First Family: Abigail and John Adams

Joseph Ellis tells the story of the marriage of John and Abigail Adams, drawing heavily on their surviving letters, which span decades of separation during the Revolution and the early republic. He shows Abigail as John's closest adviser, sharply opinionated about politics and women's standing, and John as a vain, brilliant, easily wounded statesman who needed her counsel. Through their correspondence he follows the Adamses from Massachusetts to Paris, London and the presidency, and later into retirement.

This book suits readers of American history who prefer a domestic angle on the founding era to a battlefield one. The payoff is a clearer picture of how political decisions looked from the kitchen table of the people making them.

Clear-cut; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?