recri reviewed Book of ages by Jill Lepore
Review of 'Book of ages' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
A quixotic attempt to rescue at least one 18th century American woman from obscurity, which mostly succeeds but uncovers many deep sadnesses along the way. The saddest that she never found anyone as stimulating to talk with as her brother, but she had to share him with the rest of the world, and even the letters became few and far between at times. That another Professor of American History at Harvard should figure so nefariously in the story is almost too ironic to bear. But, of course, if Jared Sparks hadn't been there some other asshat would have stepped to do a comparably bad or even worse job.
