Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good, but could have been a little less boring
Review: This book was an interesting approach to the life of Thomas Jefferson by looking at his character rather than an entire life history with unnecessary details. I did not really enjoy the context though, because it was slow and at parts hard to understand.
Rating: 
Summary: Very well written and balanced biography.
Review: I found this book to be both very well written and also very interesting. The author clearly tries his utmost to be fair to his subject, whose personality and times were so unusual. As a minor critique, the author does take as granted a decent background knowledge of the events during and following the American revolution. This may be a problem for the non-American reader (such as myself), and adding a brief table of events might be an idea in future editions, especially if they are intended for the European market.
Rating: 
Summary: Author tries but fails to reveal or discover anything new.
Review: Last month we discussed this book in my History Book discussion group. Those unfamiliar with other workers on Jefferson or who are not historians will find it interesting and enlightening but historians and those who have read or studied other works will find much of the material a repeat of much that is found in other works over the years. Van D. Caldwell, esq.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating. . .
Review: Ellis does a magnificient job of lucidly revealing the paradoxical Jefferson. Jefferson's prominence among the "founding fathers" and his ability to be all things to all people are scrutinized but not overdone. An amazing glimpse into the persona of the author of the Declaration of Independence.
Rating:
Summary: Eloquent and Fascinating Study of Jefferson
Review: This engaging study seeks the springs of Jefferson's political thought in his "personality type," or way of thinking about things in general. The focus on Jefferson's psychological makeup explains much that seems ambiguous, i.e. his behavior vis-a-vis slavery, perhaps at the risk of making Jefferson seem too simple. But the portrait that results is a rich one - of a man attuned to the currents of thought around him, and intellectually independent enough to reach his own conclusions. To say more would be to give away what the reader will enjoy finding out for himself. A fine book, and very pleasurable reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Good insight, not overburdening
Review: So many biographies are filled with exasperating detail; I found this to be a welcome change. Mr. Elias presents a nice account of Mr. Jefferson's character without inundating the reader with so much information that "fatigue" sets in. That having been said, I am now reading a more extensive biography of Thomas Jefferson, but am now a little more knowledgeable about the essence of the man's character. A good introduction to Jefferson
Rating: 
Summary: Was Jefferson Simply A Failure?
Review: I salute Professor Ellis for a valiant, and very readable, effort to plumb the mind of Jefferson without resorting to misty-eyed "Founding Father" sentiments and myth, as most Jefferson biographers invariably do, albeit often unintentionally. I disagree with the reviewer who found that the author dodged the tough issues and the reviewer who kindly stated that Professor Ellis "demystified" Jefferson. I believe that the book very effectively illuminates the context in which Jefferson expressed and acted upon (or failed to act upon) many of his most cherished ideas and beliefs. What troubles me about the book, however, is its implicit suggestion that Jefferson in a vague sense was essentially a failure who, incredibly, was perpetually "out of the loop" (as we say today) when it came to the critical points of history that occurred in his time, except perhaps for the Declaration of Indpendence. But even there, Professor Ellis reduces Jefferson's role to a quasi-plagiarist who, in apparent denial of his own lack of creativity, publicly seethes at the thought of his fellow revolutionaries editing what Professor Ellis describes as, and what they therefore must also have known was, essentially George Mason's work! According to Professor Ellis, Jefferson's view of the "Spirit of '76" was a little delusional and inferior to Adams' more accurate recollections. The book basically dismisses Jefferson as a bumbler when it comes to constitutional questions, although Madison was without peer in that regard. John Marshall was clever and legally facile, but not necessarily evenhanded in his constitutional interpretations. As to the role of the new government, Professor Ellis paints Jefferson as almost an irrational "spoiler" who had no positive vision about where he wanted to lead the country. Perhaps I'm overreading Professor Ellis' conclusions, which, I am sure, he did not intend to come across the way I think they did. On the other hand, Professor Ell! is does usually place Jefferson on the wrong end of the stick when he comes to his closure on the issues he chose to address, such as the American and French Revolutions, slavery, the role of government, North-South relations, the role of the West, finances (personal and governmental), farming, political thought, politics, constitutional thought, sex, family, and friendship. While his analysis of each of these issues is interesting, plausible, and usually even-handed on the surface, Professor Ellis ultimately seems willing to cast as historical fact conclusions that are, in the end, also only "reasonably speculative," like those he admittedly offers with respect to Sally Hemmings. This book must be read, but with the understanding that if Professor Ellis's treatment of Jefferson is 100% correct, then perhaps rather than building a statue of John Adams next to the Jefferson Memorial, as Professor Ellis suggests in his John Adams' biography, we should remove Mr. Jefferson's statue altogether and let it quitely sink into the Tidal Basin. Professor Ellis, I believe, gave a great effort, but in the end got so close that his view became myopic, with the result being that Jefferson slipped deftly through his analytical fingers.
Rating:
Summary: Informative, but needs a more astute author
Review: How does an ordinary person explain an extraordinary person? I am afraid the two stars are for research and interesting trivia, but not for Ellis' interpretation of the mind of a great man. The complexity of Jefferson's mind seemed to daunt the author at every turn and even a bad interpretation of Jefferson's motivations would have been preferable to Ellis' continually clearing his throat at the crucial moment and moving on to something less (to him) awkward.
Rating:
Summary: An Historical Refresher
Review: Thomas Jefferson had a unique political and philosophical character that sets him apart from all other U.S. presidents. Author Joseph Ellis tries his best to accurately portray Jefferson without getting too technical and contradictory. This is not an easy task, given the person that this book focuses on. Jefferson was a complex idealist and he believed in the ideals of self government without federal interference to an uncompromising degree. I was surprised that Ellis did not give any coverage to the Adams- Jefferson feud in the election of 1800. There are many pages in this book that cover the reconciliation between the two men that followed Jefferson's retirement from public service. But little, if any, is said about the political showdown leading up to the election of 1800. Also, the author tries to solve the Sally Hemings controversy once and for all. Ellis states that he doesn't think there was any sexual relationship (I think there was) although he admits that there is no conclusive proof, one way or the other. This biography does a good job explaining the true meaning behind Jefferson's political philosophy. For example, despite what some extremists in the religious community have tried to say, Jefferson was ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY, 100% against church- state relations! He did not even allow theology to be taught at the school he founded, the University of Virginia. He felt that a nation based on personal liberty was the ideal utopian state that the new republic should guarantee to all citizens. I am often disgusted when I see our two major political parties, Republican and Democratic (especially Democrats) try to claim Jefferson as one of their own. Thomas Jefferson would be sickened by both of them if he were alive today! His ideas of personal liberty and free choice would place him in the Libertarian sector, if he could even be placed at all. Thomas Jefferson is, and will always be, an American icon. We are not likely to ever see another individual in public life quite like the ! man from Monticello.
Rating:
Summary: Who is Thomas Jefferson???
Review: Joseph Ellis writes and very insightful biography about Jefferson from his drafting of the Declaration of Independence, to his post in Paris, to his semi-retirement at Monticello, to his term as 3rd President, to his actual retirement. Ellis shows the character of Jefferson as a man and not as some demigod. Ellis gives us a glimpse of Jefferson's strengths and weaknesses. Anyone interested in the demystification of Jefferson should read this book.
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