If you would like to see what I've previously written about George Washington, I can direct you to my review of a history of the American Revolution called Scars of Independence which includes a paragraph about Washington here , and my review of an alternate history called The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington here. My impression of Washington has been rather favorable. So I didn't come to this book as a Washington critic.
As a reader, I can't exactly check my 21st century perspective at the door. This influences my subjective impression of the characters. I want to be very clear in this review about the difference between the historical portrayal of these real individuals, and how I felt about them. I believe that an honest review should include both.
George Washington was and is revered for good reason. The United States was very fortunate to have had a first president with a sense of honor and integrity. He was all about service to his country. If he had been oriented toward maintaining himself in power, the history of the United States would have been very different. It also seemed to me while I was reading Bolté 's book that he had a very positive influence on his wife.
Martha was inclined to view home and family as her highest priorities. There is nothing wrong with this perspective, but she was married to a man who had a great love for his country. This love of country was a source of conflict between them. It took some time for Martha to respect what he valued. I think that the turning point happened during the American Revolution. Martha Washington evolved into a patriot over the course of this novel. This is why the title Becoming Lady Washington is so appropriate.
What makes both George and Martha most problematic in the 21st century is the issue of slavery. Washington was unusual in considering himself an abolitionist, but believing yourself to be an abolitionist and actually being one were two different things. See my discussion of 19th century Quaker abolitionists in my review of Slavery and the Meetinghouse here. It all amounts to privileged people valuing their positions of privilege more than the rights of persons of color. That's why they didn't favor the abolition of slavery during their own lifetimes. George Washington wrote in his will that his slaves would be freed after the death of Martha. He wanted to preserve Martha's position of privilege. Being privileged, meant that she took slavery for granted. We see in Becoming Lady Washington that she wasn't intentionally abusive toward slaves, but the idea of a life without slaves was unthinkable until she had to think of it.
There is a book dealing with Oona Judge, a runaway slave that belonged to the Washingtons called Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar. I haven't read this book yet, but I recognize that it changed many people's thinking about Washington and slavery when it was published. Once you know something, you can't unknow it. It influences the way you read books on the subject afterwards.
I found the characters and period details in Becoming Lady Washington accurate and credible. Since I enjoy research, I liked learning about various aspects of daily life, and medical conditions mentioned in this novel about which I had no previous knowledge. Washington's carbuncle was an unusual example.
Martha herself was likable, and I appreciated her adaptability to difficult circumstances that occurred throughout her life. There are other wives of Founding Fathers who have never been the subjects of novels so far as I know. Perhaps Betty Bolté will one day amaze us by writing fiction dealing with one of them.
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