John and Abigail Adams may not seem like the stars of a romance novel. The images and knowledge most Americans have of the couple are their official portraits from their time as first couple. We know John helped form the early country through his writing and leadership. Maybe you know of John’s conflicts with Hamilton. What most do not know is how their relationship blossomed and of Abigail’s contributions to the early role of First Lady.
Joseph J. Ellis is a renowned writer of historical biographies. Utilizing in-depth research and a multitude of sources, Ellis walks readers through the Adams’ life from the early days of their courtship through to death in his biography of the couple, First Families. Focusing a good deal on their time overseas during John’s appointments to various offices and the presidency, readers get a feel for the struggles professionally and personally the couple faced, as well as their successes. This is a book about the people behind the myth and legend of the second President of the United States.
I give First Family 4 out of 5 stars. Historical biographies haven’t been receiving high scores from me lately, but this was exceptional. I connected well with both Abigail and John’s characters and understood the motives behind their actions. I appreciate the inclusion of the family drama that ensued around their children’s lives – no matter how well you raise them, children will make their own, sometimes detrimental, decisions. I also appreciated the juxtaposition of the Adams’ time overseas in the regal courts of France and England to the much less glamorous American life – you can see where Abigail tried to instill some of the same routines and habits of life overseas when she was made First Lady. While there were sections of this book that read slow and heavy, overall, this was a pleasant read!
This book would best suit readers looking to learn more about the Adams family and John’s work both as a lawyer and in government. I would also recommend this book for readers interested in the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers, or the American treaties with European nations early in our statehood. Given some discussions of illness and death, this book may be best directed to audiences over 13.
I chose First Families as my historical biography for September. After spending several months reading through biographies of George and Martha Washington, I moved to John and Abigail last month. I am struggling to find additional books around the Adams’ so this may be a much shorter era before moving on to Thomas Jefferson. As a one-term president, Adams’ actual record as president isn’t very awe inspiring, but his work before entering the government arena and then overseas is captivating. If you aren’t familiar with his life, this is the perfect book to start with!
This post contains affiliate links.
What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Betting on You, Laurie Ruettimann
- Current audio book: Wildflower Falls, Denise Hunter
- Book I’m most looking forward to: The Rules of Magic, Alice Hoffman
Discover more from Read With Lindsey
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
