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Loading... My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adamsby Abigail Adams
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Though it took effort to slog through, reading the letters of the Adams' was eye-opening and worthwhile. Should be read as a companion with McCullough's 'John Adams'. (  )alaskabookworm | Apr 25, 2009 |   This is a collection of 289 of the letters between Abigail and John from 1762 to 1801 when they finally retired to their farm at Braintree. While it is satisfying to read the letters in their own right, the reader who is familiar with the history of the time will find this book particularly interesting. From early in their marriage, John's work as a "founding father" kept them apart for months and sometimes years. Their letters were their connection, and the editors have chosen letters that illustrate the enduring love, political views, family joys and frustrations, and the mundane details of the daily lives of one of history's most famous couples. John Adams is well known to many by way of his biographies. Abigail is often portrayed as his intelligent and supportive companion, but her true character cannot come through in those books as it does in these letters. She was left to manage the farm and household, raise and educate the children, and take care of aging parents. During the years John was in Europe, many months sometimes passed in which letters did not arrive. He was not paid at all for his work before the government was formed and was not well paid even as president. Abigail had to meet the financial challenges. She still managed to be well educated generally and in the issues of the time, and letters express her opinions and advice. I recommend this book especially for readers interested in the way of life and the lives of a family who gave much to the formation of the United States. (  )LisaCurcio | Mar 21, 2009 | 0.036 seconds to build listing  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0674026063, Hardcover) Listen to a ten-minute interview with Margaret Hogan Read Margaret Hogan's HUP blog posting: "The Romance of John and Abigail Adams" Watch the video of The Massachusetts Historical Society's November 2007 event at which Deval and Diane Patrick, Edward and Victoria Kennedy, and Michael and Kitty Dukakis read selected letters from My Dearest Friend Visit the Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive Watch the March 2008 HBO miniseries--"John Adams"--based on David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography In 1762, John Adams penned a flirtatious note to "Miss Adorable," the 17-year-old Abigail Smith. In 1801, Abigail wrote to wish her husband John a safe journey as he headed home to Quincy after serving as president of the nation he helped create. The letters that span these nearly forty years form the most significant correspondence--and reveal one of the most intriguing and inspiring partnerships--in American history. As a pivotal player in the American Revolution and the early republic, John had a front-row seat at critical moments in the creation of the United States, from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to negotiating peace with Great Britain to serving as the first vice president and second president under the U.S. Constitution. Separated more often than they were together during this founding era, John and Abigail shared their lives through letters that each addressed to "My Dearest Friend," debating ideas and commenting on current events while attending to the concerns of raising their children (including a future president). Full of keen observations and articulate commentary on world events, these letters are also remarkably intimate. This new collection--including some letters never before published--invites readers to experience the founding of a nation and the partnership of two strong individuals, in their own words. This is history at its most authentic and most engaging. (20070915)(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:17 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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