Chernow’s biography follows chronology without being dull; but then Hamilton--hot-headed, brilliant, ambitious, oversexed--never was. His life follows a classically tragic arc, from unfortunate beginnings through brilliant success, marred by intemperance, to final tragedy. The precision of Grover Gardner’s astringent tones aids clarity, and his inflections--though sometimes studied--give details their proper color. He keeps the story moving. Chernow tries to make Hamilton more of a hero than the facts will bear, but his service to the new nation was profound, his greatness indisputable. This solid biography, solidly performed, is a good corrective to the demonizing of Hamilton in David McCullough’s John Adams. W.M. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
I’m convinced that September 29 is the best day of the year. I mean, “Don’t Lose Your Head,” but Broadway Musicals Day has us “Livin’ It Up on Top.” “What’s Inside” this blog post you ask? Well, I couldn’t throw away “My Shot” to play “Matchmaker” with book recommendations based on your favorite musical. “All […]
Audiobooks and road trips go together like peanut butter and jelly, babies and puppies, Bogey and Bacall—each part of the pair is pretty spectacular on its own, but they are even better together. We speculate that if audiobooks had been around when John Steinbeck took the cross-country trek that turned into the iconic road trip […]
Maybe we’re biased, but we happen to believe that receiving a B&N gift card is one of the best things about Christmas (or any holiday, for that matter). You get to experience not only the fun of opening your gift card and daydreaming about all the awesome books that might be in your future, but the […]
Father’s Day isn’t just about your dad and the lame gift you probably bought him at the last-minute (another tie? really?). It’s about all the dads; any man who starts a family and then puts everything he has into raising his children. Most fathers aren’t famous, although considering what we put them through they should all get […]