail was a woman's right advocate long before feminism was popular.
May 7, 2019
Very informative!
November 8, 2019
Such a remarkable woman! Well written biography. I feel like I know Abigail Adams now.
August 22, 2020
A well-written account of a complex and incredible lady. The pacing feels a bit off at times, but overall it's well worth the read!
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