Doubleday
596 Pages
After I wrote the review for the first volume in this series, I second guessed myself about that very thing. I went back and forth even after I wrote the review. Even though volume 1 and volume 2 were written at the same time, there is definitely a difference between the two, at least in my opinion. John Adams Vol. 2 by Page Smith is a better written book than the first book. Both are dated, but I found myself able to read the second with greater interest.
Volume 2 picks up when Abigail and Nabby meet John and John Quincy in England before heading to Paris to complete a treaty for the new United States at the conclusion of the American Revolution. This was the time of some of the greatest moments in the lives of John Adams and his wife. And it was some of the greatest parts of both these books to read. Husband and wife were a great team, playing to each other’s strengths to make each of them even greater. This was fully evident in this second volume. Smith was able to capture this spirit between the married couple. In my opinion, this was very important and the author stressed it perfectly.
One telling part that I had an issue with was Smith’s relative dismissal of Adams’ signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts. The awfulness of these pieces of legislation were minimized by Smith, seemingly as a means to maintain his positive portrayal of John Adams. Aside from some antiquated academic language, this is the only problem I have with this volume of biography.
I had a far easier time with the second volume of this work about John Adams. It could have been because I got used to Smith’s writing style, or maybe I preferred that latter part of the president’s life. Either way, I flew through this one, relatively speaking, as opposed to the first volume. There was a lot of information to digest between both books. Smith was able to give a view of John Adams that was mostly lost for two centuries. In conjunction with David McCullough’s biography, these books painted a fantastic picture of a man who was overshadowed by George Washington.
By the end of this book, I felt that I had a much greater understanding of John Adams. I felt that I had quite a bit in common with Adams. I have been to his grave and placed my hand on the cool stone of his sepulcher in the crypt at United First Parish Church in Quincy, Massachusetts. He is buried next to Abigail as well as his son, John Quincy Adams, and his daughter-in-law. When I was there, I had not read any book about Adams. As I read this book, I thought back to that time I visited those graves. It gave me a closer connection to the man I was reading about.
If you’re doing your own Presidential Reading Project, both volumes of John Adams by Page Smith are an essential addition to the list you should read. The second volume reads better than the first, but both deliver a great deal of information on the life of John Adams. History is finally starting to take a second look at our second president. It is a look worth taking.
Craig Bacon enjoyed reading about John Adams more than George Washington, which was quite a surprise.
NEXT UP: First Family: Abigail & John Adams by Joseph J Ellis