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Abigail Adams: A Biography | 
| Author: Phyllis Lee Levin
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $5.80
You Save: $14.15 (71%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 116771
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2nd
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 592
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.7
ISBN: 031229168X
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9780312291686
ASIN: 031229168X
Publication Date: November 5, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Wife of one president and mother of another, Abigail Adams was an extraordinary woman living at an extraordinary time in American history. A tireless letter writer and diarist, her penetrating and often caustic impressions of most of the major persons of her day--including Ben Franklin, George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and King George III, among others--provide one of the best first-hand accounts of the American Revolution. This biography, researched and written over a fourteen-year period, is a fascinating portrait of a brilliant woman at the center of the founding of the American republic.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Not great but an OK read August 30, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The author attempts to pull together from principally Abigail's letters and some of her sister's Mary Cranch - and not enough from others - a discerning portrait of this extraordinary woman in American history. In this sense the effort falls short. Abigail without John Adams or vice-versa leaves too much out of the story...an important story that needs to be told. In the process what the reader gets is a limited portal into Abigail life that leaves a big piece of Abigail's life out, that of John Adams and her rising son John Quincy. In contrast, David McCullough's enjoyable, insightful and wonderfully written biography of John Adams weaves closely and seamlessly the life of the late President with that of his beloved Abigail so as to make Phyllis Lee Levin's biography of Abigail Adams seem in comparison as unnecessary surplusage and just a two star read. Although an autodidact, Abigail's Adams genius, political instincts and deep intellect (Jefferson and Adams thought so) fails to shine through in Ms. Lee Levin biography but is captured refreshingly in David McCullough's work through many quotes from Mrs. Adams extensive epistolary. Phyllis Lee Levin's prose is wooden and the book is simply a dry and not artful rephrase of Ms. Adams masterfully written letters; in the process, Ms. Lee Levin obscured and diminished Abigail Adams' pen and intellect. In sum after slogging through the book's 491 pages of text, you are left with no new insights into Abigail's persona and life experiences not already covered by Mr. McCulloch's book. The author may have missed the opportunity to break new ground by discovering other insights from what the extant and extensive diaries and letters of foreign ambassadors and their wives in Louis XVI and George III court set forth on Abigail's appearance, intellect, manners, conduct and deportment. The upshot here is, that given a choice, the reader may be better served by reading David McCullough's "John Adams". It is truly two wonderfully written closely integrated biographies for the price of one.
 Abigail rocks! July 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was introduced to Mrs. Adams by Laura Linney's portrayal in the HBO miniseries. I am happy to report that the show was pretty faithful, and that this lady really was ahead of her time, inspiring in so many ways. A feminist, a patriot, and a wife who demanded her husband be her life's partner. Abigail and John's was a true love story. And what a letter writer she was! With only a minimum of schooling, as was the custom for women of her class at that time, she was a faithful reporter who witnessed the birth of a world power.
He couldn't have done it without her September 11, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Abigail Adams was an amazing woman in so many ways - a conservative feminist (before the word "feminist" was in popular use), and a woman who was unashamedly and passionately in love with her husband when such things weren't generally discussed. Despite her professed lack of education, Abigail's letters were erudite, eloquent and got right to the point in an era where legalese and dense language were the norm. Her understanding and interest in politics was nothing short of astounding (at times I think she had a keener understanding of the issues than her husband did).
Ms. Levin's painstaking research is apparent in every page of this meticulously crafted volume, and she should be very proud of her accomplishment in bringing someone who left us almost 200 years ago to vivid, blooming life.
This is an excellent companion to David McCullough's "John Adams," and should be required reading for anyone, especially any woman, who is interested in American history.
Five Stars November 3, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
A wonderful and indept biography about Abigail Adams. On her own she's a very fascinating person and one of the first pioneers for women's equality hoping the newly formed United States would including women being made equal too. Its was interesting learning more about her. Her childhood, msrriage, children, the years of being alone raising her children and trying to support her family while John was away with meeting with the Congress or sent to France and her experiences being first lady. She was a remarkable lady.
 OK but not stellar January 3, 2006
13 out of 18 found this review helpful
I am an avid fan of biography, and I found this one to be OK. It was certainly informative, but there was little information here that can't be found in David McCullough's book on Abigail's husband John. Abigail is a true heroine of American history, and certainly deserves her own study, I just wish there was a bit more here. In McCullough's book both John and Abigail are so well drawn that it basically leaves this work as a side note. Pick this one up if you just want more on this dynamic, rare political woman who was opinionated and at the same time develop a true partnership with her husband.
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