Title: Washington: A Life

Author: Ron Chernow

Publisher: Penguin Press 2010

Genre: Biography

Pages: 905

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Adventure; U.S. Presidents; Chunkster; 52 Books - W36

Celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation and the first president of the United States. With a breadth and depth matched by no other one volume biography of George Washington, this crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his adventurous early years, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and his magnificent performance as America's first president. In this groundbreaking work, based on massive research, Chernow shatters forever the stereotype of George Washington as a stolid, unemotional figure and brings to vivid life a dashing, passionate man of fiery opinions and many moods.

This was a chunk of a book and I loved every page of it. Chernow gives us a story, not a collection of random facts about Washington. The narrative flowed from one event to another interspersed with quotes from contemporaries and even Washington himself. I was lost in this portrait of an enigmatic figure in American history. A majority of the book was spent on the Revolutionary War and subsequent Presidency, but we do get a nice look into early Washington. I may have known what he did during the French and Indian War, but it was nice to read what he had to say about that time. Chernow's tome is not for everyone, but those willing to invest in a good chunk of time should definitely pick it up. Great biography!