A Founding Mother: The Historical Fiction Masterpiece That Made Me Grateful for Modern Medicine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⚠️ TRIGGER WARNINGS ⚠️
Before we dive in, let's get the heavy stuff out of the way. This book does NOT hold back:
Child death (multiple instances, including infant loss)
Pregnancy loss and stillbirth
Graphic medical procedures (including a detailed mastectomy scene that will make you hug your ibuprofen bottle)
Substance use and addiction
Illness and epidemics (dysentery, smallpox, cancer)
Racism, gender discrimination, and emotional abuse
Physical and child abuse
Graphic violence (it's a war, after all)
Sexual content
If any of these are dealbreakers for you, proceed with caution. If you're okay with them, buckle up because this book is a RIDE. 🎢
🚨 SPOILER WARNING 🚨
From this point forward, I'm spoiling EVERYTHING. The full plot, the ending, the emotional devastation, all of it. If you want to go in blind, scroll down to my recommendation section. If you're here for the tea, keep reading. ☕
What Is A Founding Mother About?
A Founding Mother (2026) is a work of historical fiction by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, the bestselling duo behind America's First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton . This time, they're tackling Abigail Adams—wife of one president, mother of another, and arguably one of the most underrated badasses in American history .
The novel is a sweeping first-person narrative that follows Abigail from her early years as a young wife in colonial Massachusetts all the way through the American Revolution, her time in Europe as a diplomat's wife, and her tenure as the nation's second First Lady .
Fun fact: This was a Reese's Book Club pick for July 2026, and Reese herself said it was the perfect way to celebrate America's 250th anniversary . So if you trust Reese (and honestly, she's got great taste), this one's a winner.
The Full Plot Summary (With ALL the Spoilers)
Okay, grab a snack. This is going to be long, and you might cry. I know I did. 😭
Part 1: Colonial Life and the Road to Revolution
The book opens in August 1814, with a nearly 70-year-old Abigail in Quincy, Massachusetts. Her husband John arrives with devastating news: the British have burned Washington City—the President's House, the Capitol, the Library of Congress, all of it . Abigail, who has already buried four of her six children, looks toward the family tomb and considers burying John's draft of the Declaration of Independence. It's a bleak opening that sets the stakes: everything they fought for might be lost .
We then flash back to April 1765. Abigail is 20 years old, heavily pregnant, and already over her mother's overbearing concern . She's married to John Adams, a country lawyer with big ambitions and a tendency to be away for extended periods. From the start, Abigail is portrayed as intellectually curious, fiercely independent, and unafraid to speak her mind .
As tensions with Great Britain escalate, the Adams family moves to Boston, where they're thrust into the heart of the conflict. The period is marked by personal tragedy: Abigail loses her infant daughter Susanna to pleurisy, and the family faces social ostracism when John undertakes the principled but deeply unpopular defense of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre .
The pressure forces them back to Braintree, but the political turmoil only grows. Following the Boston Tea Party and Britain's punitive closure of Boston Harbor, John is selected as a delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Accepting this duty as a necessary sacrifice, Abigail remains behind to manage their farm and raise their children—Nabby, John Quincy, and Charles—alone .
Part 2: War, Sacrifice, and the Famous "Remember the Ladies" Letter
The outbreak of war at Lexington and Concord transforms Abigail's life. With her young son John Quincy at her side, she watches the Battle of Bunker Hill from afar and mourns the death of her friend and physician, Dr. Joseph Warren . Committed to the Patriot cause, she melts her pewter spoons to cast musket balls—because apparently, Abigail Adams was also a low-key weapons manufacturer .
As John's role in Congress deepens, Abigail becomes his most essential correspondent, providing him with on-the-ground intelligence from Massachusetts and offering sharp political counsel. To secure her family's finances, she starts a small but profitable business selling scarce goods like sewing pins .
Tragedy strikes again when a dysentery epidemic sweeps through her town. Abigail and her sons fall gravely ill, and her mother, who rushes to nurse them, contracts the disease and dies. Abigail is devastated by guilt and grief .
After the British evacuate Boston, she makes the risky decision to have her children inoculated against smallpox—a procedure that was dangerous but necessary. She is in Boston to hear the Declaration of Independence read aloud, an event that inspires her famous letter urging John to "remember the ladies" in the new nation's laws. His response? He dismisses it as a joke .
Part 3: The Long Separation and Diplomatic Life in Europe
The sacrifices demanded by the war intensify. After a brief reunion, John breaks his promise to be home for the birth of their next child, who is tragically stillborn . Soon after, he is appointed a diplomat to France and makes the agonizing decision to take their two oldest sons, John Quincy and Charles, with him.
Left alone in America for nearly six years, Abigail expands her mercantile business, investing in European goods and land to protect their family from financial ruin. During this separation, she endures a painful period where John's letters from abroad turn cold and accusatory, causing her to fear their marriage is broken .
Eventually, she and a teenage Nabby cross the Atlantic to join him. Reunited first in London, they settle into diplomatic life outside Paris and reaffirm their love for each other. There, Abigail navigates the unfamiliar customs of French society and forms friendships with Adrienne Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson .
When John is appointed the first American ambassador to Great Britain, the family moves to London, where Abigail must endure a hostile reception at the court of King George III and Queen Charlotte .
