Customer Reviews

Dolley

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rita Mae Brown delivers again...recommended reading! Dolley has a good flavor of Madison's era. Fortunately its written as a novel and not a textbook, making it very readable and occasionally juicy. I found it to be a gentle way to get acquainted with - and interested in - early American history. Interested enough to go seek out Dolley Madison's memoirs and letters...too bad they are out of print :(

I've plowed through a number of heavy historical books about Dolley Madison but none of them ever gave me the sense of the real woman behind the legend until this book. Written in a personable style of Dolley writing in her journal, it is offset by third person narrative filling in the historical happenings. The book is surprisingly complete and correct in political detail. In Ms. Brown's book, Dolley is a living breathing woman who 'fusses' with sister Anna, wholeheartedly throws herself into her husband's political career, ignores her son Payne's wanton selfishness (too painful to contemplate), and deeply loves her husband James, even though she and 'the great little Madison' seemed to be polar opposites at first glance. It is their relationship that is the most interesting to me; they seemed mismatched in personality, James shy and introverted and Dolley bubbly and outgoing. James and Dolley Madison shared a love for the ages and reading about them in a novel form is a splendid read; the Madisons sound like one would imagine they would talk to one another. Maybe a few modernisms creep into their speech, but that for makes easier reading. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction or is just in the mood for a good romance with political backgrounds.

One of Rita Mae Brown's best works! I was amazed at the similarities of todays politics vs the third president of the United States.

I'm a big fan of recycling; so I find the Amazon return and resell idea a great one. This is especially
practical for us seniors who are on a fixed budget.

Well, I can say that I am still waiting for this book to get exciting. Even for fiction, it is not that exciting. I agre with some of the other reviewers; I was looking into some more of the historical accounts of an era that is hard to find decent historical accounts, and I guess I will still be looking after this book.

It is hardly worth finishing.

This is a book long on accounts of parties and gossipy tidbits and short on historical accounts Dolley must have felt real horror as the British approached but this was not really portrayed in the book. Her servants seemed much more frightened. Dolley was more concerned with the politics of the day than with actual living. Altogether this book would not be missed if not read