Overall, this is a good book but perhaps best thought of a summary of events over the course of Jefferson’s life.

The thing I loved about this book: It allowed me to absorb vast amounts of information in only a couple hundred pages. The thing I wished were different about this book: I wish it were longer than a couple hundred pages.
Such was the conundrum I faced with Bernstein's wonderfully composed biography. He presented the much-approached topic with grace and style, and his summations on the various aspects of Jefferson's character and life were just brilliant. But I kept wanting more --- more description, more detail, more primary source quotations, more context, more background, more everything.
It probably didn't help Bernstein's case that I read the magnificent David McCullough's "John Adams" immediately before this book. McCullough was able to throw 800 pages at me and make me feel like I'd only invested 5 minutes. I left that book with (what felt like) an intense and thorough knowledge of Adams and his thoughts and personality. In short, I felt like I knew Adams.
I left Bernstein's book wondering if I knew anything at all about Jefferson. Then again, the man is called the American Sphinx for a reason, and I don't think 10,000+ pages would provide that sense of relationship with Jefferson. So, I appreciated that Bernstein provided the basics and provided the basics so well in such a short span.
So, even at the conclusion of this review, I am left loving the very thing (conciseness) that made me like the book a bit less (wanting more.) All in all, I think that this sort of inner conflict about the book is, in and of itself, a fitting irony, considering Jefferson's paradoxical life and personality.

Thomas Jefferson by R.B. Bernsetein is an absolute gem that takes readers on an enthralling journey through the life and accomplishments of one of America's most iconic figures. This meticulously researched and masterfully written biography offers a comprehensive and intimate portrait of Thomas Jefferson, shedding light on his complexities, ideals, and lasting legacy.

Ever since my visit to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, I have been curious about the author of the words inscribed upon its walls. Having finished the book, I have an appreciation for Jefferson's commitment to public service, empathy for the gray areas marked by struggle and controversy, and admiration for the visionary that pioneered the principles foundational in our national framework today. One factoid I found interesting was that on July 4th, the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on Independence, Thomas Jefferson died, and five hours later, his friend John Adams and fellow founding father died as well. As the author points out, "many Americans saw in the event the hand of God. They wondered whether succeeding generations could preserve the fruits of the Revolution that Adams, Jefferson, and their allies had helped to lead." I wonder too.

Don't be deceived into thinking that this is merely a biography of Jefferson; Bernstein also creates the age in which Jefferson lived, making this compact book an excellent introduction to the man and his times. I recommend it to anyone who needs to make a quick study of both Jefferson and his times.

What made even more enjoyable was reading the epilogue, "Take care of me when dead." Bernstein traces the four phases that Jefferson studies have migrated through and it reveals how each phase interprets his life for reasons unique to that age. For me, I felt that the 95% of the previous pages were a prologue for Bernstein's 5% epilogue; it gave an interpretative key; it made the biography more than just a retelling of events and situations, characters and callings--with the view from the balcony, it gave it scope and perspective.

A very good concise biography of Thomas Jefferson. I would have liked more details on the events in his life and I felt as if Bernstein flew through several of the major elements, but as an overview? As a survey on Thomas Jefferson it was good. Best of all it was not fawning over the man like he was a decedent of the almighty. One day, I'll find a longer work on Jefferson and give it a go. For now, it's on to Madison!

This was a well-written, concise biography. I really enjoyed it. Bernstein neither apologizes for nor ignores Jefferson's shortcomings. He presents a very well-balanced view of the man and doesn’t get caught up in superfluous details.

I found this biography to be really accessible and I enjoyed the balance Bernstein was able to strike between Jefferson’s personal and professional lives. He did a great job of identifying the major events in Jefferson’s life without going overboard with details.

The one thing I was disappointed that Bernstein didn’t spend a little more time addressing was the conflict with Adams. Especially after reading McCullough’s biography of John Adams, I was expecting to learn a little bit about Jefferson’s view of his relationship with Adams. Besides that though, I was really pleased that I picked this biography of Jefferson to continue my Presidential Challenge!

