"A rich study of human drama and social history at the birth of the modern world ... Ada comes remarkably alive in this book, passionate but at times neurotic, with almost too much self-awareness, and falling into disasters ranging from illness and accident to losses on the horses—all this is wonderfully preserved in her correspondence and is most ably presented here."
—Richard Gregory, Nature

"This book held my interest from beginning to end. Mrs. Stein has written a a useful and rare kind of historical biography, one that evokes a historical period and sets a record straight."
—Tracy Kidder, The New York Times Book Review