History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Martha Washington: An American Life Author: Patricia Brady Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Penguin Books Publication Date: 2006 Pages: 280 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: With this revelatory and painstakingly researched book, Martha Washington, the invisible woman of American history, at last gets the biography she deserves.          In place of the domestic frump of popular imagination, Patricia Brady resurrects the wealthy, attractive, and vivacious young widow who captivated the youthful George Washington. Here are the able landowner, the indomitable patriot (who faithfully joined her husband each winter at Valley Forge), and the shrewd diplomat and emotional mainstay. And even as it brings Martha Washington into sharper and more accurate focus, this sterling life sheds light on her marriage, her society, and the precedents she established for future First Ladies.        My Revie...

Mrs. Benedict Arnold Author: Emma Parry Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Zando Book Release Date: April 28, 2026 Pages: 309 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A riveting reimagining of the young woman who almost ended the American Revolution.       Philadelphia in the 1770s. Peggy Shippen longs for the war she’s living through to end. Though not always appreciated at home, she finds her curiosity is welcomed by a lively and influential circle of friends, including a glamorous rising star in the British army, Captain John André.       When the war separates them, Peggy is devastated—both by his absence and the horrors of ongoing conflict—before finding consolation in a man whose heroics for the Patriots have captured the world’s imagination: General Benedict Arnold.      As she trades Loyalist balls for Patriot salons, entertaining the most prominent figure...

Sacagawea: Westward with Lewis and Clark Author: Alana White Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Atmosphere Press Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 91 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A young Shoshone woman. A small baby. A gigantic dog. A journey like no other.       In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson appointed Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead an expedition across the western United States to the Pacific Ocean. To communicate with the Native peoples they would encounter, they engaged a young Shoshone woman called Sacagawea to accompany them. Sacagawea’s knowledge of the West allowed them to trade for food and supplies and request help when desperately needed.       In Sacagawea: Westward with Lewis and Clark , Alana White explores the life and times of this fascinating woman. In their journals, Lewis and Clark describe Sacagawea as calm, courageous, and uncompl...

A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams Author: Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks  Book Release Date: May 5, 2026 Pages: 463 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. A stunning historical novel with modern-day implications from the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton .      In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence—managing their farm, making lucrative investments...

  My Name Is Ona Judge Author: Suzette D. Harrison Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary Publisher: Bookouture Release Date: 2022 Pages: 310 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review Synopsis: New Hampshire, 1796 . “My name is Ona Judge, and I escaped from the household of the President of the United States. I was the favored maid of George and Martha Washington, but they deemed me a slave and thought me property, and I hear ten dollars is offered as reward for my capture. Now I must write the truth that I have lived, and tell my story…”      Chincoteague, Virginia, present day . Rain soaks Tessa Scott as she runs from her car to the old, vine-covered property she has been called to survey. She’s too busy to accept a new job, but doing this favor for the grandmother of her childhood sweetheart delays a painful decision she must make about a future with her controlling boyfriend.       But when Tessa finds a...

Becoming Lady Washington Author: Bette Bolte Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Mystic Owl Publishing Release Date: 2020 Pages: 416 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review        My Review: It is often said that behind every famous man lies a great woman. In this biographical novel of Martha Washington, Mrs. Bolte proves that this is the case. Martha Custis is a young widow who is in search of a father figure for her children. She meets George Washington, a Southern plantation owner with a lavish estate. They marry and live peacefully until the American Revolution pulls her husband from her. When George Washington becomes the leader of America’s army, Martha rises overnight from obscurity to fame. Eventually, Martha Washington learns that destiny is taking her to the highest position in America as the President’s Wife. The novel begins with Martha’s courtship to her first husband, Daniel Custis. Because of Daniel’s miserly fathe...

The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr: A Riveting Untold Story of the American Revolution Author: Susan Holloway Scott Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Kensington Release Date: 2019 Pages: 512 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Inspired by a woman and events forgotten by history, bestselling author Susan Holloway Scott weaves together carefully researched fact and fiction to tell the story of Mary Emmons, and the place she held in the life—and the heart—of the notorious Aaron Burr.        He was a hero of the Revolution, a brilliant politician, lawyer, and very nearly president; a skillful survivor in a raw new country filled with constantly shifting loyalties. Today Aaron Burr is remembered more for the fatal duel that killed rival Alexander Hamilton. But long before that single shot destroyed Burr’s political career, there were other dark whispers about him: that he was untrustworthy, a libertine, a man unafraid of claimi...

Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington's First Love Author: Mary Calvi Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Release Date: February 19, 2019 Pages: 320 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A never-before-told love story of George Washington and heiress Mary Philipse based on historical accounts, letters, and personal journals by nine-time New York Emmy Award-winning journalist Mary Calvi. "Love is said to be an involuntary passion, and it is, therefore, contended that it cannot be resisted." --George Washington     Did unrequited love spark a flame that ignited a cause that became the American Revolution? Crafted from hundreds of letters, witness accounts, and journal entries, Dear George, Dear Mary explores George's relationship with his first love, New York heiress Mary Philipse, the richest belle in Colonial America.      From elegant eighteenth-century society to bloody battle...

My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton Author: Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Release Date: April 3, 2018 Pages: 652 Source: This book was given to me by TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.       A general’s daughter…      Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler ...

Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation Author: Cokie Roberts Genre: Nonfiction. History, Biography Publisher: HarperCollins Release Date: 2004 Pages: 384 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Cokie Roberts’s number one New York Times bestseller, We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters , examined the nature of women’s roles throughout history and led USA Today praise her as a “custodian of time-honored values.” Her second bestseller, From This Day Forward , written with her husband, Steve Roberts, described American marriages throughout history, including the romance of John and Abigail Adam. Now Roberts returns with Founding Mothers , an intimate and illuminating look at the fervently patriotic and passionate women whose tireless pursuits on behalf of their families--and their country--proved just as crucial to the forging of a new nation as the rebellion that established it.       While much has been written about the men who signed the Declaration of Ind...