So encouraging, stimulating, and edifying in my walk with the Lord. It's a bit long at times, but the style is very readable and I was sad to see it end. I'll have to find some of his sermons to read now, though they say the ones on record aren't his best, and of course reading isn't the same as hearing and seeing the evangelist in action... I was blessed. ( )

After spending more than 1200 pages with a man, you feel like you know him quite well. Dallimore has set the standard for me as I read biographers and I would venture to guess that this book has permanently shaped my expectations as to the detail with which an author seeking to write the definitive biography, should write with. Dallimore shines in the details. I think that I read somewhere that he spent 30 years in preparation for this work and if that is true, I'd believe it. He seems to have read every imaginable primary and secondary source and brought in so much evidence for his arguments that this work will likely never be topped. I feel like I went with Whitefield on every single ministry circuit, read every one of his letters, and knew each one of his friends. Dallimore's contribution is remarkable.The danger in reading the biographies of such extraordinary humans is discouragement. Whitefield is probably the most extraordinary man I've ever heard of. His unique ministerial gifts, his gospel energy, and the holiness of his life make him feel superhuman to me and I find it quite difficult to relate to him. I attribute most of this simply to the fact that God gifted him in extraordinary ways. Yet, I also direct a modest portion of blame towards the author. My largest disappointment with this work is that though the author acknowledged numerous faults possessed by Whitefield, it often felt as if he did it only out of obligation. On pp 519-20 of vol. II Dallimore briefly summarizes 6 of Whitefield's faults but it felt disproportional to me. After 1200 pages of admiration, I'd suggest that the credibility of this work would be bolstered if at least 5% of the space had been given to a consideration of his faults. In particular, I was troubled by Whitefield's neglect of his wife and felt that many of his life's troubles came from overextending himself in ministry. I'm really surprised that the latter concern was not addressed as the author cites countless of accounts of how his friends seemed to share my concern.However, these criticisms should not detract much from this work. To borrow a common assessment of Whitefield, the weaknesses of Dallimore's work are like 'spots on the sun,' thus hardly noticeable. The power of this work, like any decent biography is the opportunity it provides not only for education for historical events such as the Great Awakening, or the Whitefield v. Wesley controversy, but also for personal reflection. It would be far too ambitious of a task for me to attempt to account for the numerous bits of both large and small wisdom that I gained from observing this man's life. The bottom line is that if you are interested in Whitefield, Wesley, or the Great Awakening this book is indispensable. This is the unrivaled, definitive work on Whitefield's life and should be widely read by pastors, church historians, and aspiring leaders across many denominations. Additionally, I commend Banner of Truth for the quality of this sewn binding. These two books are the best constructed books I own. ( )

Not quite the exhilarating style of Volume 1 but a substantial, scholarly and very readable account all the same. The Index and Bibliography are both very extensive. I always wish that photographs were dispersed to relevant places in the text rather than being plonked in 1 or 2 wedges in the book ( )