Washington’s Lady

I was first introduced to this author through some of her historical fiction books, which I greatly enjoyed. So when I saw she had a biographical novel on Martha Washington, I was excited to read it! I was very impressed in some ways, and a little disappointed in others. Here’s the highlights:

The book is written in first person and the language is…old fashioned. Which makes TOTAL sense since it is the way Martha would actually have spoken/thought. I grew up reading a lot of Victorian era literature, so I was quick to adjust to the older language style. But I DID have to adjust before I could really “get into” the story. So if you happen to be a person who can’t stand reading old fashioned English, you might be frustrated by this. However, I thought it really added to the authenticity once I got used to it.

This is Not a fast-paced page-turner. In some ways it reads more like a memoir. Just the story of someone’s life. This did not bother me, per se. It just surprised me a bit as I think I was expecting something more like her fiction. However, once again, as I adjusted to the style, it was totally fine.

I LOVE how much of the conversations and letters are actually quotes from the real people! Of course there is plenty of fictionalized conversation too (I write biographical fiction myself and know that’s impossible to avoid), but I really enjoyed how much fact she crammed into her fiction, even in the casual conversations. I also appreciated her “fact and fiction” section at the back, which helped not only point out what was fiction, but also show me how much was really true!

However, there were a few things in the book that indicated either a lack of research, poor editing, poor beta-reading, or maybe all three. For one thing, being a historical re-enactor who has studied the clothing of the 1700’s, I found it annoying that she kept using the word “corset” to refer to Martha’s stays. A simple google search will show that the term “corset” was not used to describe that type of garment until the VERY late 1700’s, not during most of the time of this story. I was also puzzled by her having Washington comment about Jacky’s bad spelling. Spelling was not really standardized in America until a much later date. At first I thought she had simply missed this historical detail, but then, she actually mentions it in the “fact and fiction” section. So…why on earth did she have Washington make a big deal out of it in the book? Kind of odd. There were also a few places where I found the timeline a bit confusing, and where ages seemed to not change quite correctly with the timeline, etc. But that may have been my own confusion, not an actual error her her part.

But there WERE several things that were just downright confusing. Like the house of Burgesses gets dissolved. And then, a few pages later, it gets dissolved again. Awhile later, it’s in session again. But there is no in between stuff explaining the transition. How did it get undissolved? Multiple times? Did that part get cut out in editing or what? Also at one point they make a big deal of talking about a new Doctor who his supposed to be able to help Patsy, have a whole conversation about him, call him by name and bring up that he is a Sephardic Jew. Naturally I assumed he is going to come in later as a character. But he is NEVER mentioned again. Did he ever come visit? Did he try out his new treatments on Patsy? Did they do any good? I found it quite strange to bring him up like that if he was never going to show up or even be mentioned once in the rest of the book.

Anyway, back to the stays/corset issue. I want to be clear that I don’t fault Nancy Moser for not being a complete expert on 1700’s fashion. As a historical writer myself I know exactly how difficult it is the get all the tiny details correct in just one era, and she writes in many different eras. But I do think it would be a good idea for her to perhaps get more beta readers who ARE experts on the eras she writes about, and who could catch little things like that. Historians. Professional Reenactors. Something.

However, on the whole, I did really enjoy this book. It was lovely to take such an intimate look at Martha Washington’s life and see how she rose above an incredible amount of tragedy and personal hardship to still be such a blessing to those around her and support George so that he could be the American hero he was. If you are looking for a book that will help you learn more about America’s FIRST First Lady (especially one that does not downplay her Christian faith!), I highly recommend this one!

Wonderful story of our nation’s early years as seen from the eyes of Martha Washington.

I really enjoyed this book because it brought out the kind of humanism the beloved “First Family” had! Also George and Martha’s unique relationship.

I enjoy reading about our country’s history.

Before listening to this audiobook, I knew very little about either our first president, George Washington, or his bride, Martha Washington. I learned more about the time period and family in this interesting account of their lives.

This novel is written from the perspective of Martha Washington, and the audio version has a narrator whose voice, inflections, and moderation are very well done, one that I could easily listen to.

I wasn’t aware of the tragedies faced by the Washington’s, more specifically Martha. Their faith in the Lord made a huge difference in how they went through each crisis. Martha was an amazing woman to be able to provide the support George Washington needed throughout the Revolutionary War and his presidency. The devastating conditions faced through the war were not detailed. I was surprised at how much Martha was able to help George and his troops. She was definitely a woman I would have liked to know and was very well portrayed in this novel. I highly recommend this to those who appreciate historical novels about people who made huge contributions to our country and how their relationship with the Lord helped them through the challenges they faced.

Loved getting to know Martha Washington in such an intimate way. Couldn’t put it down.

I enjoyed reading this historical fictional account of the life of Martha Washington. I’ve read do much about George Washington, it was a refreshingly different perspectives that seemed to use facts as a framework.

Excellent historical fiction. I have been to Mt Vernon and several of the other places mentioned in the book and thought that the author does a great job of capturing the settings and providing enough history that the parts she fills in are ver believable.

This was like reading Martha Washington’s journal. While fiction, the author had done lots of research and you could tell by the accuracy of the events that forged the Washington’s life. It was a true love story between George and Martha.

I enjoy reading historical fiction/biography. i especially liked the portion where Martha and George Washington met. We all know how it turned out, but the author brought Martha to life.