Nancy Rubin Stuart

For too long, Ben Franklin’s common-law wife has been dismissed as illiterate and boring. Nancy Rubin Stuart’s post-feminism approach restores Deborah Reed Franklin to the esteem in which she was held in during her lifetime.

Poor Richard’s Women demonstrates that Deborah ably managed the family business while Ben spent years abroad, as well as the post office, while raising four children (included his illegitimate son), caring for her ailing mother, and supervising the building and show more outfitting of their new home at Franklin Court. In short, the woman was a powerhouse more like Abigail Adams than people think. When rioters protesting the Stamp Act threatened Franklin Court, Deborah brought in help and stood watch with a gun, ready to protect their home and Ben’s reputation! That’s Dolley Madison worthy!

Ben had a penchant for falling for his landladies and their daughters. Deborah was the daughter of the first Philadelphia family he boarded with. They were ready to be married when an opportunity arose or Ben to travel to London to purchase equipment to start his own publishing business. The money fell through, and he was stuck abroad. He found work and a room, then promptly became cozy with his widowed landlady. And, smitten with her daughter, as well. They became a second family, and it appears received the best of his love.

Deborah’s parents urged her to move on before she was over the hill. She married a worthless man who soon disappeared. When Ben finally returned to Philly, the two reunited and decided to resume their relationship. Then, Ben presented Deborah with his illegitimate son to raise!

For much of their marriage, Ben was abroad in England and France working for the patriot cause. He sent home loving letters—sometimes. And, followed his heart all the time. Along with his London landlady, he fell for a series of French women. They were close, but they all disappointed him when it came to the more physical intimacies he desired. By the time Ben came home for good, Deborah had died, and his London landlady as well, but her daughter Polly joined him in Philadelphia. As his health declined, he was lovingly cared for by Polly and his and Deborah’s daughter Sally. It had to rankle Sally to have Polly there!

The book is easy, engaging reading, full of fascinating women. We also met Ben’s children and grandchildren. They were a flawed, but interesting family.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through Edeweiss+. My review is fair and unbiased. show less

This biography details the fascinating life of Mercy Otis Warren, a poet, playwright, journalist, and historian in Massachusetts during the time of the American Revolution and the rise of the new republic. Warren was an ardent proponent of resistance to royal authority in the colonies, with some of her sharpest barbs target at Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson. Although Warren was from a privileged family, the Revolutionary War affected her directly causing her to move around as well as show more bringing her into direct contact with revolutionary political and military leaders. She reported on these events in direct first person accounts. Later in life Warren drew on her own memories, correspondence, and official records to compose a three volume history of the revolutionary period, published in 1805 as History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution.

As often proves necessary in the biography of women, a lot of the details are drawn from her relationships with the men in her life. This includes her brother James Otis Jr., one of the earliest agitators in the years leading up to the Revolution. Her husband James Warren was a prominent legislator who sought her opinions, relied on her as a secretary, and encouraged her writing. Warren was also a friend or correspondent with Samuel Adams, John Hancock, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and most closely with John and Abigail Adams. Nevertheless, during the Constitutional Convention, Warren sided with the Anti-Federalists and later with Jefferson's new Republican party (quite unusual in Federalist New England). Warren's scathing commentary on John Adam's monarchist leanings and her description of him in her history contributed to a strained relationship between the Warrens and the Adamses, although they did manage to reconcile.

This is a fascinating and important work for learning about an influential revolutionary figure who happens to be overlooked because she was a woman. show less

As America's first female playwright, nonfiction writer, and copyright holder, Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814) deserves more fame than she currently has. This dry biography by Nancy Rubin Stuart is unlikely to bring it to her. Much of the book is not about Mercy herself, but about the early American history in general, Mercy's male relatives, and her close friends John and Abigail Adams. Mercy herself comes across as a privileged yet prim and often sickly woman who believes in revolutionary show more ideals, but who also longs for domestic tranquility and relief from loneliness. Her unhinged brother Jemmy and her scofflaw son Winslow are more interesting than she is.

If there is an upside to this book, it is that it made me want to read Mercy's poems, plays and letters (as well as her three-volume masterwork, History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution), for myself. show less

I dressed up as Mercy Otis Warren for Halloween. Yea, I know - nerdy - but that's how I roll. I figured, since all I'd ever read about her was a Wikipedia page, I should learn more. I am SO glad I did. In addition to downloading her complete works on my kindle ($3, thanks to Amazon), I purchase this biography. It was enlightening to read about her. Stuart did an excellent job of portraying Warren truthfully - a caring, tempestuous, high-strung, warm, witty, loving, forceful genius who was show more stalwart and constant during a time of turmoil and danger. My only qualm with Stuart's work is the tendency to jump around in the earlier chapters. This is perhaps to overlapping storyline and time frames, but it was mildly confusing. However, as the book procedure, this ceased to be an issue. While the focus was on Warren, Stuart does an excellent job of explain the time and history and events surrounding Mercy. I was glad of this. I didn't realize my knowledge of the Revolution and it's aftermath was so lacking. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a well told biography! show less