Fanny and Joshua: The Enigmatic Lives of Frances Caroline Adams and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain [Paperback]

Diane Monroe Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999 | ISBN-10: 157747046X | ISBN-13: 978-1577470465 | Edition: 1st

Few Civil War figures have received as much attention and achieved such lofty status in the last decade as the Maine college professor turned war hero, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. His story inspired Ken Burns to create his epic series for PBS The Civil War, and his primary role in Gettysburg, the movie adaptation of Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Killer Angels, has made him an American cult hero. Lost among the glow of his recent fame is some understanding of the relationship with his wife, the former Miss Frances Caroline Adams, known to family and friends as "Fanny." While numerous biographies of the legendary hero explain that Fanny had a profound, sometimes confounding effect on her husband, none have examined the relationship in enough depth to gain a better understanding of it, nor to learn more about Fanny the woman, not just the wife. After many years of intense research and analysis, Fanny and Joshua remedies these problems.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This biography of a marriage humanizes both Joshua and Fannie Chamberlain. It explores the trouble and triumphs of two real people who come to life in this intimate portrait drawn from hundreds of family letters. -- Dr. James McPherson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom

Up until now Fanny Chamberlain has been a dimly-seen of often negatively-presented figure. Now Diane Smith has cleared away the mists and brought her to life with a wealth of hitherto unpublished letters and other information that also adds considerable illumination to Joshua's life and character. A tremendous contribution to Chamberlain scholarship and literature. -- John Pullen, The Twentieth Maine, and Joshua Chamberlain: A Hero's Life and Legacy

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Pubns; 1st edition (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157747046X
• ISBN-13: 978-1577470465
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, insightful, & hard to put down!, October 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fanny and Joshua: The Enigmatic Lives of Frances Caroline Adams and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Paperback)

I developed an interest in Chamberlain after reading "The Killer Angels", and had been looking for a good biography of him. Last summer I visited the Chamberlain Museum in Brunswick, Me. and bought this book based on the recommendation of our tour guide. I can't begin to say how wonderful I think this book is. Smith has excellent insight into Victorian character and mores, and transmits that insight to her reader. I've always thought that JLC was about 50 years ahead of his time. After reading this book, I've come to realize that part of his forward thinking might have been a product of his relationship with his remarkable wife. Fannys self sufficient persona was NOT typical of the 19th century; through Smith, the reader comes to realize Fanny was in fact 20th century in much of her thinking. The marriage of such an independent soul with the soul of a such a fair minded, yet fierce, warrior makes for a fascinating read. I read this book into the wee hours of the morning until I finished it, in about 3 days. I never thought I'd read a history book that I just couldn't put down. I'd highly recommend it to anyone.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, well-researched, an intimate portrait., September 18, 1999

By 

N. Langenbrunner (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fanny and Joshua: The Enigmatic Lives of Frances Caroline Adams and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Paperback)

Diane Smith offers a more intimate portrait of the relationship between Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Fannie Adams than previous writers have done. Using "love letters" and other family correspondence, Smith reveals not only the couple's penchant for teasing each other during courtship but also Lawrence's early bouts with depression and jealousy. Additionally she explores what might have been a budding romance between Lawrence and his cousin Hannah "Annie" Chamberlain. Smith interprets Fannie's sometimes independent behavior with kinder motives and gentler judgment than previous critics have offered. She insists that Fannie agreed with Lawrence's decision to join the Army and offered him her moral support during his years of service. Readers of previous Chamberlain biographies will enjoy seeing more of the Chamberlain's family life, smiling at the nicknames the couple chose for each other, sensing the heartbreak of the untimely deaths of their children and other family members, accompanying Lawrence on his several campaigns both during and after the War. Supplemented with photos (e.g., a rare snapshot of an aging Chamberlain sailing aboard his beloved Pinafore), setting the correspondence apart in italics, replete with insights and incidents previously unpublished, Smith's "Fanny & Joshua" is a perfect supplement to Alice Trulock's great work and is surely destined to be a treasured account for all who want to know more about "the hero of Little Round Top" and the exemplary life and service that make him a popular and worthy hero today.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rest of the Story...., April 11, 2000

By 

J. Terstriep "ruralgal" (Western IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fanny and Joshua: The Enigmatic Lives of Frances Caroline Adams and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Paperback)

A wonderful book that "fleshes" out the outlines of JLC and Fanny. For years, their lives were painted with a "light brushstroke" yet one felt that had to be more behind these very complex people and their relationship.

The author has painted a very complex picture of these two with all the dark and light hues of the palette. Fanny was not merely JLC's wife, or the Reverend's adopted daughter, but a much more complex individual who could be considered an early feminist.

JLC's inner feelings about service to country and greater good are reflected and help to answer that question of why a college professor in Maine would take it upon himself to defend the country he loved to the extent he did. It is easy to understand why nothing ever again measured up to his experience of leading those men at Gettysburg.