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First Ladies The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power 17891961 Carl Sferrazza Anthony Books

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First Ladies The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power 17891961 Carl Sferrazza Anthony Books

Man, it took me six months to read this. It is so much information. By the time you get to Eleanor Roosevelt, you are worn out. The earliest First Ladies, he is dependent on letters mostly for information and we already know much about them. Then there is a run of unknowns between Dolley Madison and Mary Lincoln that we don't know much about, and there's not much information about them anyway. (President Buchanan may have been the first gay president.) Then after Mrs. Lincoln, we go into the Gilded Age and a little past up through Mrs. Hoover and this is a very fascinating part of history. There is more correspondence, more probing newspaper stories, and some very peculiar first ladies. Some acted practically as co-presidents, they had so much influence over what the President did, and some had peculiar and mysterious ailments. It's amazing how long Dolley Madison and Edith Wilson lived and how much history they witnessed, as they both stayed in Washington after their husbands died. There's been so much already written about Eleanor Roosevelt, that part got tedious, and you could tell the author was getting overly cautious as he wrote about First Ladies who still have family living now. More dull day-to-day appearances and less gossip. He managed to make Jacqueline Kennedy sound dull. The book ends with the Kennedy inauguration. Maybe he was worn out by then, too.

What I especially liked is how he weaves the First Ladies together, mentioning where future ones are and what they're doing at different points in history before they become First Lady, and following them after they cease to be First, until they die. What I especially hated was no captions on the photos. There's a section in the back of the book that provides that information, but that's a ton of effort to keep looking up photos by page number. Why was the layout so difficult that they couldn't put the captions on the pages? And someone could have spent a little effort Photoshopping some of the photos -- all of them black and white, even the 20th century ones -- so they were a little lighter and you could see them better. Maybe they looked crisper in the hard cover edition.


Tags : Amazon.com: First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power, 1789-1961 (9780688112721): Carl Sferrazza Anthony: Books,Carl Sferrazza Anthony,First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power, 1789-1961,Harper Perennial,0688112722,General,Historical - General,Presidents & Heads of State,Presidents;United States;Spouses;History.,Presidents;United States;Wives;Biography.,Presidents;United States;Wives;History.,Biography,Biography & Autobiography Historical,Biography & Autobiography Presidents & Heads of State,Biography Autobiography,First Ladies,Historical - U.S.,History,History General,History: World,Presidents,Spouses,United States,United States - General,Wives,BiographyAutobiography

First Ladies The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power 17891961 Carl Sferrazza Anthony Books Reviews

Although I learned a lot about each first lady, the book was difficult to read. It skipped around way too much and it was difficult to remember all the characters (especially since they are introduced with their maiden names). I think the author needs a much more thorough editor and a second opinion on the arrangement of the content.
wonderful read
My daughter was thrilled with the book. It was used and in good condition. The price was excellent, shipping was extremely fast.
I have had this book on my bookshelf for many years and have read it a number of times. It is so well-researched and packed with historical insight. . . .yet it reads like a novel! The First Ladies come alive as real individuals who left their mark on history. I have recommended this book many times over the years. It is one of my favorite vacation reads.
I was disappointed that the writing wasn't of the caliber of his other book, Florence Harding.
Anthony uses suspense and foreshadowing to make his characters come alive as he reveals to the reader the role each First Lady plays in the development of American history. He focuses on how much power each woman sought to exert and how successful each was in influencing her husband. Anthony shies away from gossip, focusing on the positive aspects of these ladies lives. The book is enjoyable to read and proves extremely informative.
This is an excellent, well-researched book. The author paints a dense, richly detailed portrait of each first lady and the social and political background of her time. I learned a lot--not just about the historical women, but about American cultural and social development. This is not a fast book to read, but it is a book to savor and learn from. It is also truly history--no attempt to sensationalize issues--and I appreciated that.
Man, it took me six months to read this. It is so much information. By the time you get to Eleanor Roosevelt, you are worn out. The earliest First Ladies, he is dependent on letters mostly for information and we already know much about them. Then there is a run of unknowns between Dolley Madison and Mary Lincoln that we don't know much about, and there's not much information about them anyway. (President Buchanan may have been the first gay president.) Then after Mrs. Lincoln, we go into the Gilded Age and a little past up through Mrs. Hoover and this is a very fascinating part of history. There is more correspondence, more probing newspaper stories, and some very peculiar first ladies. Some acted practically as co-presidents, they had so much influence over what the President did, and some had peculiar and mysterious ailments. It's amazing how long Dolley Madison and Edith Wilson lived and how much history they witnessed, as they both stayed in Washington after their husbands died. There's been so much already written about Eleanor Roosevelt, that part got tedious, and you could tell the author was getting overly cautious as he wrote about First Ladies who still have family living now. More dull day-to-day appearances and less gossip. He managed to make Jacqueline Kennedy sound dull. The book ends with the Kennedy inauguration. Maybe he was worn out by then, too.

What I especially liked is how he weaves the First Ladies together, mentioning where future ones are and what they're doing at different points in history before they become First Lady, and following them after they cease to be First, until they die. What I especially hated was no captions on the photos. There's a section in the back of the book that provides that information, but that's a ton of effort to keep looking up photos by page number. Why was the layout so difficult that they couldn't put the captions on the pages? And someone could have spent a little effort Photoshopping some of the photos -- all of them black and white, even the 20th century ones -- so they were a little lighter and you could see them better. Maybe they looked crisper in the hard cover edition.