Absolutely worth the time investment to read this book. It brings Washington and his times to life. I finished the book thinking how incredible it was for him to accomplish so much. And I really loved the fact that Chernow included his dental problems--anyone who ever suffered a toothache will appreciate what a nightmare it must've been for him in so many situations. The parts of the book that explore Washington's attitude and decisions about slavery are hard to read and at the same time fascinating. ( )

An entertaining and informative biography. ( )

Masterpiece! ( )

Mid book thoughts:

Ambitious would be the word I'd best use to describe Chernow's 900 page book about Washington. If you love history and want to know about Washington's life in excruciating detail - - this book is for you.

Personally, I could take a bit less detail, however I do appreciate the research and love and care that went into writing this book. It also is quite readable. You do not need to have a good understanding of American history going into the read in order to make sense of it (which I appreciate).

Washington's character slowly emerges from his actions and the many, many real life quotes that are used to really bring veracity and life to the book.

So far, I've read about his early life and his war exploits - - and I think I will be more interested in his political ones, which are coming up.

It's really too soon to make a final judgement of the book, but I wanted to at least note something for this month. I will say that it is sloooowwww reading . . .at least for me . . .I don't really feel compelled to pick it up, yet I also enjoy it when I do. It could end up being 3 stars for me personally, but my gut feeling is that it deserves more if only for the excellent organization and extensive research it entailed.

After finishing:

On some level, I felt I should have won the Pulitzer for finishing this tome. But that probably wouldn't be doing this work justice. Chernow really researched this work to the nth degree, and I admire him for it. If I didn't know it about Washington before, I know it now.

The book has six parts, but the big themes are "Washington as general" and "Washington as president". Washington as president is much, much more interesting (to me) so the second half of the book was decidedly more engaging. I certainly learned that our political party infighting of today has deep roots. Holy smokes. Poor Washington had to deal with major schisms in his own cabinet, and it was fairly impressive how he handled it.

That being said, I just didn't feel Chernow brought Washington to life in the same way that David McCullough brought Truman to life in Truman (which I liked much, much better). The book felt more like a work of scholarship than something for lay people to enjoy. But the truth is that I am NOT a history buff so I'm probably not the target audience . . .so I should probably reserve judgement.

All in all, if you have a deep interest in Washington and the Revolution - - I'd say "go for it" and pick this book up. If you don't, but just want to learn something about the period and an overview of the highlights of George's life - - well, I think there may be better options out there. ( )

Amazing biography of a amazing man. His life was truly something astonishing. ( )