Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewHeffron’s “agreeably written biography” “allow[s] Louisa to emerge as a subject herself. In the process, she also becomes newly convincing as a source, especially in connection with her husband’s complicated, grinding ambition, a quality she discerned beneath his cloak of rectitude.”—Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker -- Thomas Mallon * New Yorker *
A “sparkling biography”: “Readers will . . . be grateful for this fascinating, if partial, portrait of an exceptional woman.”—Virginia DeJohn Anderson,
New York Times Book Review, cover review -- Virginia DeJohn Anderson * New York Times Book Review *
“Insightful and entertaining.”—Susan Dunn,
New York Review of Books -- Susan Dunn * New York Review of Books *
“Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams has long been an unjustly overlooked First Lady. . . . In retrospect, Louisa Catherine Adams remains one of the major First Ladies of the 19th century, comparable to Dolley Madison.”—Daniel Walker Howe,
Books & Culture -- Daniel Walker Howe * Books & Culture *
Editors’ Choice,
New York Times Book Review * New York Times Book Review *
