I was hoping this book would be a 'refresher' to bring me back up to snuff on the most telling issues of the American Revolution. I am rejoining the US Presidents' challenge, having read bios of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson several years ago, and didn't want to have to go back.

Ellis presents us six essays which are alternately entertaining, enlightening, and brutally boring. He seems to think that if 100 words would do, 500 are much better. I had a hard time in several places staying awake.

Interestingly, he begins with the Hamilton-Burr duel, and seems to feel a lengthy lesson in economics is needed to explain the enmity built up between these two.

Then he gives us a chapter entitled "The Dinner" at which Thomas Jefferson, the host, is reputed to have brokered a deal between Hamilton and Madison to allow for federal assumption of all states debt in exchange for allowing the federal capital to be situated in Virginia. We got page upon page of background, but I had a hard time finding the dinner.

The third chapter "The Silence" I found the most interesting, but also the most difficult to read. It refers to the decision of the Founders to avoid a discussion or decision about the question of slavery.

Next up is "The Farewell" a elucidation of Washington's famous address in which he puts forth his (and many claim Hamilton's) thoughts on the party system, the need for the country not to form alliances, etc. Again, enlightening, but pedantic.

"The Collaborators" I found the hardest of all to follow. To me it was a series of short paragraphs describing various friendships, alliances and relationships that helped patch together diverse policies.

And finally, "the Friendship". The most cogent of the chapters where Ellis gives us a condensed look at the magnificent letter writing that took place over the last 14 years of the lives of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

If you are a true history buff, you'll love this book. It is extensively researched, and well footnoted. If you are looking for a quick fill in, this might not be the book for you. I'm glad I read it, but I won't be pulling it off the shelf to re-read anytime soon. ( )

This was a bit of a grind to get through. The historical content of this work was interesting and well-researched, but I find Ellis's presentation pedantic and at times pretentious. Then again, I think the same thing of Ellis in his speech and lecturing style as well.

Just the same, I continue to read his work because he has a way of narrowing in on well known people or events in history about which I've read before in a new and unexpected way. This particular book brought some particularly interesting new perspectives on the Jefferson-Adams dynamic over time, about the Washington administration (including insights not really articulated in His Excellency: George Washington).

In the end, it was good, and worth reading, but I just don't like the author's style or manner of speech. And the chapter titles drive me nuts.

Physically, the book was okay. It was thin, but the pages had a good texture. The font was somewhat smaller than I prefer, though. It was small enough to be my take-with-me book, which I like, but because of the other mentioned issues with style, it wasn't something that could hold my attention amidst distractions and ended up being the nightstand book. ( )

Humanises some of the Founding Fathers, by giving us a look into their personalities, through a series of vignettes. The story of the Burr-Hamilton duel is drained of suspense, but is well-explained, both in the moment and in context. ( )

This was a very interesting book about seven of the leading figures of the Revolutionary Era (John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.) The book consisted of six chapters, each chapter telling a different Revolutionary tale. As Americans, we have been told a much romanticized version of the American Revolution. Some of our founding fathers have been portrayed as near saints, while others have been marginalized and almost ignored. I believe that in truth the Revolution was much more chaotic and messy than often depicted. Also many of the less well-known founders played much more crucial roles than the romantic version would have us believe. This book does a good job of filling in some of the gaps in our knowledge of the founders and the decisive role that each played at such a consequential time in our nation's history. ( )

Masterfully written. Ellis' tale of the relationships between the founding fathers adds depth to the already documented history of them. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Adams and Jefferson. ( )