best biographies of us presidents

My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies

Review of “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered” by Lynne Cheney

22 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by Steve in President #04 - J Madison

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American history , biographies , book reviews , James Madison , Lynne Cheney , presidential biographies , US Presidents

This 458-page biography of Madison is comprehensive, chronologically-organized and frequently full of insight relating to the early years of the “great American experiment.” It begins with an excellent 10-page prologue which promises a gripping, colorful, and penetrating narrative of one of our most important Founding Fathers. Unfortunately, the ensuing eighteen chapters – judged as a biography – are largely disappointing.

To its credit, this biography tackles Madison’s life from perspectives not found in most other biographies – his curious and recurrent health issues, for instance, are quite closely examined and considered. Cheney also occasionally demonstrates an eye for detail that other biographers miss or under-emphasize. Finally, much of her narrative relating to the War of 1812 (during Madison’s presidency) is excellent.

For the most part, however, this biography is inferior to other books covering Madison’s life. Rarely does she provide a roadmap – or guidance of nearly any sort – relating to where the narrative (or Madison himself) is heading. Important characters who are likely to be unfamiliar to readers (such as Philip Freneau) are rarely given more than a one sentence introduction. And surprisingly little is revealed of his most important relationships – including those with his wife, his derelict step-son and even distinguished figures such as Thomas Jefferson.

Any great chronicle of James Madison’s life will inevitably include a compelling review of his role drafting the U.S. Constitution. But Cheney’s summary falls short of the accounts offered by many other biographers, and her story of the Constitutional Convention – while occasionally interesting – reads more like a historian’s precis of events than a biographical sketch told from her subject’s unique point of view.

More fundamentally, Cheney fails to capture much of Madison’s intellectual curiosity and astonishing political genius. But numerous other shortcoming are also evident such as the fact that his childhood elapses far too quickly (and with too little depth), the fact his precarious financial situation only becomes evident in the final chapters, and the fact that the reader never feels part of Madison’s “world” or sees events from his perspective. Finally, the entire book exudes a strange sense of anti-climax, with no sense of suspense or drama. Instead it is a mostly “matter of fact” re-telling of events from a historian’s remote and too-often lifeless perspective.

Overall, Lynne Cheney’s biography of James Madison is far less a biography of Madison than a chronicle of the early American Republic he helped shape. Readers familiar with the era will find that her research fills in some blanks…but may tend to confound, confuse or frustrate others. “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered” is a far better “history” than “biography”…and far from ideal for readers seeking an introduction to the inimitable James Madison.

Overall rating: 3 stars

I liked this one a lot when did my pass through Madison although I haven’t read any other Madison books. Only reading one on each president. I thought Cheney did a good job of portraying Madison as a real critical thinker. I will have to check out some other Madison books when I get the opportunity to.

July 22, 2019 at 3:33 pm

Cheney likely took a different approach, since there are other great books about Madison. She probably did not want to rehash what has already been written. Overall, her book was a good read.

July 22, 2019 at 10:34 pm

Reblogged this on Practically Historical .

July 26, 2019 at 5:48 am

Cheney’s was one of my first biographies in my journey through the presidents (I’m not going in chronological order), and in retrospect, was a little dull and forgettable. I was fascinated by the discussions of his health issues and how it may have impacted his faith, but agree with your assessment on there not being much new ground to cover. It did pique my interest in Monroe, though, with the instances where he was presented as a foil to Madison (until they reconciled, at any rate).

July 26, 2019 at 10:37 am

Oh man, I’m really excited to see what you think of The Power Broker.

July 26, 2019 at 11:08 am

I’m about 500 pages in and – no doubt about it – this biography is “classic Caro!”

July 29, 2019 at 12:29 pm

A good but difficult read.

The difficulty was due to the numerous quotes in the book, I found myself wondering if it would have been a better idea to just read the books where the quotes came from. I mentioned this issue in books written by Jean Edward Smith. For me this becomes a distraction in trying to follow the storyline because of constant references to the bibliography and notes that went into the writing of the book.

August 9, 2019 at 10:25 am

When reading J.E. Smith, the quotes kind of come with the territory. However I do feel they can get excessive to the point that they actively distract from the story. The Bush book was almost unreadable because it seemed like Smith wanted to go on unrelated tangents on every other page.

My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies

Review of “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered” by Lynne Cheney

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