John Adams
2004
- biography
- american history
- american revolution
- founding fathers
- john adams
- abigail adams
- politics
- war
- diplomacy
- law
The story
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the most moving love stories in American history. This is history on a grand scale -- a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived. - Publisher.
What it’s like
Warm, letter-saturated prose that reads like overhearing a long, candid conversation. McCullough quotes generously from the correspondence of John and Abigail Adams, so the pages carry the blunt, witty, sometimes waspish voices of the 1770s and 1790s, with the slow rhythm of ink, sea crossings and weeks-late replies. The settings are tactile and weathered: Braintree farmhouse kitchens, sweltering Philadelphia summers in close assembly rooms, grey Atlantic passages, cold Parisian and Dutch winters. The vibe is intimate, earnest and quietly funny, with steady affection for its subject and a brisk narrative pulse that suits long unhurried sittings with tea on a rainy weekend. Intensity is moderate: war arrives mostly as news at a distance rather than close-up carnage, while illness, infant deaths, political cruelty and betrayal are told plainly, with no graphic violence and no sexual content. Its emotional arc follows a prickly, principled man learning to trust his allies and his marriage, and the long, loyal partnership with Abigail forms its tender heart. It is for readers who enjoy primary sources and humane, substantial biography of the early republic.
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