A true story of love and sacrifice. My husband suggested that I read a biography of John Adams first - it gave me context for the information in the letters. (I read the David McCullough bio.)

I will read this again, but it will be a while.

People don't write letters like this any more, and that's too bad.

This book is a selection of letters between John and Abigail Adams, the couple who shaped and experienced the birth of the United States of America.

First let me say that I have always had a huge historical crush on John Adams ever since I saw 1776. Because of this, I see John Adams through William-Daniels-colored glasses.

I loved this book because of who was writing, and the small kernels of love and knowledge and wisdom that spoke to me. It is the style I had difficulty with.

You would think that an epistolary book would be easy to compile, and easy to read; one person writes, the other person responds. Not true. One person writes 5 letters and waits for a friend who is traveling in that direction to take them. They tie them all in a packet, and it takes weeks to get to the destination. In the mean time, the responder has done exactly the same thing. So you have 5 letters that have nothing to do with each other, all written at during the same month or so. And then you have the responses to all of the letters at once in another letter, followed by several more.

And that is not to mention the letters that were tossed overboard or stolen by spies.

So it is not exactly a linear conversation.

A good 50% of the conversation is "I miss you so much, write me more letters." Another 40% is recounting raids and skirmishes in Boston.

But the last 10% is filled with beautiful moments, and passions I want to hug them for.

Like John's insistence that education, exercise, simplicity, and virtue are the keys to a well-lived life. And how while changing history, all he wants to do is go home to his farm and his family. Or the comical descriptions he gives of his barber (he is not allowed to tell anything about the Continental Congress, which is hugely disappointing, as I would have loved to have this detailed of a character study for them.)

I love when she gets impassioned about the rights of women. Everyone knows the famous "remember the ladies" letter, but I think the better one is in regards to female education. It is the first time I can tell she is angry.

In response to John's rant about the deficiency of education of men in the country, she writes:

"If you complain of neglect of education in sons, what shall I say with regard to daughters, who every day experience the want of it? With regard to the education of my own children, I find myself soon out of my depth, destitute and deficient in every part of education.

I most sincerely wish that some more liberal plan might be laid and executed for the benefit of the rising generation, and that our new Constitution may be distinguished for encouraging leading and virtue. If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should have learned women. The world perhaps will laugh at me and accuse me of vanity, but you, I know, have a mind too enlarged and liberal to disregard the sentiment. If much depends, as is allowed, on the early education of youth, and the first principles which are instilled take the deepest root, great benefit must arise from literary accomplishments in women."

All in all a difficult book, because it was not in narrative form, but it gave me joy to hear the words of my heroes.

Second reading of this amazing book. History unfolds through their letters as well as their relationship, Imagine if they had texting !!!!!!

Requisite for anyone interested in American history.

Enjoyed this a lot. It was like finding a time capsule from Revolutionary times.

This is, without question, one of the better books that I've read if not one of the best.

This book contains a collection of letters that the two wrote to each other with a few written to one of their children. There is a tenderness and affection between the two that, I think, one rarely, if ever, encounters today. Their letters include much of what we would write about today, that is if we still wrote letters. They include discussions about politics, the problems of obtaining necessary personal and household items and their rising costs, no doubt associated with the war, and the problems of running a household with an absent husband who is away on his country's business for years at a time among other things. Abagail misses him terribly but resigns herself to the fact that what he is doing is necessary and may very well affect future generations. I was very impressed with how intelligent they were and the affection they had for each other. I cannot help but think that anyone and everyone can only benefit should they read this book.

Every time I read the letters of John and Abigail Adams I am overwhelmed with the brilliance that Abigail possessed. She was a highly educated woman for her day and was a huge supporter of her husband John. He deeply respected her opinions and sought them out above any other advisor. I love that they called each other dear friend. Beautiful American documents here

This took a LONG TIME to read. Not as much insight into the Revolutionary War or life in the late 1700s as I had hoped. Lots of repetition to the letters, as is only human. And lots of complaining by both Abigail and John.

Though it took me about 2 years, on and off, to complete this book, it was well worth the perseverance. It gives a wonderful window into the minds and hearts of John and Abigail, with thoughts on politics, religion, art and literature, as well as family matters. They had an amazing relationship and their devotion to each other, over the years and distance, is very touching.

Dearest friend, I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful this book is. It is a story of love and friendship of the deepest kind. The kind that knows all your faults and loves you for them not despite them. A fascinating look a founding mother, and that guy she married too.

How am i supposed to rate the letters of john and abigail adams? It's weird to rate two people's body of letters as a book, it's just so divorced from the original medium. A lot of it oscillates between being written with posterity in mind, absolutist maxims, an optimism for the future etc. and much more personal letters expressing crucial information or sweet nothings. Both sides are good and bad in their own ways. At 400 pages it gets repetitive, especially when they often repeat information, since letters often didn't make it to the receiver or took months to get there. It's definitely not made to be read cover-to-cover, but that's the only way I read things. It was still cool to read, Bethlehem gets a mention, but since it already doesn't include all letters, for my non-historian reading, I would cut it down to a greatest hits. I was also a little upset that they didn't keep the historical style of spelling and punctuation. But it definitely humanizes and adds a little dimension to people that were really just names in a textbook for me.

A great read! You feel like you are right there while they are experiencing the birth of our nation!