Popular history. That's what this book is. David McCullough is obviously engaged with his story; he likes Adams, respects the Founders, and knows his history. But he seems shackled by having to tell two stories at the same time, while making both flow into one accessible and engaging narrative.

The first story is the political one. Adams the politician is an energetic, combative creature, not afraid to step on toes or burn bridges in the name of principle. McCullough cuts no corners in fleshing out the particulars of the contemporary political issues, but they still manage to get overshadowed by the force of Adams's personality and thus lose a bit of clarity and readability. The length of the book calls for a little more explanation of ideologies and party lines than McCullough bothers to give, and that cripples the large part of the book he devotes to the political scene. He also intermittently fails to analyze specifically Adams's role in the general drama, which makes it even more trying to follow.
There are highlights: Jefferson's (sometimes turbulent) relationship with Adams is studied in careful detail, with interesting implications. The turbulence of these early times in general are conveyed with verve and detail; the importance of this juncture in American history comes through loud and clear.

The second story is the personal one. The relationship beween Adams and his wife is the centerpiece of the book: an affectionate, engaging affair between two bright and independent minds. The amount of attention given to Mrs Adams forms in itself a worthwhile picture of female life in colonial America, as well a fitting tribute to the exceptional mind that Mrs Adams had.


The major failing of the book is that the two stories aren't given mutual context. It seems unlikely that a man with as rich a personal life as Adams would be as unaffected by it in his public life as this book conveys. I felt that McCullough saved his best efforts for the personal story that he enjoyed telling, while giving the political narrative only by grudging rote. This made it difficult to read the book as a unified whole. A shame, since even the more neglected areas of Adams's life seemed to offer something worthwhile. A solid popular history, but rather too ambitious for it's scope and achievement.

I began reading John Adams four years ago, if you can believe it. Somewhere along the way I set it down and failed to pick it up again until a few weeks ago. I was a fan of David McCullough before I read John Adams, but it has certainly deepened my respect for this incredibly gifted historian. I think it’s rare for a biographer to leave you with the feeling that you don’t just know about the subject, but that you actually know the subject on a personal level. And that is exactly what McCullough accomplished with this portrait of one of the most remarkable and heretofore overlooked founding fathers in our nation’s history. — Kate Scott



from The Best Books We Read In November: http://bookriot.com/2015/11/30/riot-r...

I know that I was supposed to love it, but I must be flawed since I found myself reading it as if it were on a required reading list for American History 201. It came highly recommended and admittedly I learned a great deal, however with apologies to my history buff friends, reading it was not enjoyable for me and rather than finding it compeling as did they, I had to compel myself to finish it.