The historical novel Dolley is a portrait of an extraordinary first lady, Dolley Madison, placed against the backdrop of the war of 1812. In many ways the war serves to amplify many of the other social concerns dealt with in this novel. The fight for religious, political and national freedom that is a constant part of the human struggle is rendered more poignant and dramatic as loyalty and bravery are tested by the hardships imposed on a country that is at war. The role of women in society is also changed by the backdrop of violence and hardship. Brown continually points out that great acts of bravery and selfless devotion to the national cause were performed by "soldiers" that were not of the male gender.

A Quaker by birth, Dolley is cast out by the Society of Friends when she marries the much older future president, James...