Total Page : 384
Publisher : Farrar Straus and Giroux
Publication Date : 2010 03 02
>> Portrait of a Lady
If you combine the history of travel the last days of the Bonaparte era and the early history of the U S with the work of Henry James you may have MRS ADAMS IN WINTER
This detailed insightful account of Louisa Adams journey with her son from Petersburg to Paris through what was a maze of countries and war zones is both an incredible journey in terms of travel and an odyssey of the mind of a complex woman who combined personal sensitivity with an awareness of her role in one of America s most prominent and difficult families
I found the author s attempts to portray Mrs Adams feelings of alienation insecurity and inferiority very moving her sadness and her identification with other women linked to powerful men were concealed almost as well as her formidable Mother in Law might have liked under the guise of a lovely accomplished socially adept lady in the old sense
Adding to this book s particular appeal is the grace of its writing Like Henry James and Jane Austin the author focuses on the interior monologue and the small square of ivory set against the backdrop of monumental events
>> 40 Days
A great small history The hard journey of Louisa Adams from St Petersburg Russia to Paris in 1815 serves here as a platform to tell of the life of John Quincy Adams wife their not untroubled marriage the work of a diplomat and his spouse the court of the Czar the methods and mechanics of a long distance overland trip and Napoleon s affect on the European countryside
Abigail was not the only interesting woman who married an Adams
Professor Michael O Brien writes clearly and with easy authority on a multitude of interesting historical points His book should win prizes
