Grant

Listened to this as an audio book, and I would have loved to have had the hard copy of the book to flip back to from time to time to keep track of some names. I think I would have loved the hardback better. But while I didn't think it was an enthralling as Hamilton, it did change my perspective of Grant and of the Reconstruction. It was informative and interesting but did drag a little.

This was the first biography I had read in years. It did not disappoint. Chernow's writing offered a connection with the subject, and he made Grant seem like someone who would sit next to you in the quiet corner of a library and narrate some of his more harrowing experiences. I appreciated the detailed exploration of more than just his Civil War and Presidency periods. The chapters discussing the Mexican War and his travels abroad following his presidency were interesting and worthy inclusions.

While any biography of Grant would be incomplete without reference to his drinking, Chernow takes an almost obsessed approach to highlighting Grant's triumph over the vice, and he uses the alcohol rumors to nearly vilify Grant's opponents. The tone of the drinking refrains grew more didactic and gruff as the narrative progressed. In some instances, the return to drinking stories jarred the flow of the tale.