An outstanding biography

David McCullogh's biography of John Adams is an outstanding book about an outstanding man. This is one of the finest biographies I have read or listened to. By the end of the book I felt like I knew John Adams - both his outstanding strengths and his human frailties. I came away with a far better appreciation for Adams and his role in the birth of America than I had previously. The book also provides fascinating glimpses into the other strong personalities of the time, including Hamilton, Franklin and Washington, but most especially Jefferson. It is written beautifully and is so enjoyable to listen to that I was a bit sad when it ended. I strongly recommend this great work.

194 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Lip smacking good

This was an excellent book but almost ruined by the reader. Didn't anybody listen to him before they let him read? Lip smacking, gasping for breath, and swallowing are all art of the readers repertoire. I still listened to the entire book but just tried to ignore the poor quality reader.

149 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Expectations on a Theme

The author has carved out his niche as an historical biographer of great skill, so it is reasonable to come to expect much from him; he does not fail to deliver in this book. Having said that, this book should be judged as a journey into the soul of the subject and not an adventure or a novel - it is not and was not intended to be an edge-of-the-seat experience.

The narrator does an excellent job of portraying the various characters with just enough inflection to make the transitions comfortable and while there may be some exposure of his breathing in the reading it is not irritating. It is obvious that the narrator was "in" to the story, and we can always appreciate that!

The book itself offers the listener an intimate perspective of the Adams in a way that you certainly will not find in a text book or in the standard biography. That John Adams was one of the individuals to place their hands upon history and influence the world is beyond question, and this book offers us the opportunity to drink deeply of the character of the man, giving a clear and unobstructed view of his motives.

In an era in which the actions of the founding fathers are often called into question or are intentionally recast with less than faithful attention to the facts it is all the more important to have works like this to set the record straight. McCullough has no axe to grind, and has held himself to the unusually high standards he adopted for his previous works.

If you are seeking knowledge and wish to understand an important man and important events from the past, this book is one you will regret not experiencing. If you are seeking to be constantly entertained and to have plot and subplot move in fluid motion, perhaps you will find Patrick O'Brian's historical fiction more to your liking.

I found the book to be engaging, easy to follow, and pleasant to listen to in small or large chunks, and I believe you will too. It earned the five stars it received from me.

73 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Better than fiction....

This is the rare history narrative doesn't rely on those dry-as-dust facts that were droned into our adolescent brains to ensure we never discovered the magic of history. This book is fascinating and informative.

There was no sense that McCullough took undue license as a historian in portraying the people of the time; every characterization was fleshed out with an amazing array of letters, love-notes, journals, documents and receipts.

I listened to the unabridged version but I would have enjoyed it more if it were even longer. In the end, I've untangled the screwy chronology I've had in my head regarding America's break from England and have a new admiration for the patriots of the time.

Whether a reader prefers fiction (for the love of a good story) or history this book will more than satisfy. Also, it was very well read.

57 persone l'hanno trovata utile

A delightful experience

I completely enjoyed all aspects of this audio book. The narrator was engaging and his voice was pleasant to listen to for the many hours required. The writing style drew me in and I became enthralled with each small detail revealed about the lives of John and Abigail and the early American and European life depicted. I have gone on to read several books of Abigail's letters with great pleasure. This was an excellent, life affirming, and positive experience. Thank you Audible!

50 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Story Amazing. Narrator Exasperating.

Where does John Adams rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

David McCullough is truly a gifted historian. It is absolutely refreshing how he makes these characters come so alive. Love, Love, Love anything he writes. The narration on this was more than I could handle. You can hear every breath the narrator takes and there seems to be times when he takes a sip of water...I went back and listened to other books and there is none of that. I can only assume the production of the book was not done well. Nelson Runger read well...just all those extraneous sounds were so very distracting!

40 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Drinking and long pauses by narrator distract.

An outstanding tale with incredible details about the characters, places, and events that determined the story of the United States of America. I couldn't help but be annoyed by the narrators constant long pauses and audible drinking. Was there no way to edit those out?!

36 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Gasping

I loved this story line! David McCullough writes history like few have ever been able. That being said, listening to the story as narrated by Nelson Runger boarders on the annoying. Unless one is driving at freeway speeds, you can hear his gasps, gulps and deep breaths. I'm sure these were to be edited out as one narrating a story must breath, but to have them present makes me cringe at every breath. Other than this oversight in editing this story is an amazing history of one of the great founding fathers of America, and does justice to a man seldom remembered by American history books

31 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Gasping for air.

This is a very well written book which is so difficult for me to concentrate on due to the narrator's gasping at the end of each paragraph. It's a shame it's so distracting as otherwise the narrator has the perfect voice for this performance.

29 persone l'hanno trovata utile

John and Abigail lived at my house

While I was listening to this book, John Adams and his family came to live with me. I was so absorbed in the history, I thought about it even when I wasn't listening. I am impressed with McCullough's skill at bringing history to life. It's a fascinating time with relevance to today. The time and thought put into the Constitution should never be taken for granted. Also, the knowledge of these people and their efforts to continually educate themselves and engage their intellectual lives is beyond anything we see today. While this will appeal to history buffs, I highly recommend it for anyone interested in people's lives and an in depth view of the minds of brilliant people.

29 persone l'hanno trovata utile