John Quincy and Louisa Adams s unexpected journey that changed everything. "American Phoenix" is the sweeping, riveting tale of a grand historic adventure across forbidding oceans and frozen tundra from the bustling ports and towering birches of Boston to the remote reaches of pre-Soviet Russia, from an exile in arctic St. Petersburg to resurrection and reunion among the gardens of Paris. Upon these varied landscapes this Adams and his Eve must find a way to transform their banishment into America s salvation. Author, historian, and national media commentator Jane Hampton Cook breathes life into once-obscure history, weaving a meticulously researched biographical tapestry that reads like a gripping novel. With the arc and intrigue of Shakespearean drama in a Jane Austen era, "American Phoenix" is a timely yet timeless addition to the recent renaissance of works on the founding Adams family, from patriarchs John and Abigail to the second-generation of John Quincy and Louisa and beyond. Cook has crafted not only a riveting narrative but also an easy-to-understand history filled with fly-on-the-wall vignettes from 1812 and its hardscrabble, freedom-hungry people. While unveiling vivid portrayals of each character a colorful assortment of heroes and villains, patriots and pirates, rogues and rabble-rousers she paints equally fresh, intimate portraits of both John Quincy and Louisa Adams.

Cook artfully reveals John Quincy s devastation after losing the job of his dreams, battle for America s need to thrive economically, and sojourn to secure his homeland s survival as a sovereign nation. She reserves her most detailed brushstrokes for the inner struggles of Louisa, using this quietly inspirational woman s own words to amplify her fears, faith, and fortitude along a deeply personal, often heart-rending journey. Cook s close-up perspective shows how this American couple s Russian destination changed US destiny. ".