LAUSR

is particularly interested in illuminating Martha Washington, who has been the subject of limited scholarly attention. We learn from those who observed Martha that she was friendly, cheerful, dignified, domestic, devoted, agreeable, and intelligent, but not well-read. It’s hard not to wonder how much of this picture of Martha was an image carefully crafted by a woman who knew she was in the public eye. Quotes from her letters addressing handling of her slaves, for instance, paint a picture of a shrewder and less amiable figure. Many of the incidents in Fraser’s story could have been drawn out and made more comprehensible with relevant historiography. Work on women’s political involvement in particular would help illuminate to what extent Martha was a political being in her own right. The dynamics of Revolutionary War camp life, the political symbolism of social events, and Martha’s duties running the Mount Vernon estate could all have been explored more fully and fruitfully with insights gleaned from the ample scholarship on these topics. Such context might also have led to more nuanced conclusions throughout the book. Nonetheless, Fraser has crafted a readable, thorough tale worth telling. It will certainly be of interest to the general public, but scholars will also find much that is valuable. Fraser’s synthesis of a wealth of primary sources can serve as a resource for Washington scholars and for those engaged in histories of women, marriage, the family, politics, and war in the late eighteenth century.