The drama of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson is the foundational story of Americacourage, loyalty, hope, fanaticism, greatness, failure, forgiveness, love.Agony and Eloquence is the story of the greatest friendship in American history and the revolutionary times in which it was made, ruined, and finally renewed.In the wake of Washington’s retirement, longtime friends Thomas Jefferson and John … friends Thomas Jefferson and John Adams came to represent the opposing political forces struggling to shape America’s future. Adams’s victory in the presidential election of 1796 brought Jefferson into his administrationbut as an unlikely and deeply conflicted vice president. The bloody Republican revolution in France finally brought their political differences to a bitter pitch. In Mallock’s take on this fascinating period, French foreign policy and revolutionary developmentsfrom the fall of the Bastille to the fall of the Jacobins and the rise of Napoleonform a disturbing and illuminating counterpoint to events, controversies, individuals, and relationships in Philadelphia and Washington.
Many important and fascinating people appear in the book, including Thomas Paine, Camille Desmoulins, Dr. Benjamin Rush, Tobias Lear, Talleyrand, Robespierre, Danton, Saint-Just, Abigail Adams, Lafayette, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Dr. Joseph Priestley, Samuel Adams, Philip Mazzei, John Marshall, Alexander Hamilton, and Edward Coles. They are brought to life by Mallock’s insightful analysis and clear and lively writing.
Agony and Eloquence is a thoroughly researched and tautly written modern history. When the most important thing is at stake, almost anything can be justified.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history–books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
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I expected this book to be better than it was. First, I think the author spends very little time on the actual correspondence between Jefferson and Adams, being more intent on expressing his own political views rather than examining the relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. I found the foray into the field of speculation regarding Jefferson’s response to Coles to be particularly irritating as the author of a book examining the relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson seems to not be aware that not only was the Declaration of Independence as written by Jefferson an effort to eradicate slavery, but the bar of slavery to the Northwest Territory was the work of Jefferson, and that Jefferson had attempted to have slavery eliminated in Virginia – and of those efforts, Jefferson could call on success in one. Jefferson was successful in creating the University of Virginia, he had good reason to believe that Coles’ efforts would not yield fruit, and chose not to commit himself to that same disappointment again. The author of this book seems to be unaware that the “bully pulpit” did not exist in the early 19th century.
There is also a lot of repetition, almost cut and paste paragraphs repeated multiple times. It’s just not well written.
Not recommended. There is no new insights in this book, nothing of any value about the character of John Adams or Thomas Jefferson. It’s a political opinion piece masquerading as a history.
It was terrible. I deleted it!
This book is so nice reader
Jefferson myth exploded.
This book provides a great insight into the relationship between Adams and Jefferson and the affects outside forces had on their communication and their careers.
The book seems less interesting at first until it begins to be evident that the author is necessarily tying events and situations together like the pieces of a puzzle to develop a complete sentiment for the drama of the times. A full understanding of the transition from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution is necessary to comprehend how radically different the new country was from any other in the world and how much of an experiment American democracy was. Mr. Mallock is thorough and gives a plethora of original texts and sometimes his comments on the texts and times seems to revert to the style of the time, also. A lengthy reading well worth the time to read it.
If you enjoy reading history/biography and are interested in the Founding Fathers, this is very interesting about the relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Excellent
Learned a lot about these two men. Politics were as distasteful or worse than today. Left me with a bad taste for the supposed gtreat Jefferson
This historical account narrates the ups and downs of the long term relationship of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. It is well researched, with much material from the original correspondence. Very informative look at key people from the founding of the United States and their often troubled relationship both political and personal.
boring keeped changing time lines hard to keep track
Hard to read choppy narrative. Well researched but no comfortable reading