The Lowells of Massachusetts

February 15, 2017
A sturdy, busy multibiography of an eminent American family.From the first forebear of means, Percival Lowle (the spelling of the name changed in the early 1720s) to the celebrated poet Amy Lowell, who died in 1925, Sankovitch (Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Celebrating the Joys of Letter Writing, 2014, etc.) traces this long-enduring, Anglo-Saxon Massachusetts family and its many sterling American achievements. The author moves chronologically, as the generations of Lowells flourished in parallel with American history, and she delineates her work by themes: Migration, Religion, Revolution, Acquisition, War, Reinvention. Throughout their history, community and duty undergirded the lives of these competent, strong-chinned folk; it was important "to exercise one's own personal gifts--for the good of the community and for the approval of God." Migrating to America to further his import/export business and to embrace a more "honest and simple life," Percival was dedicated to assimilating and prospering. His great-grandson, the Rev. John Lowell, became a popular Puritan preacher who weathered the schism with Presbyterianism. Later, another John (there were many Johns through the years) moved to Boston and threw his support to the patriots during the American Revolution. In the mid-1800s, James "Jamie" Russell Lowell--whose brother had bankrupted the family mining business and whose uncle was a writer for truth and justice--would become one of the most famous of the clan, a fierce anti-slavery poet, influential during the era of the Civil War and noted for a distinctly American voice. Another branch of the family would beget notable siblings Amy, the wildly popular poet; another Percival, a groundbreaking astronomer in the late 1800s who founded the historic Lowell Observatory in Arizona; and Lawrence, who served as president of Harvard from 1909 to 1933. Reverends, poets, soldiers, scientists: generation after generation re-created the original Percival's stalwart American vision. Exhaustive work by a clear admirer and dogged researcher.

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December 1, 2016

In her multigenerational biography of the Lowell family, Sankovitch (Tolstoy and the Purple Chair) uses the family's motto of Occasionem Cognosce ("Seize the Opportunity") as her central theme, illustrating how the Puritan values of hard work and commitment to community shaped the Lowells into a quintessential New England dynasty. From the family's establishment in Massachusetts by patriarch Percival in the 17th century to the groundbreaking work of poet Amy Lowell in the 20th century, Sankovitch charts the successes and struggles of prominent Lowell men and women, including industrialist Francis Cabot Lowell and Union officer Charles Russell Lowell. Chapters dedicated to the poet and essayist James Russell Lowell, whose artistry was inspired by his personal experiences with love and grief, are particularly engaging, as is the depiction of how the issue of slavery divided Lowell family loyalties in the decades before the Civil War. Sankovitch's use of interpretative passages breathe color into descriptions of the home life of various Lowells, adding an artistic dimension to the account. Her ability to switch the focus among family members while keeping readers fully engaged in the narrative is a significant achievement. VERDICT Recommended for readers of biography and American history.--Sara Shreve, Newton, KS

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2017
Sankovitch (Signed, Sealed, Delivered, 2014) presents a fascinating collective biography chronicling the accomplishments, achievements, and setbacks of one of America's first and finest families. Of old Puritan stock, the Lowells' story is, in many ways, the story of White Anglo-Saxon Protestant New England during the first centuries of American nationhood. A hardworking, God-fearing clan whose appropriately American motto, Seize the Opportunity, served them well for generations, the Lowells were a family of politicians, preachers, entrepreneurs, scholars, and poets. For more than three centuries, they modeled the notion of noblesse oblige, incorporating community service as well as personal ambition into their daily lives. Not without their blemishes, they nevertheless flourished well into the twentieth century. Although many of the Lowells will be familiar to readers (writer Robert Lowell, Harvard president Lawrence Lowell, poet Amy Lowell, etc.), the stories of many others have been buried in dusty archives. Sankovitch scrupulously resurrects them, paying tribute to both worthy individuals and everyone else in this prominent, complicated family.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)