A review by belles_lettres
Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams by Louisa Thomas

3.0

LOUISA is a historical read on John Quincy Adams' wife Louisa Johnson Quincy. This book details her life from early childhood through her marriage and family life and widowhood and death. Most people are more knowledgeable about John and Abigail Adams than their son John Quincy and his wife. This read was informative about a little known figure in American history, but I found most of the book dry and dull as if I myself were doing the research for the writer instead of reading the final product. Yes, it gives one many details about early American diplomacy and the hardships of forming a viable republic in an age of absolute monarchical rule, but mostly what we see of Louisa is her complaining and being told to act better by John Quincy, father-in-law John and mother-in-law Abigail. We learn almost equal amounts about the other main characters as we do about Louisa and although that may be appropriate based on the time period, I found the finished product lacking and lackluster.
Reviewed as part of Penguin's First-to-Read program.