{mosgoogle} 

by Allgor, Catherine
?Everybody loves Mrs. Madison!? declared a young Henry Clay, and after reading A Perfect Union, you will too. Historian Catherine Allgor tells the story of Dolley Payne Todd Madison?s Virginia roots and Quaker upbringing, her loves and losses, and her triumphs as a Washington hostess. Dolley?s well-attended parties helped soothe the partisan tensions of the early 1800s. Allgor marshals a wealth of detail to argue that by fostering a social life, Dolley turned Washington into a functioning community, turned the federal government into something workable, and turned herself into ?Queen Dolley? ? a national figure to unite a growing country.
- reviewed by Tom, University City Regional, PLCMC

{mosgoogle} 

by Allgor, Catherine
?Everybody loves Mrs. Madison!? declared a young Henry Clay, and after reading A Perfect Union, you will too. Historian Catherine Allgor tells the story of Dolley Payne Todd Madison?s Virginia roots and Quaker upbringing, her loves and losses, and her triumphs as a Washington hostess. Dolley?s well-attended parties helped soothe the partisan tensions of the early 1800s. Allgor marshals a wealth of detail to argue that by fostering a social life, Dolley turned Washington into a functioning community, turned the federal government into something workable, and turned herself into ?Queen Dolley? ? a national figure to unite a growing country.
- reviewed by Tom, University City Regional, PLCMC