Rating: 
Summary: Awesome, if somewhat biased.
Review: A tremendous book. Mr. Woodward does comment on events that occurred in a writing style that seems to be factual when in reality they are often his opinions. But that is ok, the information and gossip in this book makes up for any perceived bias by the gifted journalist.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Boring. Miss it.
Review: My personal guideline in deciding which movies to see is, if you read the book, don't bother with the show. In the case of Shadow, I would say, if you saw the show, don't bother with the book. Woodward, like Tom Peters, may have been good/lucky once. Neither have been since.
Rating: 
Summary: Great behind the scenes look at power
Review: Only "The Triumph and the Glory" kept me as riveted as Bob Woodward's "Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate." I am fascinated by the inner workings of power politics and how history is affected by personalities and the interplay between men and women who are fallibly human. Woodward has another winner with this one!
Rating:
Summary: A LIVELY POLITICAL ANALYSIS
Review: Documents in detail "off-the-track" ethical and moral behavior and the "new world" of public observation of the Presidency.
Rating: 
Summary: Bob Woodward is a great reporter
Review: Which is why this book ultimately fails. He takes a premise, makes it his title, then tries to link it together through five administrations and their different problems. Of course, the special prosecutor is a result of Watergate, but each of the special prosecutors were different, each case was different and it took Ken Starr's abuse of power to demonstrate that Antonin Scalia (of all people) was right in his dissent in the decision that upheld the law.But back to Woodward. He revels in inside stuff, in reporting EVERYTHING that everybody said to everybody else. Some of it is ego _ if he and his helpers interview 1,000 people, then everything they say is in the book. If someone prominent doesn't want to be interviewed, like George Bush, then Woodward runs his "Dear Bob'' letter telling why. This country and journalism owe a debt to Woodward for Watergate. But what he's written since is stuff that can't find the forest for the trees. He substitutes anecdotes for summary judgement, which is where he fails most. When Bush writes to Woodward that he's tired of the personal dirt-digging, he's identifying the biggest problem in politics in the last two decades. I don't agree with Bush's politics, but I agree with him on what politics has become. Woodward's book is an example _ Watergate and Iran-Contra are public policy gone amuck. Monica is personal standards gone amuck. There's a big difference and Woodward knows it. But instead of telling us, he uses anecdote and gossip about all of it. It's a shame. This could have been a book summarazing American politics in the last quarter-century. Instead, it's an overreported mishmash.
Rating:
Summary: definitely true
Review: what an excellent history of our last few president
Rating:
Summary: Sources ?
Review: I thoroughly enjoy books about politics and history and have been fortunate to read tow great ones in the past week. Rustad's "The Triumph and the Glory" is the greatest war novel since "The Bridges of Toko-Ri" by a fellow named Michener. Then there's Woodward's new book, "Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate. It is fascinating reading, but one should be cautious of accepting alleged conversations which don't have verifiable sources.
Rating:
Summary: an interesting book, but Woodward has done better
Review: Bob Woodward, as usual, has produced a well-written and clear book describing the recent history of several political scandals from the White House. I got the feeling, however, that the only person mentioned in the book who comes out as a good individual is Woodward himself. Unlike All the President's Men, co-written with Carl Bernstein, Woodward spends several pages in the book on subjective material. Interestingly, he does not directly comment on the various Clinton scandals. This is not the best book that Woodward has written and lacks much of the fascinating first-person narrative that makes Woodward a good author. The Agenda, Woodward's book about the beginnings of the Clinton White House era, provides a better insight into Clinton's and other key figures' behaviors. Overall, however, this book is a good account of the paranoia that has consumed all Presidents since Watergate.
Rating: 
Summary: Blind to any media faults
Review: A very unsatisfying book. Provides interesting snippets of information, yet the author seems blind to its implications. The majority of the Presidential 'scandals' come across to this reader, anyway, as minor and unimportant; blown all out of proportion by a media swarm desperately racing to be the next Woodward and Bernstein. The Clinton section seems rushed and unedited, a way to finish up a mostly pointless book while the Clinton scandals still have some interest to potential buyers. If you must read it, wait until it is in the remainders section at $2 a pop.
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: Shadow is a boring rehash of a subject that was explored ad nausium by the media, Ken Star, as well as the House and the Senate. Did you find yourself bored with the constant media coverage? The petty bickering that made todlers seem mature? Did you turn off your TV in discust? If so, stay away from this book. You won't learn anything new, you'll just go back to an unpleasant time. I bought this book, and I wish I had not
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