This calm, well-mannered book was light on history and long on daily experience outside of history. It is a biography that tells surprisingly little about what John Adams did, and instead tells much about what he experienced, through the medium of his, and his wife’s, letters. There are also interesting insights on Jefferson, Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin.

It is a soothing read, but what makes it soothing also makes it not quite satisfying. One doesn’t get the historical “so what” of, say His Excellency, George Washington, which I highly recommend, but one does get a good view of the weather, habits and manner of speaking of the revolutionary colonists. But it did leave me wanting a bit more historical insight and punch. I also felt this way about this author’s book on the Wright Brothers, where we get much detail on Wilbur’s activities in France, but less on the sheer wonder of his astonishing accomplishment. For that, I recommend To Conquer the Air by Tobin. To be fair, McCullough’s approach certainly helps to bring back and humanize these persons who were so crucial to the founding of the United States and is therefore worthwhile and deserving of appreciation.

An excellent biography of John Adams, the Founding Father and second president of the US.

Highly recommended.

David McCullough is a meticulous historian and a skillful writer. Here, he recounts John Adams' life from his crucial support of the Declaration if Independence to his diplomacy in avoiding war with France. Even without an interest in the second president, this book would be a fascinating read for the view of the early days of the United States and the life of the late 18th century.

I really like history. I was a history minor. I love the intersection of how individuals shape history against the backdrop of great events. And yet.....I found “John Adams” so stultifyingly dull that I punted. Put it away unfinished – something I almost NEVER do.

We watched the HBO mini-series (which I thought was good) and I felt like I was cheating on a book report.

Wonderful take on a fascinating and accomplished life. I did especially enjoy the careful attention paid to the complicated and temperamental relationship between Adams and Jefferson. David McCullough painted a vivid picture of the man to the point where the personalities of John and Abigail were leaping out of the pages, and I can safely say that I've come away from the experience with a fond appreciation for the second President.

I will agree that the author meanders a bit here and there and that the pacing perhaps suffers a bit as a result. I got the impression that McCullough had such a love and fascination for the 10 metric tonnes of Adams' letters that he couldn't bring himself to cut many of them from the book.

Overall a thoughtful and, to my mind, fair portrait of a good and scholarly man.

I read John Adams largely because my grandfather's response when I told him I was reading Alexander Hamilton last year was "I hear that John Adams biography is excellent." Additionally, I was interested because Hamilton was always at odds with him, but I like them both a great deal (and incidentally do not feel the same way about Thomas Jefferson).

This book did not disappoint. McCullough masterfully selected quotations of Adams, Abigail, John Quincy, Benjamin Rush, Jefferson, and other major players in Adams's life, and incorporated them without disrupting the prose. Every thirty pages or so I found a quote so striking that I wrote it down in a little notebook, or marked the page number on the post-it I used as a bookmark.

Through quotes and narrative alike, the book illustrates the remarkable, influential man John Adams was, from his years negotiating peace and loans in Europe to his one term as the nation's second President. Adams's thoughts on education, slavery, war, and the dangers of faction are compelling; his conduct in the face of constantly being misunderstood complicated and sympathetic; his ever-present integrity inspiring. In fact, at least for the moment, the admiration I've developed for Adams through McCullough's book has rendered my regard for Hamilton something closer to an infatuation.

If the book has one flaw, it is in McCullough's confrontation of Adams's. Whereas the picture of Adams is for the most part brilliantly developed, the book at some point discusses his lapses in judgment, his temper, his indignation, as if it were assumed knowledge. True, these aspects of his personality were likely not as well preserved for history in letters, but I would have liked this to be fleshed out more and earlier on. This is not to say that McCullough pedestalizes Adams; I only wished to understand better these qualities of his. Also, McCullough handles some of Adams's obtrusive character traits quite well - I literally giggled imagining Adams presiding over the first Senate debates, unable to refrain from butting in in spite of his own intentions to refrain from doing so.

I cannot neglect to mention Abigail in discussing her husband's biography. John and Abigail had a great romance of the kind I had sort of thought rare in general, but especially in that era. Their need for each other, the pain they express at being apart, their unyielding support for one another, and the deep deep friendship that resulted in Abigail's fond salutation to Adams as her "dearest friend," shine through in the book to demonstrate their unique bond. Intellectual, opinionated Abigail was a treat to read about. Her accounts of France in general were fabulous, and one of the highights of the entire book for me was her description of meeting and despising a preeminent French woman Benjamin Franklin had raved about (page 305-06).

Less substantive matters - the book includes a family tree chart at the beginning that I constantly referred back to. The part and chapter breaks were appropriate, and the index is comprehensive and easy to navigate. Finally, a word about length: this is a book you have to be a bit patient with. It's about 700 pages long and starts off in a slow, arguably boring description of Adams's simple beginning as the son of a New England farmer, facts which of course literally define Adams. Stick with it through the first hundred pages or so, resign yourself to at least a couple of months with it, and what you never knew about Adams is sure to enrich your understanding of the fascinating times in which he lived.

I thought about writing a review but there's really nothing I can say that hasn't already been covered by other reviewers. Excellent and highly recommended.

Having previously read the George Washington and Alexander Hamilton biographies by Ron Chernow, and the Benjamin Franklin bio by Walter Isaacson, (in which John Adams features many times over) I was eager to learn more about the 2nd President of the United States.
Well, this account of the life of John Adams is with out a doubt, the best biography that I have ever read! As the march of history unfolds through a tremulous 18th century, David McCullough does a masterful job utilizing primary sources to uncover Adams true thoughts, idea's and observations. I especially enjoyed all the correspondence between John and his wife Abigail, and later his eldest son (and pride and joy) John Quincy. The inclusion of so many letters and diary entries really helped me get the measure of the man. What a man he must have been; honest, frugal, a devoted husband, father, friend and patriot. Most of all, John Adams was surely a good man and a role model to future generations.
It will be interesting to see how well this epic biography translated to the small screen in the HBO mini-series John Adams starring Paul Giamatti as the man himself. If it's half as good as the biography, I'm in for a real treat.
5- Stars. Perfect!

"The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think, and the more anxiously I inquire, the less I seem to know...Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. This is enough..." John Adams

This book was so good. Thorough, well written, interesting. I loved seeing so many things that we feel like despairing over happened 250 years ago just as they happen now. Truly there is nothing new under the sun. It was inspiring to read of how Adams and Jefferson could respect each other and even remain friends despite differing political opinions, moral opinions, and even a few personal attacks. Truly, we could all learn to be more forgiving and more ready to overlook faults. We should strive to be hard to offend rather than constantly looking for offenses.

I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading Mornings on Horseback!!!

There’s a reason this biography is a classic. McCullough does a great job of adding context to why Adams did what he did or stayed passive on the situation such as the almost war with France. Is a 4.5/5 but I can’t give every biography I read a 5/5.

Of the hundreds of books I have read thus far in my life, this is my favorite without question. As an American history teacher, I have an obvious bias toward a book about one of our founding fathers. However, I have read quite a few history books that were not very good and could not hold my attention. This book is written as a narrative and could hold its own as a story written simply for pleasure. It is a page-turner that is all but impossible to put down, and it gives the reader a tremendous knowledge about the time period of the American Revolution. All of the legendary characters of our country's early history are brought to life, and we learn about both the good and bad aspects of each of them. I have read this book through a few times now, and take something new from it each time. This is the perfect book to read for someone who did not like history in high school but feels that it is something they should learn about. It is also the perfect book for anyone who loves history and is looking for a good read.

Second time reading this book and it’s even better the second time around.