A review by sarahanne8382
Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore

4.0

It took awhile to get into this. Lepore is not writing a typical biography, mostly because not enough survives to flesh out the minute details of Jane Franklin Mecom's life, so instead Lepore shares what does exist and uses the lack of source material to discuss the study of history - what life in general was like in the 1700s in Boston, why so many of Jane's papers likely didn't survive, and how her famous brother is likely the reason any record of her survives at all.

I nearly gave up because I was miffed that this wasn't what I expected. However, once I got on board with what is going on here, I became a fan. A bit of a challenge, but worthwhile.