Not a gripping book, but definitely of interest to flesh out the plethora of mostly political portraits of Washington. In Washington’s private life, he was extremely conscious of appearances, obsessed with details, driven by land acquisition, and was a caring if smothering parent to the many “strays” he and Martha accumulated. He made up for never having children of his own; some of his “adopted boys” included the Marquis de Lafayette (and later his son), Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, Tobias Lear, and the many nieces and nephews of both his and Martha’s families. He and Martha both loved acquiring and displaying the trappings of elegance; often his political forays were preceded by shopping trips. Washington also was a first-rate innovator in agricultural technology, and frequently bonded with others on the basis of shared interests in animal breeding and/or plant cultivation.

A very few political stories are included, but they are notable, such as Washington’s institution of decision-making by agreement of the whole cabinet rather than allowing various department heads to exercise their portfolios; Unger points out how this came about from Washington’s frustration over the infighting between Hamilton and Jefferson. Unger also argues (following John Adams) that it was mainly the outbreak of yellow fever in New York that prevented a French-inspired revolution against the new nation. (Jay Winik in his book “The Great Upheaval“ also noted the very strong effect the French Revolution had on this country.)

I wouldn’t make this the only book one reads about Washington, but if you’re into details about the daily lives of the Founding Fathers, this book fills the bill.

(JAF) ( )