Ann Covell

I would say that this is a book mostly about the Means/Appleton family. The author does some incredibly work telling us the story of Jane's parents, grandparents, and siblings. She also gives us a short history of her husband Franklin's life. That being said, Jane's story doesn't really begin until Chapter 5, and the book ends with Chapter 8. A lot of Jane's life isn't available to us. What we do know, however, is tragic. Jane's early life was marred by the premature deaths of her two brothers and her father. Her married life saw her lose all three of her children. By the time she got to the White House, Jane's mental and physical health was far below where it should have been. She waited a full two years before assuming the responsibilities of First Lady. Of great interest to me was her life after Washington, which saw Jane and her husband taking an extended trip to Europe that seemed to invigorate her health.

While I don't think there really is enough information on Jane to warrant a book about her life, the information that we do have provides us a little window into the world of a generally unknown and much-misunderstood First Lady.… (mehr)