Wednesday, May 29, 2013

American Phoenix

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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