A snapshot at a time in history a look at the world the history of George Washington & Mary Philepse.The intrigue the treachery and of course the romance.A wonderful read.#netgalley#DearGeorge DearMary #netgalley#st.martinsbooks.

I have long been fascinated by George Washington. So, naturally I was intrigued by the idea of Dear George, Dear Mary.

Honestly, this was not a story I enjoyed and barely finished. I know that George Washington had relationships with women and feelings for at least one before and after his marriage to Martha. His relationship with Sally Fairfax is well known. However, I was unaware of the existence of Mary Philipse before reading this novel.

While I appreciate that the author did extensive research using historical accounts, letters and journals to create this fictionalized story, I have a difficult time believing that George's perceptions and hatred of the British all stemmed from a failed relationship. That just does not ring true for me.

I found the novel long on detail and short on story. There was too much he did something and she felt something. And, I struggled to find any sort of connection or empathy to these characters.

Ultimately though, I think that many readers of history and historical fiction will enjoy this story. And early reviews have many readers praising it. It just wasn't a good fit for me.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to note that I’m in the minority when it comes to Mary Calvi’s Dear George, Dear Mary. Most readers really loved the time they spent with this book and as such, I hope anyone reading this takes my feedback with a grain of salt.

Calvi based this story on a little-known chapter of George Washington’s life and while I liked the material, I found the thesis difficult to swallow. I don’t mean to be rude, but suggesting the ignition switch of the American Revolution is rooted in George Washington’s relationship with Mary Philipse requires the reader to ignore the social landscape of the colonies and a myriad of policies that favored the interests of the Crown over the interests of its subjects. A war started by love might work for Homer, but I don’t feel it appropriate when exploring the American Revolution.

I found the political dialogue in this piece minimal which was hard as I am a reader who enjoys such things, but I also found it difficult to build relationships with Calvi’s cast or envision the world they inhabited. Calvi is good at describing the mechanics of her story, but her worldbuilding and character development didn’t come through the way I needed them to. Calvi’s style was too dry for my tastes and I felt it took far too long for the plot to come full circle.

At the end of the day, I found Calvi’s story creative, but feel I was a poor fit for it and would have a hard time recommending it alongside novels like America’s First Daughter or Mistress Firebrand.

Mary Calvin has written a wonderful novel that takes you back to a important time in our history. I felt like I was standing next to George Washington and Mary Philippe as I was reading it. The story is well written and emotional. A must read in a historical novel.

This is a thoroughly researched and beautifully written story about a small slice of American history, but one that had an enormous impact on our young country. The author makes George Washington and Mary Philipse, as well as the times in which they lived, come alive and gives us an insight into the man who became the Father of our Country.