Abigail Adams: A Biography [Paperback]

Phyllis Lee Levin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2001

Wife of one president and mother of another, Abigail Adams was an extraordinary woman living at an extraordinary time in American history. A tireless letter writer and diarist, her penetrating and often caustic impressions of most of the major persons of her day--including Ben Franklin, George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and King George III, among others--provide one of the best first-hand accounts of the American Revolution. This biography, researched and written over a fourteen-year period, is a fascinating portrait of a brilliant woman at the center of the founding of the American republic.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Abigail Adams, wife and mother of presidents, warned her husband John that women "would forment a rebellion" if they were denied rights in the new republic. Journalist Levin draws freely on the First Lady's diaries and voluminous correspondence in which she commented on political issues and recounted the 54-year partnership with her husband in rearing a family, forming a nation and handling delicate diplomacy abroad. Intellectually keen and curious, Abigail Adams, as shown here, was resourceful, loyal and fiercely patriotic. While accepting the sacrifice of personal life to public service, she bitterly resented her husband's extended absences. A "worldly puritan" and capable farm manager, she learned how to behave with royalty and as hostess to statesmen including Jefferson, with whom she maintained a stormy friendship. Levin furnishes the historical frame for the domestic and public events that inspired the remarkable actions and writings of Abigail Adams. Photos not seen by PW. History Book Club, BOMC and QPBC selections.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Levin promises to reconstruct the complex character of Abigail Adams: a champion of women's rights and a keen political observer who nonetheless felt that a woman's role properly revolved around the home. Disappointingly, she churns out chapter after chapter of paraphrased letters written to or by Abigail during her lifetime (1744-1818) and seldom interprets . Rather than pinpointing the historical and personal forces that motivated her subject, Levin provides a superficial history of a pathbreaking early American social commentator. The thesis and the most interesting material in this book have already been presented in a more compelling manner in Lynne Withey's Dearest Friend: a life of Abigail Adams ( LJ 9/15/81). BOMC, History Book Club, and Quality Paperback Book Club selections. David Szatmary, Continuing Education, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 2nd edition (November 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031229168X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312291686
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,019,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abigail Adams -- At long last !!!, March 4, 2002

By 

C. G. McEnery (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abigail Adams: A Biography (Paperback)

At last, a well written, well researched book on one of America's most fascinating ladies, Abigail Adams. Based on carefully interjected original research and letters, this book provides a long needed look at the issues and challenges that faced Abigail Adams. The author portrays her as a woman, very much in love with her husband, very much in love with her country, and very willing to try to balance the needs of both. It is striking to realize how totally independent she became in financial affairs, and in domestic issues. The book reminds you of the challenges of communications and distance. It also makes you aware of the personal sacrifices this family made for the young, emerging nation. The focus of the book is on Abigail, but sufficient information on the political events and political players is provided. An excellent look at a very important person. Don't miss it if you enjoy this period of history and are anxious to understand more about its key players.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abigail Adams, February 12, 2002

By 

Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Abigail Adams: A Biography (Paperback)

Abigail Adams by Phyllis Lee Levin is an excellent companion work for David McCullough's John Adams.

Throughout life Abigail and John were inseparable, best of friends, and each others life. Through circumstances John was away in the service of forming a government and the duties to a new nation, but Abigail was not far from his heart, nor he from hers.

We see an unabated ardor in her for her "Best Friend" in life. Abigail Adams saw and wrote with clarity about the time leading to and after the Revolutionary War, and events following and her humanity. We have a unique perspective of the life and times of this period through her eyes written for posterity through her letters to a variety of people surrounding her life.

Not since Barbara Bush, has a woman been both a wife and mother to a President of the United States, even though she dies before John Quincy is elected. Abigail kept her family close to her heart and was the one to keep the family together and the family homestead viable in John's absence.

This is a well written book, solid in research, flowing prose and good details. This book captures Abigail Adams and shows us her intellegence and her perceptiveness of the events of her times. She wrote letters to Jefferson and had comments about all of the people, albeit caustic or poignant, close to John's work and life.

She loved John and missed him greatly when he was away, her letters attest to that, but when she was at his side both flourished. This book gives us a great insight into how Abigail was as a woman and how she coped with private and public life.

I recommend reading and enjoying this book.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK but not stellar, January 3, 2006

By 

Jeffrey T. Heyck-Williams "Reader" (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abigail Adams: A Biography (Paperback)

I am an avid fan of biography, and I found this one to be OK. It was certainly informative, but there was little information here that can't be found in David McCullough's book on Abigail's husband John. Abigail is a true heroine of American history, and certainly deserves her own study, I just wish there was a bit more here. In McCullough's book both John and Abigail are so well drawn that it basically leaves this work as a side note. Pick this one up if you just want more on this dynamic, rare political woman who was opinionated and at the same time develop a true partnership with her husband.