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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant Tells All, November 2, 1997
This review is from: The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant (Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant) (Paperback)
Julia Dent Grant is sadly an almost forgotten figure in American history, but her book is a fascinating, intimate journey into the heart and soul of a 19th century woman.
Julia and Ulysses Grant shared a mythical love which transcends time and retains an uncommon vibrancy. The book was written in the 1890's but was never published until 1975, yet the narrative is surprisingly modern and engaging. No shrinking violet, Julia wrote as she lived: with an open intensity and irreverence which is oftentimes hilarious.
She rarely masks her feelings and says exactly what she thinks. The most engrossing portions of her book relate to her life with General Grant. Their courtship had been strained by a 4 year separation, followed by another 2 year period when Grant was stationed alone in California. When the Grants were together all was merry, but when apart, his spirits hit the skids. Grant was emotionally beholden to his wife to a rare degree and she gaily capitalized on his need.
Julia herself was exceedingly plain and knew it. It pained her that her unfortunate physical appearence allowed her scant latitude in society and others gossiped about her defects. Incredibly, General Grant never seemed to notice or care that his wife was a plain Jane and behaved in a most uxorious manner when in her company. Whatever complexes Julia had about her appearence, she reveled in Grant's fame and the reflected glory it cast upon her.
Julia's book is entertaining and significant for all history buffs and it is a notable addition to women's literature of the 19th century. It is as if she was sitting in a rocking chair, sewing basket on her lap, chatting informally about the Union's greatest General and America's most underrated hero. Truly a grand book.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow! A Great Boook for Fans of Ulys, November 20, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant (Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant) (Paperback)
I finally bought this book of which I'd hear so much and I was not disappointed. For those of you who enjoy true romances, here is a real life romance of the highest and most passionate order. As a scholar of the Victorian era in the United States, most women of that era did not write like Julia Dent Grant, or express themselves in such tones. Her great love and attraction for her 'hero husband' is made evident throughout and in a most delightful way. The faults of the book are that she concentrates a little too much on their trip after he left the Presidency, and also I would have liked to have heard more about the Presidency itself. She rather glosses over that. Of course she is partial for her husband and makes plain they enjoyed each other thoroughly in wartime, peactime and in the bedroom. I really liked this book and for all fans of Ulys... RUN, don't walk to buy this superlative look into his life/
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Essential Work For Students of Grant, January 7, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant (Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant) (Paperback)
This fascinating autobiography is a must-read for anyone wanting a personal view not only of Ulysses Grant, but of his all-too-often ignored and underrated wife. Julia Grant's memoir is an unusually frank and entertaining visit with her unique, delightfully engaging personality--she was a far cry from the rather sour-looking, unprepossessing image one gets from her photographs. One thing I found particularly fascinating about her book--something previous reviewers have strangely overlooked--is the inadvertent way she reveals not only Grant's many virtues, but his faults as well. Grant's cold, affection-starved upbringing left him emotionally immature in certain ways. Julia's candid style depicts her husband as sometimes capable of being pig-headed, uncommunicative, and remarkably insensitive to her feelings, while his usually charming sense of humor could take on a childishly cruel edge. This warts-and-all look at the man is a refreshing change from the uncritical, unbelievable hagiography found in most contemporary accounts of Grant. In short, this book is a psychological gold mine!
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