So I want to read a biography of Thomas Jefferson but I'm intimidated by all those million-volume epics. I grab the shortest-yet-well-reviewed mini-bio I can find instead aaaaand...it's way too short. This is a good intro to TJ, but I found myself wanting way more detail by the end. The truth is there's a reason people are penning 10,000 page tomes on Jefferson -- his life is that gigantic. I guess I'll have to get over myself and try my luck with an intermediate Jefferson bio one of thee days.

This review will not necessarily follow the usual format. When it comes to the Presidential biographies that I am reading, I would like to write first about the president himself, consisting of what their life was like and his eventual presidency, through what I have learned in the text. Next, I would write a review on the text itself. I cannot do this however, since this book feels so...underwhelming.

At a scant 200 pages of actual narrative, this is one of the shortest biographies that one can find on any president anywhere, and this is so incredibly sad, given the man we have to work with. If one word could describe Jefferson, it would be enigma. He was a man who called slavery a sin, yet owned slaves himself, wrote the Declaration of Independence and still held people in bondage. He was a staunch racist yet slept with Sally Hemmings. He was a strong Anti-Federalist, yet he made the single largest land purchase in US history, while also using a system of finance to fund it that he had railed against for decades. In short, Jefferson was a man whom people far better educated than I would struggle to understand. One would think that even reading this short biography would help to resolve some of this confusion.

Sadly, though, it did not. This is mostly a cliff notes version of Jefferson's life. What would take a chapter in any other biography takes about five pages here. Friends that Jefferson had known since boyhood, and whom Jefferson called one of the best people of Virginia? The friend is name dropped, at best and we feel little impact of their relationship. The time of Jefferson abroad, serving as foreign minister to France? Given a few pages, at most. This means that, while we are given ample historical context to events, including theology, foreign policy, and law practices at the time, we never really get to know the man the book is named after. This can leave my journey with the Jefferson in this text feeling somewhat hollow and unfulfilled.

But can I really blame the book? What did I expect when I find that it has a less than 300 page count, including the appendix? As I seem to constantly have to remind myself, I suppose that I should rate this book based on what it is, rather than what I want it to be. On this case, I would say that this book is just not for me. It often goes over basic history that I know already know, while giving Jefferson a scant mention at best. The only reason that I am reading this specific bio of Jefferson at all is because I had to buy it for college, and only read a chapter of it. That said, if you are someone who has not read a history book in many years, then this may be a good book to pick up. For me, however, this text is one that I give a two out of five. Now I can get rid of this and proceed with Madison. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

There is an amazing amount of material for such a small book. I think Prof Berstein did an admirable job dealing in the complexities which are Thomas Jefferson, the man, the politician, the writer, the legacy. I also found Prof. Bernstein did well to set the historical context without interfering, or slowing down, the overall narrative. I'd see this as an excellent choice for someone wanting to know a little more about Thomas Jefferson. I say that not to diminish the book, but to highlight the small size and quick read that this book is.

I think that R.B. Bernstein's biography is one the best presidential biographies I have read thus far. This is because Bernstein seems to give more balanced background information on the issues that involved both Jefferson and the emergent United States. For example, Bernstein provides the reader with much-needed background to seminal issues confronting the revolutionary colonies with regards to the Stamp Act and the ensuing Tea Party (3-fold British reasoning - - p.20f), Parliament representation (or lack thereof) in the colonies, and differing views regarding the "English Constitution." Bernstein also clearly portrays the Jefferson's striking contradictions ("ambiguous legacies") with regards to slavery, constitutional interpretation, and religious freedom. But the author does an excellent job of reviewing how, in spite of these seeming contradictions, Jefferson was a brilliant writer, political thinker, and natural scientist whose words continue to "mean not only what he might have intended them to mean, but also what succeeding generations of American have read into them."

This book was a little too concise for such a prolific historical figure. It is great for those who want an introductory glimpse into the life of our third president.

I enjoyed how Bernstein doesn't sugar coat history. Thomas Jefferson was an imperfect a man just like the rest of us. However, his impact to the revolution cannot be overestimated, nor can his eloquent writing.