Did you know GEORGE WASHINGTON wrote LOVE POEMS? Did you know he wrote LOVE LETTERS? Did you know he had a FIRST LOVE? Before Martha, there was Mary.
PROFILED ON CBS Sunday MorningA 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 … 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 battlefields, the novel creates breathtaking scenes and riveting characters. Dramatic portraits of the two main characters unveil a Washington on the precipice of greatness, using the very words he spoke and wrote, and his ravishing love, whose outward beauty and refinement disguise a complex inner struggle.
Dear George, Dear Mary reveals why George Washington had such bitter resentment toward the Brits, established nearly two decades before the American Revolution, and it unveils details of a deception long hidden from the world that led Mary Philipse to be named a traitor, condemned to death and left with nothing. While that may sound like the end, ultimately both Mary and George achieve what they always wanted.
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I like historical books even though I know they are embellished. I especially liked this because it takes you back to a time in America when it was still young.
George Washington was growing with the young country. I only knew of Martha in the life and it was refreshing to know of a Mary.
Although it is a novel, it gives some interesting history of George Washington and his personal life.
I enjoyed this book because it was realistic and very informative about the revolutionary war period. I have chosen this book as my pick to discuss at my monthly book club. I liked the sexual energy between George and Mary during the short courting period and also appreciated the politics going on between the forces in the British military and the colonialist.
Somethings never change. M
Mary Philipse was one of the richest and most eligible young women in the colonies. George Washington was single and his star was rising rapidly as his accomplishments on the battlefield accumulated. They met at a celebration held in his honor at her family home, and their lives were never the same. A lifelong mutual attraction kept them both aware of the other’s activities and life events.
The characters are exquisitely written and the settings are described in a manner which allows the reader to imagine precisely where the story is in any given scene. The story, based on fact uncovered in research by the author, is very well written and completely immerses the reader in this little known story in our country’s history. An utterly absorbing book that will be greatly enjoyed by anyone who enjoys a good romance coupled with a fascinating historical story line.
Very strongly recommend.
This is my honest opinion upon completion of an ARC of this book. Thanks to Netgalley, the author Mary Calvi and the publisher St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.
A friend asked me to read this along with her. I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover. The author is on her home turf historically and seems to be devoted to its history. Dear George, Dear Mary didn’t read like a novel though I found the historical detail of the time period interesting and informative. George Washington has long been one of my heroes and even great men aren’t immune to moral failure yet this story didn’t ring true to me personally. Truly fiction. In the words of another reading friend – “Not my George.”
A fascinating novel featuring George Washington’s first love, New York heiress Mary Philipse, the richest belle in Colonial America.
Dear George, Dear Mary is the result of hundreds of letters, witness accounts, and journal entries. Elegant descriptions of eighteenth century life from ballrooms to the bloody battlefields.
I had never heard of Mary Philipse before I read this book and though this is fiction I will look her up to read more about her and her fascinating life.
Published February 19th 2019.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.