Washington

A Life

By: Ron Chernow

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Pulitzer Prize, Biography/Autobiography, 2011

From National Book Award winner Ron Chernow, a landmark biography of George Washington.

In Washington: A Life celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation. With a breadth and depth matched by no other one-volume life of Washington, this crisply paced narrative carries the listener through his troubled boyhood, his precocious feats in the French and Indian War, his creation of Mount Vernon, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and his magnificent performance as America's first president.

Despite the reverence his name inspires, Washington remains a lifeless waxwork for many Americans, worthy but dull. A laconic man of granite self-control, he often arouses more respect than affection. In this groundbreaking work, based on massive research, Chernow dashes forever the stereotype of a stolid, unemotional man.

A strapping six feet, Washington was a celebrated horseman, elegant dancer, and tireless hunter, with a fiercely guarded emotional life. Chernow brings to vivid life a dashing, passionate man of fiery opinions and many moods. Probing his private life, he explores his fraught relationship with his crusty mother, his youthful infatuation with the married Sally Fairfax, and his often conflicted feelings toward his adopted children and grandchildren. He also provides a lavishly detailed portrait of his marriage to Martha and his complex behavior as a slave master.

At the same time, Washington is an astute and surprising portrait of a canny political genius who knew how to inspire people. Not only did Washington gather around himself the foremost figures of the age, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, but he also brilliantly orchestrated their actions to shape the new federal government, define the separation of powers, and establish the office of the presidency.

©2010 Ron Chernow (P)2010 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Tenaciously researched...This new portrait offers a fresh sense of what a groundbreaking role Washington played, not only in physically embodying his new nation's leadership but also in interpreting how its newly articulated constitutional principles would be applied...deeply rewarding.” ( New York Times)

"Just as he resuscitated Alexander Hamilton in a heralded 2004 biography, Ron Chernow now resurrects Washington...[A] remarkable book." ( Entertainment Weekly)

"Whether he's debunking the legend of Washington's wooden teeth (ivory that cracked and discolored over time) or the purely fictional tale of the cherry tree, the massive yet briskly paced Washington: A Life is a rollicking read, sure to redefine perceptions and correct assumptions." ( Kirkus Reviews)

A Great Man and a Good Book

I loved learning more about the life of George Washington. There are so many books on his life out there to choose from and I'm not sure why I chose this one, but it was a good book. It did not sugar coat Washington's life, but did show so many of Washington's qualities that make us think of him as a national hero. I am glad I listened to it. I learned a lot, such as the fact that when he was gravely ill, the doctors drained 5 pints of blood from him because they believed an illness was the result of bad blood. He died, needless to say. I also learned that in spite of never having children of their own, he and Martha raised quite a few children, including two of Martha's children from a previous marriage (the two oldest had passed away), and later her son's children, Eleanor and Washy. (Yes his name was George Washington Custis, and they called him Washy.) I learned that he was never very close to his mother who never seemed to be proud of her son's accomplishments. I learned a lot about his prowess as a general in an unwin-able war, which he managed to win anyway. I learned that he never really wanted to be president of the United States, and never intended to serve a second term, and that he was a very good dancer. And I unlearned a lot, such as the fact that he never cut down a cherry tree, and never said "I cannot tell a lie," although he was a very honest person, and he never had wooden teeth. I learned and unlearned a lot more than this, of course, and I'm glad I got to know this great man a little better. I do honor him and all he did for our country.

Scott Brick is a good narrator, and is in fact many people's favorite. Although I like him, he is not my favorite. I would not listen to a book just because he is narrating it and would certainly not like to listen to him read the phone book. (I would not mind listening to some of my favorite narrators read the phone book - that is my litmus test of a great narrator.) But he does a good job with this rather lengthy book.

The story of a disciplined and deliberate leader

What made the experience of listening to Washington: A Life the most enjoyable?

Gaining deep insight into the life of the Father of our country. With all the background information, it is possible to understand why he made the decisions he made.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Washington: A Life?

The description of Washington's commitment to always do the rihht thing, even when he did not want to do something. This was clear when he changed his plans to visit his mother when he thought she had only a short time to live. Washington had a very strained relationship with his mother.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He kept my interest up throughout the entire book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. My reaction was more like "That's is amazing, I think I understand why he did some of the things he did.

Juggernaut bio

Ron chernow has become my favorite author. you almost feel as if you met Washington after listening, and the book is not hero worship as the general's flaws are laid bare.

Perhaps the most moving story I will ever read.

From the outset, Washington: A Life captured my attention like no book ever has. By the time the story ended I felt as though I'd lost a close family member or friend. It should be required reading for all schools that wish to instill an accurate portrait of our nation's history.

Outstanding Performance

This book does an excellent job of humanizing one the Founding Fathers. The detail and complexity of Washington's life shine through in this performance. Far from lionizing him, it documents well his finer traits and his struggles, whether with slavery or petty squabbles.

amazing.

amazing. Scott brick is mesmerizing and lends more to the story. couldn't put it down. highly recommend.

Fascinating

This book is fascinating, and the narration is excellent. Scott Brick gets himself out of the way and reads with great clarity and a very pleasing voice. Excellent!

Well done to author and narrator

This is a well balanced book portraying Washington as a real person with faults. As a general, Washington is portrayed as masterful at keeping the Continental Army together, but less than a stellar military tactician. The political infighting during his second term as president seems similar to today's political environment. The narration was excellent.

Must READ if you want to know the real Washington

This book goes over the whole scope of his life from childhood to death.

You get to know his greatness, his virtues, and his vices. The REAL version of Washington. His vices and moral failings are disappointing but his virtues and greatness are beyond inspiring and his heroism remarkable.

All things considered it is only Washington who could’ve pulled off what he did. That is the event of the great American experiment that gave birth to the freedom and unprecedented prosperity and innovation we enjoy today

A Multi-dimensional view of "The Father"

After loving the Hamilton book, I had to go back for more Chernow and U.S. history. This Washington book was another wonderful immersion into 18th Century life. What was most interesting was the way Chernow documented the Washingtons' (both George & Martha) interaction with the slaves of Mt. Vernon; it was done not once, but over his lifetime and spread over the entire book. Chenow gives G.W. a fair treatment given the times and the society, but the reader (me) is still left disappointed that this heroic character, couldn't have found a way to leave an inspiring racial legacy as well as a political one.
The details of life, war and politics are just amazing. I had only a general historical concept of our founding fathers before these two Chernow books, now I feel like I was there.
The politics in the U.S. after the revolution ended makes our current bickering look tame... What I need now is a biography of Jefferson so I can salvage my previous stellar opinion of him.