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Rating: 
Summary: The Rest of the Story....
Review: A wonderful book that "fleshes" out the outlines of JLC and Fanny. For years, their lives were painted with a "light brushstroke" yet one felt that had to be more behind these very complex people and their relationship.The author has painted a very complex picture of these two with all the dark and light hues of the palette. Fanny was not merely JLC's wife, or the Reverend's adopted daughter, but a much more complex individual who could be considered an early feminist. JLC's inner feelings about service to country and greater good are reflected and help to answer that question of why a college professor in Maine would take it upon himself to defend the country he loved to the extent he did. It is easy to understand why nothing ever again measured up to his experience of leading those men at Gettysburg.
Rating:
Summary: The Rest of the Story....
Review: A wonderful book that "fleshes" out the outlines of JLC and Fanny. For years, their lives were painted with a "light brushstroke" yet one felt that had to be more behind these very complex people and their relationship. The author has painted a very complex picture of these two with all the dark and light hues of the palette. Fanny was not merely JLC's wife, or the Reverend's adopted daughter, but a much more complex individual who could be considered an early feminist. JLC's inner feelings about service to country and greater good are reflected and help to answer that question of why a college professor in Maine would take it upon himself to defend the country he loved to the extent he did. It is easy to understand why nothing ever again measured up to his experience of leading those men at Gettysburg.
Rating:
Summary: The Rest of the Story....
Review: A wonderful book that "fleshes" out the outlines of JLC and Fanny. For years, their lives were painted with a "light brushstroke" yet one felt that had to be more behind these very complex people and their relationship. The author has painted a very complex picture of these two with all the dark and light hues of the palette. Fanny was not merely JLC's wife, or the Reverend's adopted daughter, but a much more complex individual who could be considered an early feminist. JLC's inner feelings about service to country and greater good are reflected and help to answer that question of why a college professor in Maine would take it upon himself to defend the country he loved to the extent he did. It is easy to understand why nothing ever again measured up to his experience of leading those men at Gettysburg.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, well-researched, an intimate portrait.
Review: Diane Smith offers a more intimate portrait of the relationship between Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Fannie Adams than previous writers have done. Using "love letters" and other family correspondence, Smith reveals not only the couple's penchant for teasing each other during courtship but also Lawrence's early bouts with depression and jealousy. Additionally she explores what might have been a budding romance between Lawrence and his cousin Hannah "Annie" Chamberlain. Smith interprets Fannie's sometimes independent behavior with kinder motives and gentler judgment than previous critics have offered. She insists that Fannie agreed with Lawrence's decision to join the Army and offered him her moral support during his years of service. Readers of previous Chamberlain biographies will enjoy seeing more of the Chamberlain's family life, smiling at the nicknames the couple chose for each other, sensing the heartbreak of the untimely deaths of their children and other family members, accompanying Lawrence on his several campaigns both during and after the War. Supplemented with photos (e.g., a rare snapshot of an aging Chamberlain sailing aboard his beloved Pinafore), setting the correspondence apart in italics, replete with insights and incidents previously unpublished, Smith's "Fanny & Joshua" is a perfect supplement to Alice Trulock's great work and is surely destined to be a treasured account for all who want to know more about "the hero of Little Round Top" and the exemplary life and service that make him a popular and worthy hero today.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, insightful, & hard to put down!
Review: I developed an interest in Chamberlain after reading "The Killer Angels", and had been looking for a good biography of him. Last summer I visited the Chamberlain Museum in Brunswick, Me. and bought this book based on the recommendation of our tour guide. I can't begin to say how wonderful I think this book is. Smith has excellent insight into Victorian character and mores, and transmits that insight to her reader. I've always thought that JLC was about 50 years ahead of his time. After reading this book, I've come to realize that part of his forward thinking might have been a product of his relationship with his remarkable wife. Fannys self sufficient persona was NOT typical of the 19th century; through Smith, the reader comes to realize Fanny was in fact 20th century in much of her thinking. The marriage of such an independent soul with the soul of a such a fair minded, yet fierce, warrior makes for a fascinating read. I read this book into the wee hours of the morning until I finished it, in about 3 days. I never thought I'd read a history book that I just couldn't put down. I'd highly recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, insightful, & hard to put down!
Review: I developed an interest in Chamberlain after reading "The Killer Angels", and had been looking for a good biography of him. Last summer I visited the Chamberlain Museum in Brunswick, Me. and bought this book based on the recommendation of our tour guide. I can't begin to say how wonderful I think this book is. Smith has excellent insight into Victorian character and mores, and transmits that insight to her reader. I've always thought that JLC was about 50 years ahead of his time. After reading this book, I've come to realize that part of his forward thinking might have been a product of his relationship with his remarkable wife. Fannys self sufficient persona was NOT typical of the 19th century; through Smith, the reader comes to realize Fanny was in fact 20th century in much of her thinking. The marriage of such an independent soul with the soul of a such a fair minded, yet fierce, warrior makes for a fascinating read. I read this book into the wee hours of the morning until I finished it, in about 3 days. I never thought I'd read a history book that I just couldn't put down. I'd highly recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Soul Mates
Review: Many biographers of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain have treated Fanny Adams as an after-thought. Some have even treated her as a subject of disdain. Ms. Smith effectively refutes those authors, using Adam's and Chamberlain's letters to one another as her primary source materials. What emerges is the vision of a strong, educated, ambitious, self-directed, courageous, emotionally-stable and patient woman, who endured every hardship brought to her home by her husband's long career of service to his country. What also emerges is a more complete picture of our nation's greatest hero. The same man who quietly endured the terrors of war, who courageously accepted an horrific wound, and who was so gracious with a defeated enemy, could become quaintly insecure when dealing with the woman he loved. The stellar academic, warrior and politician was as much of a quivering paramour as any other husband in love. For Chamberlain fans, this book offers a more human image of the titan. For everyone else, this book offers a touching tribute to the power of love.
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