Washington

A Life

By: Ron Chernow

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a New York Times Bestseller, a landmark biography of George Washington.

In Washington: A Life celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation. With a breadth and depth matched by no other one-volume life of Washington, this crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his troubled boyhood, his precocious feats in the French and Indian War, his creation of Mount Vernon, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and his magnificent performance as America's first president.

Despite the reverence his name inspires, Washington remains a lifeless waxwork for many Americans, worthy but dull. A laconic man of granite self-control, he often arouses more respect than affection. In this groundbreaking work, based on massive research, Chernow dashes forever the stereotype of a stolid, unemotional man. A strapping six feet, Washington was a celebrated horseman, elegant dancer, and tireless hunter, with a fiercely guarded emotional life. Chernow brings to vivid life a dashing, passionate man of fiery opinions and many moods. Probing his private life, he explores his fraught relationship with his crusty mother, his youthful infatuation with the married Sally Fairfax, and his often conflicted feelings toward his adopted children and grandchildren. He also provides a lavishly detailed portrait of his marriage to Martha and his complex behavior as a slave master.

At the same time, Washington is an astute and surprising portrait of a canny political genius who knew how to inspire people. Not only did Washington gather around himself the foremost figures of the age, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, but he also brilliantly orchestrated their actions to shape the new federal government, define the separation of powers, and establish the office of the presidency.

In this unique biography, Ron Chernow takes us on a page-turning journey through all the formative events of America's founding. With a dramatic sweep worthy of its giant subject, Washington is a magisterial work from one of our most elegant storytellers.

Ron Chernow's new biography, Grant, will be published by Penguin Press in October 2017.

Critic reviews

“Truly magnificent… [a] well-researched, well-written and absolutely definitive biography” –Andrew Roberts, The Wall Street Journal

“Superb… the best, most comprehensive, and most balanced single-volume biography of Washington ever written. [Chernow’s] understanding of human nature is extraordinary and that is what makes his biography so powerful.” –Gordon S. Wood, The New York Review of Books

“Chernow displays a breadth of knowledge about Washington that is nothing short of phenomenal… never before has Washington been rendered so tangibly in such a smart, tenaciously researched volume as Chernow's opus… a riveting read...” –Douglas Brinkley, The Los Angeles Times

“Until recently, I’d never believed that there could be such a thing as a truly gripping biography of George Washington…Well, I was wrong. Ron Chernow’s huge (900 pages) Washington: A Life, which I’ve just finished, does all that and more. I can’t recommend it highly enough—as history, as epic, and, not least, as entertainment. It’s as luxuriantly pleasurable as one of those great big sprawling, sweeping Victorian novels.” –Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker

“[Ron Chernow] has done justice to the solid flesh, the human frailty and the dental miseries of his subject—and also to his immense historical importance… This is a magnificently fair, full-scale biography.” –The Economist

An excellent read!

As a casual history buff, I was greatly impressed with both the narrative and the reading. Chernow does a tremendous job of putting the reader into the middle of the action--greatly detailing not only the facts of each event, but the thoughts and feelings of each of the participants. This made for a wonderfully enlightening adventure through one of the most interesting times in our history. And Scott Brick was absolutely the most perfect accompaniment to the story. It took me quite awhile to get through, since I was only listening on my way to/from work, but I eagerly awaited that trip. I would highly recommend this book in any form.

A nuanced picture of his life

Would you be willing to try another one of Scott Brick’s performances?

Absolutely not. The strained inflections had me re-recording every sentence in my head the moment they were spoken. Scott Brick is trying to hard.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

That would be impossible. Too long.

An Excellent Work

I've read numerous books on the life of G.W., but I find this to be the most comprehensive and honest work yet. I truly learned much about Washington the man I had not known.

As usual, Scott Brick performed superbly as narrator.

Best Book on Washington I've Ever Experienced

As a history buff I was pleased with this book about the life of George Washington. I now feel I know
Washington. . . not just as our first President, but as a human being.

Ron Chernow did an excellent job on this book and Scott Brick brought it to life with his fine narration.

great narration and many uncomfortable truths ****

I loved it. it is worth a listen. Long enough to get comfortable. 5 stars