A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams – A Historical Novel of the Woman Who Helped Shape America from the Shadows
By: Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie
Narrated By: Cassandra Campbell
Publication: May 5, 2026 by William Morrow Paperbacks
464 pages
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, American Revolution
Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)
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Goodreads description--In time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. A stunning historical novel with modern-day implications from the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton.In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence—managing their farm, making lucrative investments, amassing savings, battling plague and loss, and defending their home. Unafraid to speak her mind, she famously offers fearless political counsel, urging John to “remember the ladies” in the new government. Through it all, she becomes his most trusted confidante and indispensable ally.
When peace is secured, Abigail steps onto the world stage—exchanging ideas with Thomas Jefferson in the French countryside, navigating court life as the wife of the Minister to Great Britain, and presiding over the parlor politics of the early American republic in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Even after her husband’s presidential administration, she continues battling political foes and working behind the scenes to advance her family, secure independence for the women in her life, and ensure a better life for the next generation of Americans.
From war-torn streets to the chandeliered halls of power, A Founding Mother is the unforgettable story of a woman ahead of her time—one whose voice, vision, and valor still resonate powerfully today.
Given the United States of America is set to turn 250 years old this July 4th, I saw A Founding Mother for review and knew I wanted to check it out. I requested the audio version because I knew I would get through it quicker that way. And man, was that the right choice! Cassandra Campbell does a wonderful job narrating the audio version.
I've got to be honest. I didn't know too much about John or Abigail Adams. Neither was a big part of my American History education throughout school, and after listening to this audiobook, I feel like that's probably a disservice to myself and to the Adams family and their service to the country.
I do find history fascinating. When you look at it through the lens of just being a collection of stories about individual people, then I find it much easier to learn about. I will say that I cried at least three times while listening to this book. I don't think that has ever happened to me while reading (or listening to) a book before. Part of that is the story, but also, as I mention, Cassandra Campbell does a wonderful job bringing this story to life. Stephanie Dray's writing. All of it merging into a wonderful conglomeration.
Of course, when you're reading a book that isn't dual or multiple perspectives, you are just getting one person's point of view. So it's easier to sympathize with what a person is going through and to see that person as being the "good guy" and the people that oppose them as "bad guys". That isn't the correct lens to look at the world, though. Things are rarely black and white. And the people who might have worked against the Adams family have their own versions of events. I have come out of this story having learned a lot while also having a desire to learn more. And that's one of the best recommendations that I can give it.
It amazes me how much things haven't changed in our world. How, from the formation of America, the news has been printing lies, scandals, stirring the pot, and trying to take down the opposite political viewpoint. Today we often think of the biased news media as being a new thing. It's talked about so frequently that it's easy to see. But this has been happening since the beginning. It's also easy for us to think that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, and the country was unified and everyone was happy and working together to create this great nation. Without proper education on how truly difficult our forefathers fought to create our nation, it's so easy to forget what all the people who lived and died fought for. It seems like American History must hardly be taught, and what is taught is skewed.
For instance, I know that slavery is such a talked-about thing concerning America's foundation. And a lot of our founding fathers even owned slaves, but then when you look deeper, you learn that some of our founders opposed slavery from the beginning. Abigail was strongly against it, and her work for women's rights is something that could easily be forgotten because progress wasn't exactly made in her lifetime.
A Founding Mother was a deeply moving story about a woman whom I came to respect. My heart broke for her throughout the story, yet Abigail was a strong woman who stood through many heartbreaking times. She had a strong understanding of politics and helped her husband often throughout his political career. She was also a brilliant businesswoman, taking control of their family's finances nearly on her own while John was overseas and even after, to the point where John didn't concern himself with finances and he didn't even know how Abigail actually made money for their family. It's mind-blowing what she accomplished in a time when women weren't given the freedoms that we have today. The story itself is engaging enough for me to recommend it to my readers. I was never bored while listening to it.
Yet if you have a particular fondness or interest in history, I cannot recommend this book to you enough. A Founding Mother easily gets 5 Stars from me. As a matter of fact, A Founding Mother is the first book I've given 5 Stars to in 2026. Have you read or listened to A Founding Mother? What did you think? Let me know!
