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Summary: George Washington
Review: A poorly written book with careless errors. The map on page 24 shows Fort Loudon to be in Pennsylvania, some 100 miles north of Winchester, its true location. The map also shows the James River extending fron the Potomac River east of Fort Cumberland through the Allegheny Mountain all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. It offers some interesting tales, but what can one believe!
Rating: 
Summary: very bad book
Review: i actually had to force myself to read this book all the way through.the author did not do a good job,his writing style is very boring,but i guess it does not help either that the person your writing about is not all that interesting either or so this book would make you believe.i'm looking for a better biography of george washington to understand why people say he is so great a historical figure.very boring book.
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Summary: Disappointed
Review: I agree with the other reviewers that this book is uneven, devoting too much time to the early years and only two short chapters to Washington's presidency. It so desparately needs editing that I'm suprised it got published. For example, on page 304 the story is told of rioting New Yorkers tearing down George III's statue; the story is repeated in full again on page 307!!
I do know more about Washington than I did before I read the book. At times the writing is quite good, but it looks to me like the author got bored with the project and finished it off in a hurry.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent read
Review: I have to disagree with the poor reviews. This book has a number of minor weaknesses - - occasional repetition, a few typos - - but none that seriously detract from its overall quality. The strength of the work is in the quality of its narrative. Randall's understanding of what to include and what to leave out is exceptional. I literally flew through it, and I went away with a coherent understanding of the man's life and times. I think it's quite an accomplishment, and it's one of the better biographies I've read. I say give it a try.
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Summary: A very good overview of Washington's life and times
Review: I read this book in hopes of learning more about the nation's first president. I have always found Washington to be a fascinating person but I never did know very many details about his personal life. In school we learn about the legend who overcame great odds and could do no wrong when leading this nation into freedom and independence. Willard Randall focuses on George Washington the man by providing you with an interesting insight into Washington's personal relationships, his shortcomings and his ambitions. The book also focuses on his early career as a soldier in the French and Indian War and as a member of General Braddock's ill-fated expedition. It does an excellent job of describing the environment and events which led Washington to make the decision to lead the Continental army against the British knowing that he would lose everything if he was not successful. There are probably other books on George Washington that are more detailed and thorough but if you want a general overview that is interesting and easy to read then this is the book that I highly recommend.
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Summary: I thought this was a fine biography!
Review: I'm at something of a loss to reconcile my impressions of Randall's work with the numerous bad reviews given here. Let me say up front that this is the first Washington biography that I've read--but I've studied quite a lot of the history and times of the man himself.Perhaps it is a question of perspective. I found the book to be engaging, approachable, and suitable for reading on airplanes. It could very well be that some will find this an inherent flaw. They may be seeking a more academic writing. Perhaps others are seeking revisionist history and are disappointed to find that Randall treats the Father of His Country with something approaching respect. He did spend time on Washington's unrequited love for Mrs. Fairfax, and also his crafty business dealings, so I'm not sure what more is to be expected. As to matters of factual error, I cannot comment. I hope they are corrected in future editions. In short, George Washington: A Life is readable, engaging, respectful--but not kowtowing--and a good introduction to the man we owe so much.
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Summary: Excellent book on Washington the soldier
Review: Perhaps the title is misleading. This book does not cover in detail the life of George Washington. His presidency is glossed over. Those looking to read in depth about the days of Wahsington's presidency should probably look elsewhere. It's focus is mainly on the young Washington who was driven to be a British military officer and became the Patriot General determined to drive the British out of America. I felt Randall put a human touch on Washington, at times describing his emotions at key moments in his life, avoiding the "father of our country" caricature that our school history text books tend to show us. Several pages are devoted to his relationship with the woman that was probably the love of his life and his struggles with perhaps his greatest enemy, Benedict Arnold. Attention is given early in the book on Washington, the boy, and what shaped him to grow into the man he became. I disagree with the mediocre to negative reviews given to this book. I feel that it puts a human face on one of the greatest men this country has produced and focuses on, what to me, is the most interesting period of Washington's life. This book is an interesting, easy read. Randall is not a Pulitzer Prize winning author for nothing.
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Summary: Not quite the introspective we were pledged
Review: Randall's early work in this biography is drawn primarily from Washington's own letters. Obviously no better source exists on Washington's thoughts than these, and in this regard Randall fairly interprets the writings without bias or misconstruction. Washington's early campaigns as an English-officer-wannabe and his early courtship of Martha Dandridge are poignantly human, but once the Revolution begins, Washington almost drops from the text. Only sparingly do we see Washington the man during these 8 years, but rather the results of Washington the military commander (something retold in countless histories and biographies). Once President, Randall tells us too little of Washington's influence on the unprecedented office of Chief Executive and its relationships with Congress and foreign powers, something vitally important to American History. Overall, the first half of this biography tells a clear picture from Washington's own thoughts and ideas, but fails to follow this precept in the second half. Throughout the book, Randall appends lengthy phrases between his subject and verb (sentence-ending verbs), much like the 18th-century correspondence he followed (a common practice then, but tiresome and objectionable in this book). On the whole, the work bogs down in its subject matter and its semantics, becomes tedious in the reading and arguably fails to deliver on "a life" so promised.
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Summary: Good account of early years, but sketchy on presidency
Review: Similar to Randall's book on Thomas Jefferson, this book focuses almost entirely on Washington's pre-presidential years. Only about 30 pages are devoted to the most important years in the life of Washington, those being the years of his presidency. While the book enlightens us as to his personality, character, and leadership, it falls short in providing an intimate account of Washington the man, the son, the husband, the agriculturalist, the revolutionary war general, and the politician. The book did provide a better understanding of his motives for being a part of the American rebellion. I learned that had the British treated Washington with more diligence and respect during the Seven Years' War, he most likely would have been a British officer during the American revolution, rather than a colonial general leading the opposition. After reading this book, I did indeed learn that a single volume would never convey all of the important elements of this great man's life.
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Summary: Too many gaps to make this a great book
Review: Sterne Randall has written a decent, but somehow very incomplete biography of George Washington. He does a good job on the early years and the book is readable, but it later falls apart. While certain revolutionary battles are well covered, many such as Yorktown are barely mentioned. In addition, the all important winter at Valley Forge does not get much attention. The book barely covers Washington's presidency, covering it in 70 of 500 pages written. For such a monumental event, this is little time. In addition, there are factual errors, for example Hamilton is described as the son of a British Admiral. A few pages the correct parentage is given. THis book is a good first read, but a better editor should have been assigned.
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