Reviews

Abigail Adams: A Life by Cassandra Campbell, Woody Holton

clarejc's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.5

A great book for readers interested in learning more about the female perspective during the early years of the U.S.

0uterspacebookwyrm's review

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challenging informative slow-paced

3.0

kanejim57's review against another edition

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4.0

Abigail Adams was quite a woman and First Lady. Holton's biography of the second First Lady, is a portrait of a a person who would feel at home in the 21st Century. She was an astute investor, a political pundit, as well as a strong wife and mother and grandmother.

At times a a weaving and winding narrative of all the Abigail was involved in, I think Holton presents a fair assessment of Adams

kanejim57's review against another edition

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4.0

Abigail Adams was quite a woman and First Lady. Holton's biography of the second First Lady, is a portrait of a a person who would feel at home in the 21st Century. She was an astute investor, a political pundit, as well as a strong wife and mother and grandmother.

At times a a weaving and winding narrative of all the Abigail was involved in, I think Holton presents a fair assessment of Adams

heatherclark's review against another edition

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5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Abigail Adams' life. Woody Holton does a wonderful job showing the good and bad of this notable historical figure. She fought for women's rights her entire life ("Remember the ladies"), but also held racist beliefs even though she owned no slaves.
She was dedicated to the care of others and personally took care (financially and otherwise) of many both in her family and her community.
I enjoyed a woman's perspective on the founding of our nation and the aftermath of the revolution, as we typically just hear of the men involved.

krobart's review against another edition

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3.0

Like many biographers do, I feel that Holton occasionally draws conclusions and makes generalizations based on too little evidence. Perhaps he is trying to avoid the problem of scholarly presentations that provide too much evidence to keep the material interesting, but if so, he goes too far the other way at times. I found myself thinking several times that he had not proven his point of view. At other times, he buries his themes in too much biographical detail. I think he was having difficulty keeping that vital balance between too much information and too little. However, Holton does usually manage to preserve a tone that is light and interesting, and Abigail Adams is certainly a compelling figure in history.

See my complete review here:

http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/abigail-adams/

stevenyenzer's review against another edition

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3.0

I wanted to like Abigail Adams more than I did. Holton does a fine enough job taking us through her life and highlighting what made her a unique figure in Revolutionary America. I just wasn't that invested.

shanshanshannon's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a deep dive into Abigail through her correspondence. She was ahead of her time and also very worried about everyone's money and property.

kellsnipe's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

3.0

nevadaishome's review against another edition

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4.0

She wanted women to receive education, hold capital/property, and participate in politics, all in a time where this was not the norm. She was against slavery but her opinions of black people were conflicting, especially as she became more conservative with age. Overall, I look up to this woman. Also, John Adams was kind of an ass hole.