Book Description
The Five of Hearts, who first gathered in Washington in the Gilded Age, included Henry Adams, historian and scion of America's first political dynasty; his wife, Clover, gifted photographer and tragic victim of depression; John Hay, ambassador and secretary of state; his wife, Clara, a Midwestern heiress; and Clarence King, pioneering geologist, entrepreneur, and man of mystery. They knew every president from Abraham Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt and befriended Henry James, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, and a host of other illustrious figures on both sides of the Atlantic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good
This book is good for the story of Henry Adams and Clarence King and John Hay which I became interested in after seeing them frequently mentioned in Theodore Roosevelt biographies, but fans of TR will be troubled by some of the out of place criticisms of him, as in the authors next book "When Trumpets Call" she has a decided animosity towards him, like when she criticizes him for for not "facilitating genius" when being painted by John Singer Sargent like John Hay did, a man of "refined tastes" and about "whining"about time taken from his daily fencing matches. I don't know what her problem is but she clearly doesn't understand TR at all.

A Welcome Reissue of an Essential Book AboutHenry Adams
The republication of this fine 1990 volume in a convenient paper edition can only be a matter of joy to students of Henry Adams.This is one of the first books I read about HA, and it has proven to be also one of the most valuable.The focus of the volume is on five individuals who constituted Adams' inner circle after he moved to Washington and came together around 1880.Those being John Hay, former secretary to Lincoln, and eventually Secretary of State, Clara Hay, Clarence King, a prominent geologist, and Henry and Clover Adams.But these folks are only the beginning, as the author also incorporates into her discussion such individuals as Edith Wharton, Henry James, John LeFarge, H.H. Richardson, several presidents, and of course Augustus Saint-Gaudens who eventually crafted the remarkable memorial to Clover Adams situated in Rock Creek cemetery. Many fine illustrations are incorporated, including a number of photographs taken by Clover.One learns a great deal about how Adams lived, worked, conspired and interacted with prominent and challenging individuals. One's understanding of HA is less then complete unless this book has been savored. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Circle of Friends
As a photographer I have had a fascination with the life of Clover Adams, a 19th century American photographer who ended her life by suicide. She seemed in many ways to be a modern woman, married to Henry Adams, a decidely 19th century man. Adams, a member of the legendary Adams family that gave the US two presidents, is best known for "The Education of Henry Adams" a quasi autobiography he wrote after Clover's death, notable for many reasons including that it doesn't mention her. Henry's books and life have slipped from view though are highly regarded in academic circles. I was pleased to discover another view of Clover and Henry in Patricia O'Toole's very readable portrait of a circle of friends that included the Adams, John Hay, Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of State, and his wife Clara and noted geologist and explorer Clarence King. It is a story of great friendship,recorded in the epistalory mode of letters, that may become one of the greatest casualties of the Internet age.While one could read the book for the intimate glimseit provides of renown figures of the age, including Henry James,Theodore Roosevelt, Robert Louis Stevenson and painter John La Farge the most fascinating part is the record of the friendship of thefive, who refer to themeselves as "the five of hearts"More surprisingly is the suggestion of illicit romantic affairs these seeminly straight laced Victorians engaged in.It is a wonderful read and illuminates the Gilded Age of fin-de-siecle America. Did I learn more about Clover? Yes, her humor, wit and troubled life is discussed and the view of her through her intimate friends illumniates more though is tantalizingly incomplete.

A Washington Salon - 1880-1910
The book is not intellectually deep, but is most enjoyable.It provides a view of a small American elite representing a transitional society between the late Civil War and early 19th century.It centers on five diverse people who, by chance, formed a unizue Washington social and intellectual salon mostly centering on themselves, but benefitting from each member's extensive contacts in the U.S. and France (to a lesser extent).The five were Henry Adams (descendant of two Presidents), his wife, Clover, John Hay (Secretary to Lincoln and Sec of State at the turn of the century), his wife, and Clarence King, the firs head of the U.S. Geological survey.

Adams and Hay built large homes on the north of Layafette Square which became the center of the salon (the sites are occupied by the Hay Adams Hotel).

The focus is on the personalities and interests of these uniquecharacters, the depiction of life at the heart of our capitol, and references to art and architecture integral to Washington of that era, but which led to a broader influence along the east coast particularly.In a very concrete setting, the author deals with love, tragedy, and the political and intellectual curiosit which dominated these people's lives.None has really survived in the public consciousness, but all played significant roles in their time and deserve this interest in what made their lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beautifully written chop job
Anyone picking up this book should know from the start that this is as about as unobjective a biography as one is bound to find.Henry Adams has multiple scores to settle, on behalf of John Adams and John Quincy Adams (his great-grandfather and grandfather, respectively), with John Randolph of Roanoke (who never had a kind word for either of the Adams presidents). The reader would be strongly advised to read both the introduction by Robert McColley, as well as the notes on the text (located at the end of the book) which deals with specific matters of interpretation in the book.

Adams uses this book to savage Randolph at every opportunity.The bulk of the book follows Randolph in his congressional career up through 1806, when he broke with the Jefferson administration over the administration's attempt to pay France two million dollars to secure Western Florida from Spain.Up until 1806, as Adams puts it, Randolph was the "spoiled child of his party and recognised mouthpiece of the administration." (p. 118)Randolph was in the thick of things up to that point, including the Louisiana Purchase, the approval of which he helped shephard through the House of Representatives.He was also given the responsibility for the February 1805 impeachment of Samuel Chase, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.At that point in history, the question of the Executive Branch's authority over the Judicial Branch was far from settled.A successful prosecution of Justice Chase might well have changed the history of Executive-Judicial relations, but Randolph botched the job thoroughly.Adams can barely contain his glee when describing how unequal to the task Randolph was.

The bungled Chase impeachment increasingly made Randolph an embarrassment to the Jefferson administration.Randolph's political prospects were damaged beyond repair after 1806, and from that point on, as he became increasingly erratic, was on the periphery of the American political scene.He quarrelled, at one point or another, with every administration from Jefferson to Andrew Jackson.Adams devotes only 70 pages to Randolph's life from 1806 until his death in 1833.It is evident at this point that Adams is more interested in directing criticism at Jefferson and his successors in the Virginia Dynasty than he is at studying the life of Randolph.

Adams does make good points in his book, especially regarding the notions of states' rights.Coventional wisdom holds that Randolph was one the early advocates of the states' rights philosophy that John C. Calhoun subsequently embraced, but Adams argues persuasively that actions such as the Louisiana Purchase and the protection by the federal government of slavery (such as the Fugitive Slave Act) were in themselves encroachments on the rights of individual states and helped further the centralization of government in the United States.Far from being a traditional states' rights advocate, Adams contends, Randolph did a great deal to undermine the notion of states' rights as it existed in 1789.

Despite the rather venomous nature of the book, it is none the less a wonderful piece of literature that is worth reading.Adams' skills as a writer are evident throughout.The three stars represents a dual rating:5 stars for the quality of the writing, 1 star for the utter lack of objectivity...although what could the reader seriously expect anyway? ... Read more