Thomas jefferson biography meacham review 360

Thomas jefferson biography meacham review 360: This magnificent biography brings vividly

My rating: 2 of 5 stars I did not enjoy this book. This meant that I brought some strong preconceptions to the experience. Nevertheless, I came to this book with a great deal of hope. Jefferson had come off rather badly in the two above-mentioned biographies. I wanted to see the other side of the man, the side that so many have admired.

The effect was the opposite. But before getting into differing opinions of Jefferson—of which there are endless—I shall talk about the writing, of which there may be more agreement. To do justice to Jefferson the man would require a great deal of psychological subtly. Jefferson was reserved, withdrawn, even sphinx-like, a man full of contradictions.

In the hands of an acute writer, Jefferson would make for a fascinating character-study. Yet Meacham is almost wholly uninterested in psychology. Jefferson is painted more vividly in his cameos in the Hamilton and Adams biographies than he is here.