A well written and very readable biography. Abigail Adams is a fascinating and interesting woman. She is *not* a feminist as she held many racist and sexist views, none the less she is very interesting.
I really loved this biographer. He was fair and included many negative aspects of Abigail without defending or explaining them.
I will definitely read more histories by this author. ( )

The author does a good job of introducing us to the domestic life and interior thoughts of this eighteenth century feminist. Her life was interesting and inspiring in many ways. Unfortunately, her racist comments were also a disappointing discovery for me. All in all, worth the read. ( )

A fascinating look at Abigail Adams. Most of us know about her “Remember the Ladies” appeal to her husband. This bio also shows her financial astuteness in spite of women having little legal power in that arena. She often advised other women (especially her sisters) on how to be financially stable after marriage and preparation for their possible widowhood — this was at a time when men generally had financial control but for some loopholes. Abigail Adams was definitely a woman ahead of her times. ( )

I have been fascinated with Abigail Adams for years and really enjoyed this book. One thing about reading it on the Kindle is it seemed to take forever to read! I would read and see that I had only read 2% of the book. I was nearing 62% and was reading about her death and wondered what the rest of the 40% was going to be about when the book ended. The last 38% was footnotes, acknowledgements, sources and so forth. I clicked through all of them so my book would show 100%, otherwise, in a few months I would see that I had only read 62% of the book and wonder why I hadn't finished it! ( )

This book is nicely researched and well written. A family tree might have been a nice addition, since the Adams family reproduces widely and everyone seems to have the same names. Holton pushes the feminist angle pretty strongly (Adams is well known for her "Remember the Ladies!" letter to her husband), and while Adams certainly displayed a lifelong interest in the rights and education of women, I think he sometimes holds her relationship with John up as more unusually egalitarian than it really was. Most of all, you get a real sense for the every day life of the period -- the problems that distance (even what now seems like a small distance) put on communication; the parallels between the federalists / anti-federalists and today's politicians; the economy crippling speculation and real estate bubbles after the war; and a truly moving exchange when Abigail's daughter finds a lump in her breast and has to be convinced to get a mastectomy. I'm very glad I had a chance to read this book.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2011/06/abigail-adams-by-woody-holton-2009.html ] ( )