This biography successfully stuck to the fine line of maintaining this reader’s interest in the subject as well as succinctly and lucidly analyzing the life of Abigail Adams and contemporaneous events. Dearest Friend reads really quickly, like a novel, with insights into personal thoughts, emotions, and motivations drawn from letters and diaries of Abigail and John Adams. It puts Revolutionary events into human perspective from Braintree and Boston, specifically, how Abigail and John viewed them. These events come across as open-ended, without forgone conclusions, importance, or names as later histories account them. Though summarized briefly, the events seem more like what one might read from newspapers or letters than the concise event neatly put into context by a historian. Abigail Adams, like her husband, remains a figure that is either admired or loathed – generally for the same reason – her sharp tongue and wit, yet this book generally manages to avoid either pitfall, relating her life as a person with merits and flaws.

The author treated Abigail as a mere mortal noting contradictions, changes in thinking/attitudes/relationships, for instance her stance on the Shays and Whiskey Rebellions as compared to her notions about the Revolution, as well as her eventual softening towards Republicanism later in life when the country didn’t fall apart under Jefferson. I think my favorite quote from the Adams' letters was “I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.” Which deftly makes the point that not only was Abigail Adams import as a feminist but that she did so by linking the cause of women to the American Revolution. Her keen powers of observation led to her comment on Hamilton’s 1791 plan: “I firmly believe if I live Ten years longer, I shall see a devision of the Southern and Northern States, unless more candour and less intrigue, of which I have no hopes, should prevail.”

Despite these qualities, this was not a perfect or comprehensive biography – little time was spent on her relationships with her children aside from Nabby, though there is such material available (especially between her and John Quincy). At times, the narration was so caught up in the events of the day it was hard to tell if it was a biography of Abigail or John Adams. Further, though a minor point, there were a number of typos in the text I read, outside of the retained contemporary spelling, which distract from the narrative flow, and hopefully these have been fixed in a newer edition. Nevertheless, a worthwhile read overall to get a good sense of Abigail’s life and times. ( )

This is a nice account of the life and times of Abigail Adams. It gives nice insight into her feelings about the war and the politics of her day, as well as her feelings about home and family. She was conflicted over her place in the world - as many women are today - and for that reason I found it to be compelling. She seems much more modern than I would have expected. OTOH, there are passages that are terribly boring and repetitive especially in the middle of the book during the long periods of separation. Overall though, it was an enjoyable glimpse into the life of one of Americas most interesting women. ( )

A spectacular woman who spent most of her life alone, running the home for her absent husband. She was so smart and yet didn't have a vision of equality with men. Rather, she did her best to fulfill her role.