The President's Lady
The President's Lady: A Novel about Rachel and Andrew Jackson This is one of the great love stories of our country. I enjoyed reading it just as much this time as I did many years ago. I was so happy to get this for my collection.
Compelling, a page-turner
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Rachel Jackson was the kind of woman for whom the word "long-suffering" seems to have been invented. But as detailed in The President's Lady, the classic historical novel by Irving Stone, Rachel Jackson's true tragedy came when she met and married the love of her life, Andrew Jackson.
Stone paints a complex and realistic portrait of the love and marriage of Rachel and Andrew Jackson, based on obviously deep historical research (though some of what is known of the Jacksons has changed since the book was first published in 1951). First thrown together in the aftermath of her painful split from her first husband, the young couple received word that Rachel's husband had divorced her. They became man and wife. Two years later, they learned that the divorce had never been finalized. They were forced to agree to finalize the divorce on the grounds of adultery (Rachel's cohabitation with Jackson), and were then married again in a second ceremony.
This troubled time would haunt the Jacksons for the rest of their married life. Driven by a ravening ambition, Andrew would thrust himself into the spotlight, making powerful enemies through his brash behavior and mercurial personality. As Stone notes through Rachel's eyes, what happens to one spouse happens to the other. There were times when Rachel was Jackson's only, lonely supporter as he faced ruin. She helped him build again. And time and again, Andrew's enemies would attack him through Rachel, branding her an adulteress, a scarlet woman, even a prostitute.
In The President's Lady, Stone does a masterful job with point-of-view. The entire book is told from Rachel's perspective, from her nightmarish divorce to her immersion in her farm and husband to her heartbreaking trials as his fame grew. The historical details are wonderful, and the powerful message about the corrosive power of gossip is as current as the latest Britney Spears debacle.
But the true greatness of The President's Lady is the glimpse Stone gives us into the vulnerable soul of Rachel Jackson. From youth to the cusp of old age, we experience Rachel's love for Andrew and her forgiveness of his shortcomings, her grief and her joys, her outrage and her heartbreak. I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a few tears at Rachel's worn and ragged last journey, which came as her husband was at last elected President of the United States.
LOVED this book
Had already read "The Origin" and loved it so gave this a try. Fantastic. Also, was visiting Nashville when I started it (didn't even know this is where they were from at the time) and got to visit the Hermitage while reading it. Really brought things to life. A great read!
The President's Lady: A Novel of Rachel and Andrew Jackson
Just finished reading this for a class. Enjoyable and a fast read in historical fiction. I especially admired the skillful way Irving Stone mixes fiction and fact to breath fresh life into long dead characters. The story is told through Rachel Jackson's narrative and we immediately find out about her first marriage to an abusive husband. The after effects of this tragic marriage have diastrous consequences for the future political career of Andrew Jackson. Love triumphs and the tender depictions of the couples enduring love and intimate moments make the book a very human and readable. I'm not a history buff, but the book is interesting and historically accurate. The descriptions of New Orleans were appreciated. Rachel proves to be a more than capable homesteader, managing a large property and horses in Jackson's absence. A good perspective showing Americian politics hasn't really changed much at all.
A great way to present history
Reading history can be challenging. But Irving Stone makes reading history a delightfull and entertaining experience. This book is very well researched and presents an in depth portrait of an enduring love affair. A must read for students of American history and a delight for all.
(10 reviews)