Part 4: Family Drama, Political Turmoil, and Heartbreak
While in London, Nabby discovers that her love interest at home, Royall Tyler, has been unfaithful. She later finds a more suitable match in Colonel William Stephens Smith, John's secretary, and they marry.
After years abroad, the family returns to America, where John is elected the first Vice President. Abigail moves first to New York and then to the new nation's capital in Philadelphia, where as the "second lady" she helps establish the social protocols of the young republic alongside First Lady Martha Washington .
She witnesses the growing political schism between Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the Democratic-Republicans of her old friend Thomas Jefferson. After Washington retires, John is elected the second President.
Abigail's tenure as First Lady is defined by the nation's looming "Quasi-War" with France. She supports John's controversial measures, including the Alien and Sedition Acts, while also dealing with family crises. Their son Charles descends into alcohol addiction and adultery, leading a heartbroken John to renounce him .
Near the end of John's term, the capital moves to the unfinished Washington City. After losing a bitter re-election campaign to Jefferson, and just as they are preparing to leave office, they receive word that Charles has died. The blow devastates them both .
Part 5: Retirement, Reconciliation, and the Ultimate Loss
The Adamses retire to their home in Quincy, which they name Peacefield. Abigail slowly recovers from her grief over Charles. After Jefferson's daughter Polly dies, Abigail initiates a correspondence with the president, which evolves into a series of heated letters where they privately confront their political and personal grievances .
Their family faces further trials when their son-in-law, Colonel Smith, is financially ruined. Then Nabby is diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoes a brutal mastectomy, which Abigail witnesses. Though Nabby seems to recover, the cancer returns years later. She makes the arduous journey home to Peacefield, where she dies surrounded by her family. This loss is described as the greatest affliction of Abigail's life .
During the War of 1812, with the British burning the capital, an aged and despairing Abigail questions if all her sacrifices have been for naught.
The Ending (Yes, THE Ending)
On her 50th wedding anniversary, Abigail presents John with her Last Will and Testament—a document bequeathing her own considerable, independently-earned fortune to the women of her family. John, acknowledging her as his true equal, vows to ensure her will is honored .
In an epilogue set years later, her son John Quincy returns from Russia to become Secretary of State. As she embraces him, Abigail reflects on her life of struggle and loss, finally concluding that her devotion to her family and her country was all for a purpose .
And then you close the book and sob into your pillow for twenty minutes. At least, that's what I did. 💔
What I Loved About This Book
The Research Is Chef's Kiss 👨🍳💋
Dray and Kamoie are known for their meticulous research, and it shows. They drew from thousands of letters—Abigail and John wrote to each other constantly, and those letters are preserved in the National Archives . The authors even consulted an Abigail Adams re-enactor for juicy details, including the part about her making bullets . That's commitment.
Abigail Is Fleshed Out as a Real Person
She's not just a saintly historical figure. She's stubborn, judgmental, and occasionally reckless—but also noble, fiercely intelligent, and ahead of her time . She was often more radical than John, pushing him on women's rights when he was still hedging . The book shows her as a businesswoman, an investor, and a political operator, not just a wife and mother .
The Emotional Range Is Unmatched
This book will make you laugh, cry, rage, and cheer. The loss of Susanna, the death of her mother, the stillbirth, Charles's addiction, Nabby's cancer—it's relentlessly devastating, but also incredibly inspiring. The moments of joy and love between Abigail and John balance out the pain.
The Historical Context Is Accessible
As someone who doesn't know much about US history (like, at all), I was worried I'd be lost. But the authors weave the history seamlessly into the narrative. The epilogue and author's note explain what's true and what was changed, which I really appreciated. It's fiction, but it's grounded in reality .
What Could Be Better
Honestly? Not much. The book is 464 pages, and some sections—particularly the political maneuvering during John's presidency—can feel a bit dense . But even those sections are rich with character insight, and Abigail's voice keeps you engaged.
If you're looking for a light, breezy read, this isn't it. It's heavy, emotional, and occasionally brutal. But that's the point. History wasn't light and breezy, and neither was Abigail Adams's life.
Final Verdict
5 out of 5 stars. All the stars. Every single one. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Founding Mother is one of the best books I've ever read. It made me grateful for modern medicine, grateful for the right to vote, and grateful that I was born in the 1980s instead of the 1700s. I can't imagine giving birth without pain relief, surviving a mastectomy without anesthesia, or losing four children before they reached adulthood. Abigail Adams did all of that and still helped found a nation.
This is historical fiction at its finest—impeccably researched, emotionally gripping, and deeply human . If you love biographical fiction, American history, or stories about incredible women, this is a must-read.
And yes, I'm officially obsessed. Send help. Or don't. I'm too busy recommending this book to everyone I know. 📚
If You Loved A Founding Mother, Try These Next
America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie — The story of Patsy Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's daughter. Same authors, same incredible research .
My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie — Eliza Schuyler Hamilton's perspective on the American Revolution and her complicated marriage .
Ribbons of Scarlet by Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, and others — A novel of the French Revolution's women, written by a powerhouse team of historical fiction authors .
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn — If you love historical fiction with fierce female protagonists, Kate Quinn is a must. This one is about female spies in WWI.
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes — Based on the true story of the Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky. Different era, same spirit of women doing extraordinary things.
Have you read A Founding Mother? What did you think? Let me know in the comments! And if you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? Go get it. 📖✨
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