Jane Hampton Cook
John Quincy and Louisa Adamsâ€™sunexpected journey that changed everything. ,American Phoenix, is the sweeping, riveting tale of a grand historic adventure acrossforbidding oceans and frozen tundraâ€”from the bustling ports and toweringbirches of Boston to the remote reaches of pre-Soviet Russia, from an exile in arcticSt. Petersburg to resurrection and reunion among the gardens of Paris. Uponthese varied landscapes this Adams and his Eve must find a way to transformtheir banishment into Americaâ€™s salvation.,Author,historian, and national media commentator Jane Hampton Cook breathes life intoonce-obscure history, weaving a meticulously researched biographical tapestrythat reads like a gripping novel. With the arc and intrigue of Shakespeareandrama in a Jane Austen era, ,AmericanPhoenix, is a timely yet timeless addition to the recent renaissance ofworks on the founding Adams family, from patriarchs John and Abigail to the second-generationof John Quincy and Louisa and beyond.,Cookhas crafted not only a riveting narrative but also an easy-to-understandhistory filled with fly-on-the-wall vignettes from 1812 and its hardscrabble,freedom-hungry people. While unveiling vivid portrayals of each characterâ€”acolorful assortment of heroes and villains, patriots and pirates, rogues andrabble-rousersâ€”she paints equally fresh, intimate portraits of both John Quincyand Louisa Adams. Cook artfully reveals John Quincyâ€™s devastation after losingthe job of his dreams, battle for Americaâ€™s need to thrive economically, andsojourn to secure his homelandâ€™s survival as a sovereign nation. She reservesher most detailed brushstrokes for the inner struggles of Louisa, using thisquietly inspirational womanâ€™s own words to amplify her fears, faith, andfortitude along a deeply personal, often heart-rending journey. Cookâ€™s close-upperspective shows how this American coupleâ€™s Russian destination changed USdestiny.,Â 
History,Nonfiction,Biography,North American Hi...,American History,Politics,Presidents,Biography Memoir,War,Politics
American Phoenix: John Quincy and Louisa Adams, the War of 1812, and the Exile that Saved American Independence