While I enjoyed getting to know her through her letters and other correspondence, the author seemed intent on relating each revelation to the extent to which she espoused feminist principles. While acknowledging that she was not a modern feminist, she definitely pushed back against a system designed to bring women and all their concerns under the authority of their husbands. Most notably, Abigail Adams had her own finances and invested her own money. While technically not legal, she made it work and became quite a financial wizard. She eventually left her substantial fortune almost exclusively to female relatives, thereby offering them a chance to do what she did and maintain financial independence.
More interesting than her "feminist" principles, I enjoyed getting to know her as a wife and mother. She and John spent most of their years apart. Yet they maintained a healthy and happy marriage. They watched their children grow, die, fail, and succeed. I related to this part so well. It's tough to have adult children whom you can only watch, but no longer directly influence. Although like any "good" mother, Abigail did call in favors when she felt it warranted to help her children. She particularly embarrassed John Quincy with that tactic. Yet her children seemed to love her and esteem her. None seemed to resent her interference.
I love the humanness of it all. She was a fierce patriot, sister, wife, and mother. Her interest in politics did not extend to necessarily wanting the vote for women or seeking higher office, but she definitely had opinions and believed women should be educated and literate citizens. She was fiercely loyal to John, who took a lot of abuse during his time. Yet she also kept secrets from him if she thought something would meet with his disapproval. Like any good wife, she knew exactly how to influence him and his decisions if she thought he needed prodding. Her constant correspondence with her sisters shows a loyalty that lasted her lifetime. They were always looking out for each other with Abigail playing the mother hen. But her role as a mom made the biggest impact on me. She so fiercely cared for her children. Although they were far away and communication was hard, she kept in close contact with each, offering advice and doing all she could to manipulate them to move closer to home. (That's where I relate.) As a mother, she took extraordinary steps to help her children in whatever way she could. Yet she often had to watch helplessly from afar. Marriages and jobs and disease distanced each of them at various times. I also loved that she was raising a child for almost her entire life. Her home was open and if a grandchild, niece, or nephew needed a place to stay, she would immediately volunteer. Time and again she offered her hospitality to all who would take it. It was remarkably easy to relate to her, her life, and her choices.
While the constant focus on the feminist aspect of her character was clunky at times, I truly enjoyed getting to know this opinionated, intelligent, and fiercely loyal woman. I think I would have liked her.
