I received a copy of AMERICAN PHOENIX: JOHN QUINCY AND
LOUISA ADAMS, THE WAR OF 1812, AND THE EXILE THAT SAVED AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
by Jane Hampton Cook from Thomas Nelson via BookSneeze.
When I first received my copy in the mail, I opened the
package an set it on the kitchen table while I prepared dinner. My father honed in on the cover – Adams and
his wife ordering script – and asked what it was about. After I explained I’d gotten it to read and
review, he asked, “Can I read it as soon as you’re done?”
Fast forward to after dinner, when the book was again
sitting on the kitchen table. My mother
grabbed it. “Ooh, a history book. What’s this one about?” She proceeded to sit on the couch with the
stack of mail, and ended up reading two chapters before getting back to her
housework. She made me promise not to
get rid of it when I was done, so this biography has become a permanent fixture
in the house.
After she surrendered the text, I got to experience it
for myself. It really does blow the reader away. The writing is fast-paced and
interesting. Despite the fact that it is
a biography, it isn’t slow or boring. No
detail seems needless. I had never known that much about John Quincy Adams
and his wife, Louisa. I highly recommend
this to history fans.
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