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Summary: The Scare History of Prominent Females and their Males
Review: There is little doubt that Vice President Aaron Burr was the single, most important person in the world to this young, and impressionable young woman: and why not? He was, after all, her father, the person most likely to offer her his best nurturing protection, validate her worth, and interpret the world as he would like her to see it, educating her for what he perceived it to be, in its complexity as well as its simplicity. As his most unconditional admirer, she apparently did the same for him, and as his trusted confidant, the author spectacularly preserves and presents their special relationship of father and daughter with reasonable success despite the number of rumors, accusations, and hype that usually accompanies infamous figures in history, allowing us to appreciate the complexities of political environments, personal relations, and complex events in a very readable and eloquent fashion, in today's conjecture of thought and reason as best he can from a 200 year old antique history. An insightful account of a very colorful period of American history. While certain presumptions may well be far fetched, certainly the inquiry is a valuable contribution to what can only be called one of the very few accounts of the importance of females in the lives of historical figures.
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Summary: Theodosia Burr Alston
Review: Well researched, well written, this book is a great read. Mr. Côté has given us the fascinating story of Aaron Burr's daughter. Multi-lingual, sophisticated and beautiful, Theodosia interacted with some of the greatest personalities of her time. The author refers to her as a prodigy, but she might well also be considered to be a true super woman, molded by an education based on the then-radical concepts of Mary Wollstonecraft. Her father conspired with a foreign power to carve her an empire out of Mexico and part of the young United States. Instead, his plans were crushed. Even after her mysterious disappearance at sea, Theodosia's mystique lives on, as can be seen by anyone who as ever read a collection of Carolina ghost stories, or taken a tour in Georgetown or Charleston. She is surrounded by a mist of local legends. However, the author has given us a chance to see the real Theodosia, extracted from the nefarious shadow of her infamous father. He gives us, not a legend, nor a dry history, but a portrait of a real woman, with real emotions and concerns. Yet again, his approach is analytical, and where there are unanswered questions or conflicting data, he carefully examines the possible arguments to aid the reader in drawing his or her own conclusions. I recommend this book to anyone who likes biographies of fascinating people, but also to reading groups (a discussion guide is available). It is also a book for anyone who loves art or a great mystery (The portrait that surfaced after her death is just one example). It is an engaging read that will leave you dreaming about what might have been, lost in admiration for its subject, and trying to unravel its mysteries long after you finish the last page.
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Summary: I Couldn't Put It Down
Review: What an in depth and at times riveting account of Theodosia, the beautiful and very gifted daughter of Vice President and scheming traitor, Aaron Burr. This is a story that has been told before but never brilliantly as in Mr. Cote's sweeping tale. The author brings to life the romantic and tragic heroine, Theodosia, so vividly that the reader truly feels her joys and pain. From her privileged upbringing by a father who was a brilliant but flawed man to her marriage into South Carolina's wealthiest family and eventually to her mysterious death at age 28, this is a story that carries us through the ballrooms and political intrigue of the 18th and early 19th Century. Theodosia, the most well educated woman of her time, was destined by her ambitious father to be empress of Mexico in a scheme both treasonous and ultimately ruinous. Theodosia vanished at sea in 1812 leaving behind a haunting portrait that washed up on a North Carolina beach and a story so intriguing that it lingers in the heart and mind long after the book is finished.
Rating:
Summary: I Couldn't Put It Down
Review: What an in depth and at times riveting account of Theodosia, the beautiful and very gifted daughter of Vice President and scheming traitor, Aaron Burr. This is a story that has been told before but never brilliantly as in Mr. Cote's sweeping tale. The author brings to life the romantic and tragic heroine, Theodosia, so vividly that the reader truly feels her joys and pain. From her privileged upbringing by a father who was a brilliant but flawed man to her marriage into South Carolina's wealthiest family and eventually to her mysterious death at age 28, this is a story that carries us through the ballrooms and political intrigue of the 18th and early 19th Century. Theodosia, the most well educated woman of her time, was destined by her ambitious father to be empress of Mexico in a scheme both treasonous and ultimately ruinous. Theodosia vanished at sea in 1812 leaving behind a haunting portrait that washed up on a North Carolina beach and a story so intriguing that it lingers in the heart and mind long after the book is finished.
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