"Washington's Lady" by Nancy Moser

The life of Martha Washington makes for fascinating reading. It is clear that George Washington was a man for his time, whose humility and dedication to God led to great things, and partnering with George with his beloved Martha. I learned many things about her in this novel, and would recommend this book to all history lovers.

The story starts just after Martha Custis loses her first husband, leaving her a young widow with two small children. Martha was the wealthiest widow in Virginia at the time and was sought by several suitors, but it was the quiet and dignified colonel George Washington who won her hand. Together they raised Martha's two children and worked to expand Washington's Mount Vernon estate for several years while George served in the Virginia House of Burgesses.

We get to follow along with the major events that led up to the Revolutionary War, and watch with Martha as George is named Commander in Chief of the entire Continental Army. Throughout the long years of the war, Martha spent many winters camped with George and the Army, which is something I hadn't realized before. The war basically came to a halt each winter, making it relatively safe for Martha to travel and stay with her husband during those cold months. Her presence appears to have been a great morale boost not just to George but to the whole Army, who looked forward to her visits and the aid that she brought.

It was interesting to me to get a closer, personalized view of George and Martha both, because George had the same Myers-Briggs personality type as I do, and you can read about how his ISTJ personality came into play at this link. Martha, of course, had a different view of life because she had a different personality that balanced out the more stoic parts of George's character. In some ways I had a harder time connecting with Martha in the novel because the way she made decisions was so different than my own approach. I could see that some of the choices she made in grief would come back to be regrets later, and indeed they did. But overall Martha was a capable, gracious, and friendly woman who was able to work through great personal difficulties to support her husband through the birth of a nation, and to become a widely known and respected figure in her own right as she played her part in history.

I enjoyed brushing up on my eighteenth century history and this look at America's first president and his lady. This is the second Nancy Moser novel I have read, and I believe she does an excellent job bringing historical figures to life. I look forward to reading more of her works in the future.