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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Very thoroughly researched and a thoughtful read. It really shed quite a bit of light on a woman who has been treated very poorly by her famous son's biographers.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I hate to use a book about a woman to talk about a man, but this essential reading if you want to understand George Washington
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Martha Saxton weaves a story about the life of Mary Ball Washington, the mother of President George Washington. From the introduction, Saxton theorizes that historians have misrepresented Mary as an "...incompetent, crude, imperious, selfish, and unloving woman..." In The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington, Saxton sets out to correct that perception.
Mary Washington was born an only child in the early 18th century. The author conjectures much about Mary's early life. With few primary resources available, Saxton draws her conclusions from information on early colonial life. Washington was somewhat of an orphan, with her parents passing away early in her life. At age twelve, Mary was placed under the guardianship of George Eskridge, a lawyer and brother-in-law to Mary's future husband, Augustine Washington.
Saxton's use of resources such as diaries, letters, and household and plantation accounts helps paint a clearer picture of Mary's later life. During her short marriage, Mary had six children (only five survived to adulthood). Augustine died twelve years later, leaving Mary a widow for the rest of her life. Mary remains close to her children throughout her life, and the bulk of the book follows her relationships with them.
Saxton mostly succeeds in correcting the image of Mary Ball Washington; however, much is based on conjecture with few detailed clues into Mary's inner thoughts and feelings. A lot is based on letters with George and the tone of their correspondence can be taken in different ways. Saxton also makes assumptions based on Matthew Hale's book Contemplations, Moral and Divine, a religious text that Mary owned, which may have been a constant resource of meditation and moral advice. I'm not sure I am convinced that this text informed Mary's every thought and action. Overall, the author does a fine job of providing the reader with a look into Mary's life based on the resources utilized.
Mary Washington was born an only child in the early 18th century. The author conjectures much about Mary's early life. With few primary resources available, Saxton draws her conclusions from information on early colonial life. Washington was somewhat of an orphan, with her parents passing away early in her life. At age twelve, Mary was placed under the guardianship of George Eskridge, a lawyer and brother-in-law to Mary's future husband, Augustine Washington.
Saxton's use of resources such as diaries, letters, and household and plantation accounts helps paint a clearer picture of Mary's later life. During her short marriage, Mary had six children (only five survived to adulthood). Augustine died twelve years later, leaving Mary a widow for the rest of her life. Mary remains close to her children throughout her life, and the bulk of the book follows her relationships with them.
Saxton mostly succeeds in correcting the image of Mary Ball Washington; however, much is based on conjecture with few detailed clues into Mary's inner thoughts and feelings. A lot is based on letters with George and the tone of their correspondence can be taken in different ways. Saxton also makes assumptions based on Matthew Hale's book Contemplations, Moral and Divine, a religious text that Mary owned, which may have been a constant resource of meditation and moral advice. I'm not sure I am convinced that this text informed Mary's every thought and action. Overall, the author does a fine job of providing the reader with a look into Mary's life based on the resources utilized.
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informative
reflective
slow-paced
informative