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Washington

A Life

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From the author of Alexander Hamilton, the New York Times bestselling biography that inspired the musical, comes a gripping portrait of the first president of the United States.
Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Biography

“Truly magnificent . . . [a] well-researched, well-written and absolutely definitive biography” —Andrew Roberts, The Wall Street Journal
“Until recently, I’d never believed that there could be such a thing as a truly gripping biography of George Washington . . . Well, I was wrong. I can’t recommend it highly enough—as history, as epic, and, not least, as entertainment.” —Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker
Celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation and the first president of the United States. With a breadth and depth matched by no other one volume biography of George Washington, this crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his adventurous early years, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and his magnificent performance as America's first president. In this groundbreaking work, based on massive research, Chernow shatters forever the stereotype of George Washington as a stolid, unemotional figure and brings to vivid life a dashing, passionate man of fiery opinions and many moods.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway musical Hamilton has sparked new interest in the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers. In addition to Alexander Hamilton, the production also features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Aaron Burr, Lafayette, and many more.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      It takes a narrator of the caliber of Scott Brick to carry off the reading of this new biography of George Washington. At 42 hours, the book could challenge the most interested listener. But Brick pulls it off. His mellow voice is easy to listen to, and he varies it to add emphasis when needed and to break up the pace. The book relies heavily on Washington's letters, many of which have been published only in the past few years. The author quotes from several. Brick alters his pace and tone slightly to give an aural indication of quote marks. But he gives the various correspondents unique voices, thus avoiding any sense of affectation. The book as a whole is interesting, revealing, and clearly authoritative, and Brick's reading is an excellent complement. R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from February 28, 2011
      An unabridged edition of Chernow's acclaimed biography of America's patriarch, on its face may not seem an obvious selection for general audiobook listeners who are not avid history buffs, but Scott Brick's talented performance makes the hours fly by. As Chernow chips away at larger-than-life myths while exploring the practical qualities that shaped Washington's success, Brick provides compelling vocal inflection in portraying the narrative's many personal and political dramas. Some of the most emotionally powerful renderings include the passages related to Washington's struggles with the issue of slavery and the experiences of daily life in the slave community on his plantations and in the family household. Brick's reading of the later sections of the book focused on the depth of animosity between Washington and Thomas Jefferson also pack an especially effective bite. A Penguin Press hardcover.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 11, 2010
      In his introduction, veteran biographer Chernow is clear about his goals. Using the recent "explosion of research," he wants to render George Washington "real" and "credible," to replace "frosty respect" with "visceral appreciation." In many respects, Chernow succeeds. He gives us a Washington who starts with limited education and means and, through a remarkable combination of timely deaths, an incredible capacity for hard work, a shrewd marriage, astonishing physical hardiness and courage, a propensity for land speculation, and a gift for finding influential patrons, transforms himself into a soldier, well-to-do planter, local official, and eventually the only real choice to command the Continental army, preside over the Constitutional Convention, and serve as the first president. Chernow makes familiar scenes fresh (like the crossing of the Delaware) and expertly brings the provisional revolutionary and early Republican eras to life. Along the way, however, he mistakes "visceral" for ardent; while he never hides Washington's less than saintly moments or shirks the vexed question of slavery, he often seems to ignore the data he's collected. Examples of shady dealing are quickly followed by tales of Washington's unimpeachable ethics or impeccable political savvy. At times it feels as if Chernow, for all his careful research and talent for synthesis, is in the grip of a full-scale crush. The result is a good book that would have been great if better edited, and if Chernow had trusted that Washington's many merits, even when accompanied by his faults, would speak for themselves.

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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